Why is the sunny side of an apartment bad? How to choose a bright apartment? Light is "in law"

Image source: Lori Photobank

A truly bright apartment has a whole bunch of advantages. Firstly, such housing visually appears larger, and secondly, energy bills are reduced. Plants also grow better in such a house, and mold almost never grows. The amount of sunlight in an apartment is an important issue, so when choosing housing in modern new buildings, you should pay attention to this factor.

Light is "in law"

At the stage of designing a house, the architect faces one rather important task: he needs to think through the building so that each apartment receives a sufficient amount of light. Achieving this in the densely built environment of modern cities can be very difficult, experts say. However, developers have no choice - new housing must necessarily comply with insolation standards, otherwise the project will not receive a positive conclusion from the state examination. The requirements for insolation, recorded in SanPiNs, largely limit the implementation of one or another concept of a residential complex. “For example, one-room apartments and studios cannot face north. If we talk about multi-room apartments, then at least one of the rooms must be bright,” says Maria Litinetskaya, managing partner.

Thus, when buying an apartment in a modern residential complex, you don’t have to be afraid that you will come across housing with violations of insolation standards - this is now strictly monitored. However, this only applies to housing. These SanPiNs do not apply to apartments that are not legally residential premises. That is, when designing apartments, a developer can position the building in such a way that the premises face the north side or a blank wall.

Indeed, apartment developers are free from strict regulatory requirements for insolation, confirms Vyacheslav Kazunin, senior project manager, premium houses in the center of Moscow. This, in particular, makes it possible to design apartment spaces with a smaller ratio of façade area to interior area, that is, to make them deeper. However, insolation is an important factor that has a beneficial effect on the human environment, so apartment builders sometimes take into account the standards, although they are not required. “The standard duration of insolation (continuous direct sunlight for 2 hours) in residential buildings must be provided in at least one living room for 1-3-room apartments and at least in two living rooms for 4-room and large apartments,” - the expert clarifies.

With a view of the sunrise... Or the sunset?

According to experts, the brightest apartments face windows on southwest side. “However, this does not mean that the majority of buyers choose precisely such objects,” says. - As practice shows, about 80% of clients are interested in housing with windows facing east or west, while they are practically not interested in north and south. And this is quite logical. Some people like to wake up with the sun, while others like to admire the sunset. With windows facing north, the sun's rays do not enter the apartment, and housing with windows facing south is illuminated during the day, when many people are at work. However, among our clients there were also those who were looking specifically for the northeastern side. This happens for various reasons. For example, there are people who cannot stand the summer heat or are even allergic to the sun. In addition, in an apartment on the sunny side, repairs have to be done more often due to fading wallpaper. Therefore, there is no single advice on choosing the cardinal direction in an apartment. Everything depends solely on the client’s personal desires and needs.”

Which rooms do not steal light?

And yet it is worth noting that insolation and illumination are different concepts, says Vyacheslav Kazunin (“MONE Residence”). Insolation relates directly to direct sunlight and depends on the orientation of the apartment, while lighting requirements relate specifically to the proportions of the rooms and the size of the windows. Thus, a number of other factors influence how bright your apartment will be.

First of all, we are talking about the floor. The lower the apartment, the less light it gets. The shape of the rooms is also important, experts say: the most illuminated ones are square ones, while “pencil cases” rooms are most often dark, especially if they also have a balcony or loggia. And, of course, the number of windows has a big impact. “For example, in the Fili Grad multifunctional complex they sell two-room apartments, where the room has three windows at once. This not only increases illumination, but also allows you to install a partition and divide the space, says Maria Litinetskaya (“Metrium Group”)».

Developers often increase the illumination of apartments in their complexes using solutions such as panoramic windows. Bay windows - parts of the room that protrude beyond the plane of the facade - also help make your home brighter.

