We have a cabin on the mountain and it is in the trees...
by
Celeste K
+6
It just doesn't get much sunlight. I am going to paint the walls a light tan yellow color to brighten it up, but was wondering if there are any other ways to brighten up a house that doesn't get much sunlight.
9 answers
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Hi Ckumelos, Are you painting the interior walls to brighten up the inside? Or are you painting the exterior to brighten it up? If you mean the interior, I'd recommend using lighter colors inside (tile, carpet, etc.) and using light colored fabrics on the curtains as well as light weight fabrics that would allow the light in. If you are working on the exterior, maybe trimming some of the tree limbs to allow more light to filter in.
Dan's of Central Florida, Inc.
on Jun 22, 2011
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Interior. Yes, the flooring! Thanks. No curtains. My husband would not be a happy man if I started cutting down the trees :)
Celeste K
on Jun 22, 2011
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Skylights are a great option as well. We prefer working with Velux skylights. They also make sun-tunnels that bring in light and look stylish as well.
SawHorse Design Build
on Jun 22, 2011
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Following up on what SawHorse said, have you looked into SolaTube - http://www.solatube.com/ - or similar products? Not sure if any part of your cabin's roof is more sun-exposed, but these can concentrate the light from those areas into any other room you like.
3po3
on Jun 22, 2011
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Yes- we have 2 solatubes on the northside of our office and we get plenty of light in those areas. Enough to keep the artificial lights off most of the time.
SawHorse Design Build
on Jun 22, 2011
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The skylights are a good idea. Wondering if they would hold up under 4 foot snow load in winter? And especially spring when we get lots of wet snow absorbing into the 4' of winter snow. Can get very heavy.
Celeste K
on Jun 23, 2011
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Cutting down trees may not be as bad as it seems...A few years back I cut down about 30-40 trees on my smallish 1/3 acre lot. This was done primary as fire mitigation work...wild fires and a yard full of "close-in" trees is pretty much a case of the fire fighters just "letting that one go" Defensible space is just that...defensible. Getting 4-5 cords of wood out of the project was an added bonus. I have installed some solar tubes in some clients homes as well as some skylights, the full benefit of a skylight come from having sun hit the roof...if your trees are that close in this may or may not provide as much light as they could.
KMS Woodworks
on Jun 23, 2011
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I'll negotiate with hubby to get the two most problem trees close to the house cut down. We have already thinned to protect from fire and pine beetle. Also being too close to house they pose the threat of falling on the house! I just noticed one big problem, somebody put a DECK over the biggest southern window in the bottom floor!
Celeste K
on Jun 23, 2011
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"A light color will never come to life in a dark room but a rich, deep color can make a dim, somber space feel warm and luminous - even though it receives no natural light." This is a saying by David Kaufman, a color artist and designer. Ckumelos, I suggest you look for the colors in the middle of the color strip, they are deep and rich and will make your space feel cozy and warm. A good light source will brings out the richness and luminosity of color, add light by solatube or additional light fixtures.Here are some colors that will enhance your dark room , Sherwin Williams- INLAND SW 6452, Leapfrog SW 6431.
Yamini LEED AP at Urbanmotifs
on Jun 23, 2011
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