The Light House Project….. buying a new house
I am in the process of buying a new house, or ‘the light house project’ as I like to call it. It should be an exciting time I know, but the process is more likely to make you bald than happy. What is it that makes us fall in love with a house and want to go through those miserable months of endless paperwork, clearouts and chasing?
25 is probably about the number of houses I viewed before deciding on ‘the one’. There were about a dozen factors taken into consideration from location to loos but one relevant to our business was daylight.
I discounted numerous potential homes because of the lack of daylight. Think of the phrases we use like ‘a light, bright airy home’ for example. It’s not just simply the amount of light let in, but a feeling that affects our mood and behaviour. We think of a bright room as cleaner, happier and more welcoming.
Studies have even shown the positive effects of natural daylight on hospital patients, decreasing their recovery time. Also education settings – children score better in tests when they have been taught in schools with higher levels of daylight. Even shopping malls can be more profitable with more natural daylight, lifting the mood of its many shoppers.
For those of you about to sell a dark house with a north facing garden……I wish you luck. Maybe stick in a rooflight or 2 to boost your chances of selling!
References
Hathaway et all 1992 A Study into the Effects of Light on Children of Elementary School-Age–A Case of Daylight Robbery
Man Young Park et al 2018 The Effects of Natural Daylight on Length of Hospital Stay
Choi et al, 2012 Impacts of indoor daylight environments on patient average length of stay (ALOS) in a healthcare facility.
Heschong et al, 2013 Daylighting Impacts on Retail Sales Performance