"Vest" is best

Good lighting of the apartment is a big plus, but, oddly enough, this characteristic has no direct connection with the price tag. “If you compare apartments in which most of the windows face the bright side and housing with windows facing north, the prices in them may differ,” says Maria Litinetskaya. - For example, in the Fili Grad residential complex, the difference in cost between apartments of the same area on the first and last floors can reach 600 thousand rubles. However, it is important to understand that such a price premium is influenced not only by the level of insolation, but also, first of all, by the species characteristics. Therefore, it is quite difficult to isolate the share of the illumination level directly.”

In the case of apartments, the situation is similar. According to Vyacheslav Kazunin, senior project manager, illumination and window directions are not key factors in their pricing. But the cost of an apartment increases provided that it faces two or more cardinal directions. “Housing on three and even four sides of the world is the most prestigious, but it is worth noting that such lots often have a large area, which is also one of the key factors in pricing,” says the expert.

However, all of the above applies only to housing in which the windows face east and west, clarifies Maria Litinetskaya. Apartments with windows facing both south and north are not so marketable. “Vests” allow owners to intelligently zone the space. For example, in this case, the children’s room and the living room can be located at different ends of the apartment, which is very convenient. None of the family members will be disturbed by a working TV or children playing.”

Light requirements prevent the emergence of a “concrete jungle”

From time to time, the authorities raise the issue of revising existing lighting requirements for residential premises. The last such discussion was in February 2015, when the Moscow Government planned, as part of the anti-crisis plan, to review the permissible lighting standards for residential projects in order to reduce restrictions when planning development areas. On the one hand, this will greatly facilitate the developer’s work, he says Maria Litinetskaya (“Metrium Group”), since construction sites are often surrounded by something or have irregular geometry, which greatly limits the apartment design. However, this will certainly lead to an even greater increase in building density, which will make life less comfortable.

In the meantime, the lighting requirements remain the same, the buyer of primary real estate has a pretty good selection of bright and comfortable apartments. The main thing is to choose housing taking into account your lifestyle (this includes, first of all, your work schedule), well-being and aesthetic preferences. The portal wishes you good luck in choosing a new apartment!

When buying a home, you should think about whether it would be better if the windows of the apartment looked out. After all, with sufficient lighting, you can save on electricity. In addition, a person living in a more illuminated room is more likely to have a good mood, because... Light promotes the production of serotonin, the hormone of happiness.

When deciding which side the windows in your apartment should face, focus on your lifestyle. For example, if you are a “morning person” and are used to going to bed early, then the best option is windows facing east, because In the evening the sun's rays will not interfere with your sleep, and in the morning the rising sun will wake you up. For night owls, the western side is more suitable: the sun will not wake you up early in the morning, and the evening will be brightened by the rays of the setting sun.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question “Which side is better for windows to face?” It is necessary to take into account the individual rhythm of life, personal wishes, requirements and even marital status.

Apartments with south windows

Windows on the southern sides of the building are a guaranteed source of natural light and heat in the apartment. This will especially please flower growers, because... Flowers and seedlings grow well. Buildings with south-facing windows are especially suitable for people who spend all daylight hours at home - parents with children, retirees, people working from home. When exposed to sunlight, pathogens reduce their activity, so if one person is sick, the rest of the family can avoid the disease.

Unfortunately, on the sunny side, walls, furniture upholstery, and household appliance screens quickly fade. Blinds, Roman blinds, and black-out curtains will help here. In summer, an air conditioner will save you from the heat in such an apartment. It will be a big plus if shady trees grow under the windows: without shading the premises in winter, they will save you from the heat in summer. The presence of loggias and balconies will also protect from heat.

An apartment with windows facing south is a little warmer in the autumn-spring, when the heating is not yet turned on or has already been turned off due to the walls warming up from the sun.

INTERESTING! Basically, satellites that provide telecommunications services “hang” above the equator, so if you want to use satellite television, then facing south is an ideal option for the antenna.

