How To Get Natural Light Into Your Basement

If you are a smart homeowner, you have probably converted your basement into a room of your choice. These days, you can remodel a basement into an additional bedroom, a bar, a movie theater or even a gym. In fact, you can convert your basement into seemingly anything of your choice. The only limit is your budget and your imagination.
Having said that, many homeowners lament the fact that they do not get a lot of natural light in their basement. Unfortunately, because they are underground, most basements tend to be dark and damp. If you are a homeowner, the last thing you want is to spend a fortune converting your basement only to realize that the finished space is not the warm and cozy place you thought it would be.
In this blog, we will discuss the ways in which you can have natural light in your basement.
Egress windows
As per common building codes, to avoid a bottleneck in case of an emergency, your basement should have at least two ways out. Besides the normal staircase leading to the upstairs door, egress windows serve as the second way out of your basement.
If you do not know what an egress window is, it is a lot like a well dug next to your foundation. They are an excellent way to let natural light into your basement. We recommend that you add egress windows wherever you find space in your basement. Make sure that the windows can be locked from the inside so that your basement remains secure.
When installing the windows, make sure that they are airtight so that you do not lose energy. You could also consider installing egress windows that are energy efficient.
Glass door
If your basement has a gateway to the outside of the house, you could consider installing a glass door. A transparent door will allow extra light to enter your basement. If you are planning to add a glass door to your basement, we recommend Garden or French doors.
Installing light wells
Installing vertical light is the best way to illuminate your basement with natural light. While remodeling the basement, prospect your garden to assess where you can put in roof lights or light wells. These roofing panels come in varied shapes and sizes — from full-scale to window size. A successfully installed light well will bathe your basement in natural light.
Opening the floor plan
When remodeling the basement, make sure that the layout allows for natural light flow. Don’t build too many walls. Before freezing upon the location of your walls, make sure that you know where the windows go so that there is no blockage. To prevent any kind of blockage, make sure that the walls are placed parallel to the window and not perpendicular to it. This allows the natural light to scatter around the basement. If you plan the layout of your basement properly, natural light will be able to move freely around the space.
When putting in furniture, follow the same rule to avoid blockage of natural light. If you have any large piece of furniture, tall bookshelves etc., always place it parallel to the windows.
There is no substitute for natural light. No matter how good your artificial lighting is, it will never be as good as the real thing. So, for a naturally illuminated basement finishing, we recommend that you follow the points discussed in this blog.