How To Maximize Sunlight in Your Alaskan Custom Home Design
If you want to build a custom home in Anchorage or the Mat-Su Valley, incorporating architectural design features that maximize natural light can make living in your new home an even greater joy.
You’ll be able to overlook the panoramic views of your property and enjoy all the benefits of natural light, such as enhanced mood and productivity and improved energy efficiency.
No matter what architectural style you envision for your forever home, Falcon Alaska will design and build an open and inviting space. From strategically placed windows to eye-catching skylights, we understand how natural light can enhance your home’s aesthetic appeal and your personal well-being.
Considerations for Enhancing Natural Light
Direct sunlight from the south can illuminate your home, while indirect sunlight from the north provides a soft glow. Consider how light impacts your home’s design:
- How will your home be oriented on the lot?
- Which rooms will you use most frequently? Where will they be situated in your floor plan?
- Are there any trees, neighboring homes, or other features that may block sunlight from your home?
- Where can you add reflective materials like mirrors and lighter paint colors that will pull natural light into the space?
Our professional team of architects and interior designers will work with you to create a custom floor plan that will maximize your Alaskan dream home’s natural light, and make your living spaces more comfortable.
Architectural Features That Bring More Sunlight
As the Mat-Su Valley’s trusted design-build firm since 1995, Falcon creates custom homes that beautifully combine innovative design and functional solutions.
Our designers are skilled at incorporating architectural features that optimize the amount of natural light entering a home, including:
Window Walls
Whether you choose window walls, oversized windows, or simply more windows, the result is more daylight. Check out this custom rustic craftsman we built in Palmer, AK, that used a window wall to improve natural sunlight in the living room, plus stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Designing your custom home with more windows on the south-facing side lets you enjoy more hours of natural light and helps you save on energy costs.
Glass Doors & Sliding Panels
Interior and exterior glass doors and sliding glass panels are some of the best ways to allow more natural light into the home.
They also allow for a better view of your property and easy access to outdoor living spaces. This custom-built lakeside estate in Wasilla, AK, used glass doors to maximize natural light throughout the home.
Skylights
Skylights are a sustainable, energy-efficient, and beautiful way to brighten the indoors. Use them to create dramatic accents in bathrooms, hallways, kitchens, and other spaces.
Lightwells
Incorporating a lightwell into your custom home introduces light from multiple angles and creates a sense of openness. It’s a creative way to brighten otherwise dim areas, such as interior rooms with no windows.
Open Floor Plans
Open floor plans and high ceilings maximize the flow of natural light and create the illusion of more space.
It also facilitates a smooth transition from one room to another, so the design and function of your home are more cohesive.
Benefits of Letting Natural Light into Your Custom Home
Many people are unaware of the many benefits of allowing natural light into their homes. Beyond making your space feel brighter and more spacious, natural light can:
- Provide a daily dose of vitamin D, which is especially crucial during the winter months in Alaska when sun exposure is limited
- Boost your mood, as it’s been proven to improve mental well-being and combat depression
- Improve sleep by helping regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle through daylight exposure
- Reduce energy costs, as natural light cuts down on the need for electric lighting
- Ease eye strain, as natural light is gentler on the eyes compared to artificial lighting
Request a Consultation With Falcon Alaska
At Falcon Alaska, we understand how Alaska’s extended summer daylight hours and limited winter daylight hours present a unique challenge to incorporating natural light.
This is one of many considerations we incorporate when designing your custom home. We’ll work with you every step of the way to craft a design that will make your house feel like home and bring it to life through efficient construction.
Contact us online today to learn more about our process and schedule a consultation.