Apartments with north windows

For lovers of twilight and people who cannot stand the heat, apartments with windows facing north, northeast or northwest are recommended. In such a room, even on cloudless days, due to the lack of light, it is quite dark, the sun's rays will not blind the eyes, and it will always be cool, even in the hot summer. This is also true for people who are involved in photography, painting, programming, and design.

The problem of increasing the illumination of an apartment, if necessary, can always be solved by the correct selection of wallpaper and artificial lighting.

Apartments with east windows

The most versatile window arrangement. The rising sun puts you in a good mood in the morning. In the evening the sun no longer bothers you. An ideal indoor climate is created - not hot in summer, not cold in winter.

With eastern windows, there may be a lack of sunlight in the afternoon, but for a bedroom where people relax after work, solar lighting is not relevant.

An apartment with eastern windows will be appreciated by flower growers - the plants will grow well, because... There will be enough sunlight for them.

Apartments with western windows

The sun's rays fall at an angle less than in the south, and therefore illuminate the rooms better. The room does not heat up in hot weather and is moderately darkened. After work you can enjoy a beautiful view of the sunset.

It’s good when the kitchen windows face west; after work until late in the evening, you can not turn on the lights until the sun sets below the horizon.

The best option is when the windows face all sides. The north and west sides are suitable for workrooms, kitchens, sheds, bathrooms and offices. In bedrooms it is better to have windows facing east or west. A large number of windows on the south side guarantee good natural light and warmth. Place a nursery or living room in this room.

Features of choice:

• Keep in mind that sometimes the view from the window matters more than which side the windows face.
• Take into account the number of floors. The lower the apartment is located, the less lit it is. The shape of the room also matters - square ones are considered the most illuminated, and “pencil cases” rooms are usually darker.
• The number of windows is also important. Many modern two-room apartments have three windows, which increases lighting.
• So that windows do not obscure neighboring large objects.
• It is good that the windows have expanded window openings in width and height. Panoramic windows are also interesting. Floor-to-ceiling glazing of balconies and loggias will increase illumination.
• It is advisable that there are no busy roads, tram or railway lines, shopping centers, supermarkets or nightclubs near the house. Noise from parking and air conditioning are not conducive to a good rest. It is desirable that the windows overlook a river, lake, forest or park.

Therefore, everyone individually chooses the view from the window depending on their needs and capabilities.

Video: How to choose an apartment: cardinal directions

Video: No. 1. House orientation by cardinal directions and shading

This year, summer spoils us like a king: heat, rare thunderstorms and little rain. By the sea, such weather would be ideal, but the city is melting due to the extreme temperatures. Let's figure out how to use simple methods to turn your apartment into an oasis of coolness.

Change text size: A A

This year's summer was a success, and there's no way to jinx it. Heat up to +35, rare thunderstorms. In general, the weather is practically resort, seaside. Only there is no sea in central Russia, and the cool breeze does not blow over our bodies exhausted by the heat. The dusty, gas-polluted city is melting from high temperatures, and we are suffocating in dust and soot. One salvation is to take refuge at home, under a roof and behind thick walls. Wow, and here, it turns out, is a real bathhouse. Whatever you touch, everything gives off heat. Do you really have to sit in a cool bathroom? No way - let's invent a home air conditioner.

We began collecting folk ways to save an apartment from the summer heat just at the time when unbearable heat came to Ryazan. First, we removed all the carpets. Walking on a bare floor barefoot is more pleasant than walking on wool pile - you immediately feel cool. Well, at the same time we got rid of piles of vases, figurines, lace napkins and other cute nonsense that so warms the soul in the cold season and incredibly quickly gathers dust in the summer, when all the windows are wide open. How painful it is to wash and wash all this every week - it’s time to take a break.

