A to Z of building your own home... L
A to Z of building your own home... LLightingLighting is one of the most neglected areas of design when the professionals are not involved. Lighting needs to be used to highlight elements important to the design of the building. When thinking about lighting for your home, there are two possibilities, natural and artificial. Of course natural light would be the cheapest option in the long run, however sometimes this is not the case therefore we consider artificial lights that work well within the design. There are different types of lighting that can be used in a house, these different types will use light in each room well.Accent lighting is one that can be a way of clearly displaying paintings and portraits within a home, where the angle of the lighting will really make a big difference. Task lighting is one that will be important for every room in the house, especially sitting rooms, studies and kitchens. Task lighting in a sitting room or study will help to avoid eyestrain and when reading or working and in the kitchen it will help with the day to day tasks when cooking. Mood lighting uses different colours and tones as well as varying levels of brightness while these elements all create the atmosphere in a room. Mood lighting would be used in a bedroom and a bathroom, the more private parts of a home.Lighting ConsultantsLighting consultants can be used in addition to the architect on occasions. When a planning application gets approved, they might set specific conditions on the approval which might mean that you will have to bring in a lighting consultant to meet the needs of the planning department.LouversLouvers on south facing glazed areas are used to help control the overheating of an internal space. Often they are fixed, however they can also be automated. Automated louvers can follow the path of the sun to offer the last solar protection. Some automated louvers can be used to create additional external space such as a dining area or children's area. This is becoming increasingly popular with houses that have a minimal amount of outdoor space, in larger cities where there they have more densely populated areas. Louvers are a great addition to any house, is this something to consider?