This week we’d like to give you some Renewal by Andersen of Long Island replacement window tips on designing a wall plan for a successful renovation project. It’s no secret that architects and interior decorators emphasize the importance of detailed floor plans when you build a home. But, well-placed windows and patio doors also play an extremely important role in how comfortable your home is and how well it functions for your personal lifestyle.
When you’re planning a home renovation project, you won’t necessarily have as many options for window placement as you do with new construction – unless you want to invest more time and money to relocate windows or modify existing window footprints.
You can still maximize your benefits by creating a detailed wall plan that includes trim colors, shapes, operational styles, and window/patio door combinations. Creating a visual recipe for updating your home will help ensure you’re happy with the results. Our professional replacement windows can help you get started. Give us a call at (866) 609-5033 or fill out the short form on this page to schedule a personal in-home consultation.
Windows add comfort and value to your home. When you’re thinking about replacing windows and patio doors in your home, focusing on the benefits helps you fine-tune your wall plan. Here are five things to consider before you select window and patio door styles and glass options for each room.
1. Leveraging Natural Light
Everyone knows that natural lighting makes a room “more beautiful” and “feel better” than artificial light. Sunlight, when used properly, flows through your windows to create a constantly changing lightscape during daylight hours. The brightness and volume increase and decrease according to the hour, sometimes casting shadows or reflecting off interior surfaces. If you consider how natural light will impact your architectural structures and interior design elements during different times of the day, you can increase visual attractiveness of your Long Island home.
2. Channeling Air Flow
Opening a window or two when the weather is nice isn’t the same thing as a ventilation plan. A ventilation plan is more sophisticated. For example, opening the correct combination of windows in lower floors and upper floors creates an updraft that draws warm air up, away from common areas. This was the original air conditioning in the days before mechanical AC. Cross ventilation, sometimes called through ventilation, takes advantage of air currents on opposite walls. Channeling fresh air into your home requires a bit of planning and the right combination of operable and fixed windows.
3. Creating a Personalized View
The first thought that comes to mind for most people when they want to showcase a spectacular view is a large picture window. But there are so many more options for managing the view from your Long Island home’s windows.
Even a small window adds warmth to a room. Your window choices allow you to block a less than perfect view or frame your view in a way that celebrates the scenic vistas around your home.
If you have a less than ideal view, you may consider installing patterned windows that allow warming sunshine and light to enter your room while obscuring the view of your dumpster, or other eyesore. Combining windows and the right patio door style may allow you to take advantage of eye-pleasing scenery while blocking less desirable sightline objects or views.
4. Transitioning From Indoors to Outdoors
A very popular window configuration for Renewal by Andersen of Long Island homeowners today is a wall of glass. A row of windows, or a combination of replacement patio doors and windows, blurs the line of distinction between your indoor spaces and the area around your home. Imagine “bringing the garden indoors” or creating an environment that makes your patio feel like it’s truly part of your living area.
5. Designing Thoughtfully
Thoughtful design involves carefully considering window options. Much like the perfect frame adds value to a priceless piece of art, window choices enhance architectural details and features. Grille patterns, latches, handles and other accessories play an integral role in adding the finishing touches for comfort and aesthetics.
Whether you choose to repeat grille patterns and window styles throughout your home really depends on your own personal preferences. Symmetry creates a distinctly different visual rhythm than relying on a mix of shapes and sizes to create stunning focal points.
It doesn’t matter if you live in a trendy loft in Brooklyn or Queens, a waterfront cottage on the East End of Suffolk or a rambling suburban home in Nassau, you need an excellent wall plan before you start your renovation project. We’re here to help you explore all your options from comparing ENERGY STAR certified glass that help you utilize natural sunlight to control utility bills to choosing the most complimentary color combinations.
Please take a minute to fill in the short form on this page for more information or, better yet, give us a call at (866) 609-5033 to schedule a personal in-home design consultation.