Method one. Under deep siege

My apartment is corner on the sunny side. In winter we are visited by winds and cold, and in summer there is unbearable stuffiness. I also don’t really want to hang sun curtains on the windows, otherwise it will completely block the air supply to the apartment. But it is entirely within our power to isolate ourselves from the sun. I borrowed this method from the mother of one of my friends - every summer when it gets hot, she covers the windows with foil and feels great. We didn't have much food foil, but it was enough for one room. Glue doesn't stick to foil, so we used tape. It is very inconvenient to work with foil - it is thin, slides on the glass and constantly breaks, especially when children pull it on top of each other. Due to our inexperience, we made a huge mistake - we glued some of the foil onto the glass. Traces of tape, alas, cannot be erased by anything. It is better, of course, to mount it on the frame.

When we finished, the polar night fell in the room. How good it was for the first half hour, when the sun finally stopped mercilessly frying me from all sides, hitting the monitor and heating up all objects within a radius of three meters from the window. I immediately felt drawn to sleep. But then one wanted to read, the other decided to do puzzles on the floor. I had to turn on the light. And this is at noon. No, I am still firmly convinced that the deficit of sunlight accumulated over the winter must be replenished at all costs. And if you live with artificial lighting in the summer, your body simply cannot stand it.

Method two. Carlson to himself

Overboard +34. It's time to invent a home air conditioner according to Aunt Sveta's instructions from the second entrance. While chatting on a bench, a neighbor said that she had been fighting the heat this way for three years now.

To build this device, we used the most complex, super-technological equipment: an old fan and three or four plastic bottles. Neighbors helped with empty bottles. We filled all the bottles with cold water and put them in the freezer. The car is a beast! Within 40 minutes I have four 1.5-liter ice creams in my hands. Strictly following Aunt Sveta’s recommendations, I place the fan in the corner of the room and direct it in the direction opposite to the window. In front of him on a stand are all four frozen bottles.

At night, Aunt Sveta’s development had to be improved a little. First, I turned the fan away from the bed - it smelled so cold that I began to miss the cotton blanket. Secondly, she placed a large tray under the bottles - the thawed water flowed from them onto the floor.

Method three or Chjort pobieri!

Don't even think about it! - my mother protested when the children and I pulled out an old thick hose from the depths of the pantry.

Calm down, grandma! Now we will do one small experiment, and we will return everything as it was,” the eldest son said authoritatively, putting one end of the hose on the kitchen faucet.

I discovered this method on a women’s forum and, to be honest, I didn’t believe in its effectiveness. Well, since you’ve decided to try everything, there’s nowhere to go.

The main character of the experiment is a long hose; many people have these in their dachas. But it’s better, of course, to buy another one - don’t let watering of your dacha plot take its course (excuse the pun)? We completed the task quickly - we connected one end to the cold water tap in the kitchen, and dragged the other end around the apartment and threw it into the bathtub. Knowledgeable forum visitors promised that the circulation of cold water would create a comfortable temperature. I’ll say right away: during the day it’s better to immediately abandon this method of cooling. Firstly, by turning off the water, you actually paralyze work in the kitchen. Secondly, the hose lying on the floor makes walking very difficult. Everyone in the household tripped over it, and more than once. With the words “damn it!”, “I saw your experiment...” and other free variations on this theme, every now and then someone would stretch out on the floor. We had to stop the experiment early.

During two hours of operation of the ingenious air conditioner, the air temperature in the rooms that lay in the path of the hose dropped by 3 degrees. What cannot be said about the performance of another, no less important measuring device - the water meter has fulfilled its weekly requirement.

Method four. I'll kill everyone!

No fancy devices - just a regular flower spray and cold water. The spray bottle was found on the windowsill among numerous flower pots - I didn’t even think that we had so many flowers. You fill up with water and spray around the perimeter of the room.

It took no more than two minutes to spray one room. But then there is a curtain of water in the air for about half an hour. It's +35 outside, and the apartment is pleasantly cool. Beauty!

Needless to say, the children embraced the opportunity to “legally” splash water? They, of course, swore that they would shoot only in the air... But after five minutes they began to shoot each other with joyful squeals.

And only the grandmother walked around all day with a gloomy look. Well, first of all, solving a crossword puzzle (as well as watching TV, relaxing...) on a sofa that won’t dry out is not very pleasant. Secondly, to be fair, it must be said that not only the sofa was wet, but also the wallpaper, wardrobe, glass doors in the sideboard and all the clothes carelessly left on the surface. It’s good that the carpet was rolled up at the very beginning of the experiment.

I found only two disadvantages to this method. First, the procedure must be repeated every 40 minutes, and this, if you are not a housewife, is almost impossible. And secondly, on average, about four liters of water are spent per room per day (at the rate of half a liter per room about eight times a day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.). For owners of water meters there is a noticeable increase in utility bills.

Method five. Bath for a cat

I’ll tell you a secret, I learned this method from our cat Timofey. When the air temperature in the apartment becomes incompatible with the cat’s comfortable existence, he moves to the bathroom. He will sit under the sink or in the bathtub itself and feel blissful. And if cold water comes out of the tap, Timka’s happiness knows no bounds. Why are we worse than cats? Let me run a full bath of ice water, I decided. But you won’t sit next to the bathroom all day - she opened the door to let the coolness flow through the rooms, and went to the store.

Did I feel like I was in an oasis of paradise when I returned? No. The air was filled with moisture only in the hallway, where, in fact, the bathroom door opened. The temperature dropped from 28 to 25. The freshness did not reach the living room - the nearest room. In the kitchen, as before, there is a steam room - direct sunlight and pudding in the oven.

And only one member of our family seemed to be truly well. Timofey, like an Antarctic penguin, flopped around in the icy water, making blissful sounds. Well, now let him just try to protest the next time it’s time to wash.

Well, to sum it up: by wasting water from 200 to 400 liters (depending on the volume of the bath), we get a cooled bathroom and, at best, a corridor. So if you don’t have a cat and weren’t planning on moving into the bathroom for the summer, it’s better to look for another way.

Method six. Hello neighbors

Another method of saving with water is probably the most harmless for owners of water meters. My labor costs were minimal: I filled a large bucket to the brim with cold water and placed it by the bed overnight. When we went to bed, it was +24 in the room, three hours later, when I got up it was already 21. But I would not attribute this to my homemade air conditioner - after all, the temperature outside also dropped. But how good it is - without getting out of bed, put your hands in a bucket, wet your face and neck with cold water. In general, some advantages. If not for one minus. Waking up in the morning, I completely forgot about the bucket of water and... for the next thirty minutes I crawled and collected almost 10 liters of water from the floor.

Method seven. Ghost: wild but cute

This is the only method out of all of the above that I have used before. I humidified the air in the bedroom when my asthmatic child had an exacerbation. The preparatory work took only ten minutes - there was not enough space in the room for two sheets. I replaced one with a large terry towel. I soaked both the sheet and the towel in cold water. The main thing here is to squeeze things out thoroughly, otherwise you will turn the room into a pond. True, it was not possible to hang them up right away - the boys immediately snatched them up and began playing with ghosts. Well, we cooled down at the same time.

During the day, in the heat of the day, wet sheets were of little use - the temperature in the room did not drop at all, and breathing became only a little easier. But at night, when the children were suffering from stuffiness and could not sleep, wet linens hanging next to the beds really helped. The boys passed out literally after five minutes.

Instead of an afterword

Well, we honestly tried all the methods. Decide for yourself how to escape the heat. But in any case, do not forget about a few simple rules that will help you keep your apartment cool:

If possible, ventilate the apartment only during the day - in the morning and evening you risk letting not only coolness into the house, but also all the dirt from the street;

Do not dry clothes in the apartment or on the balcony;

Do not use a humidifier in hot weather.

And may the weather be good in your home!

TO THE POINT

According to nutritionists, you can cool yourself down with spicy foods. Spices, such as hot chili peppers, speed up blood circulation - you sweat and lose heat. Foods that improve blood circulation also include: onions and garlic, dark chocolate, citrus fruits, olive oil, nuts and seeds.

ON A NOTE

My home is my bathhouse?

Comfortable temperature in the house largely depends on the building material. Residents of brick houses were the luckiest. Brick has high thermal inertia, that is, it gains heat rather slowly. But concrete, on the contrary, has low heat resistance. It warms up quickly, but does not give off heat back. Therefore, if you do not take measures to cool such a home, you will end up with a home steam room.

In new monolithic houses, the summer is also difficult, and here a modern home ventilation system comes to the aid of residents. True, it can also present an unpleasant surprise. For example, during extreme heat it can begin to pull in the opposite direction, that is, at 23 degrees in the apartment and 38 outside, hot air will be drawn into the house. According to the laws of nature, air moves from an area of ​​high pressure to an area of ​​low pressure.

Well, it’s no secret to anyone that the size and orientation of the windows affects the atmosphere in the apartment. A spacious apartment with high ceilings and windows facing east will be much cooler than a cramped one-room apartment with low ceilings and windows facing south.

When buying a home, you should think about an important parameter such as insolation (natural light). By law, when constructing an apartment building, the developer must comply with SanPiN (sanitary rules and regulations) for lighting residential premises. According to these requirements, studios and one-room apartments cannot face north, and in 2 and 3-room apartments at least one room must be south.

Sanitary and epidemiological services closely monitor compliance with all standards, but it should be noted that the apartments, although suitable for long-term living, can be built without taking into account the “requirements for insolation of residential premises.”

Regardless of what you are planning to buy - housing or apartments, it is worth figuring out where it is preferable to place an office or a bedroom, because the lack of light directly affects a person’s mood and health.

Northern direction

The “northern” room will be comfortable for people who cannot stand the heat. Here you can enjoy the coolness at any time of the year. A properly selected design will help to visually enlarge a poorly lit room: light wallpaper, a minimum of furniture, a large amount of artificial light. It is not uncommon for a developer to design non-residential rooms on the north side that are suitable for short stays - a kitchen, a bathroom, a wardrobe/storage room, etc.

“The direction of the world may not directly affect the cost of the apartment. Today in the market there is a more common situation where an apartment with windows facing the courtyard is more expensive than one that faces, for example, a roadway. Or an apartment on a high floor with a panoramic view costs more than exactly the same one, but located on the second. The side of the world is rather the next factor, because there really are people for whom it is important where and at what time the sun will be. But here, as they say, it comes down to taste and color. Some people like to wake up with the first rays of the sun and are looking for an oriental bedroom, while others, on the contrary, are categorically against a bedroom with the morning sun, but admiring sunsets is their dream. Traditionally, people always respond well to sunny apartments.”

South direction

“Southern” rooms are suitable for those who like to enjoy the sun. Heat-loving plants grow well in such rooms. The sun's rays illuminate the room all day, so you will definitely save on your electricity bills. In summer, this amount of light can cause inconvenience - the room will heat up. In this case, the heat in the room will remain all day. But if you remember how many sunny days there are in Yekaterinburg a year, then the south side is suitable for a living room or nursery.

Western direction

If you are a night owl, then a bedroom in the west will allow you to sleep well, because... These rooms are illuminated by the sun from noon until sunset. It’s also a good place for an office; here you can avoid using artificial light for a long time.

“Traditionally, the cost of an apartment is influenced by its location relative to the cardinal direction and floor. Apartments on high floors with windows facing south are more expensive. However, I note that this vision of marketers is not always confirmed by the realities of life. More and more people are choosing a new apartment based on their current rhythm of life. Those who work from 10 am to late evening feel great in eastern apartments, where there is a lot of sun in the morning. For people who are used to getting up very early and starting their workday, apartments with windows facing west will be suitable, as they will be able to admire sunsets in the evening. “Southern Sun” is especially relevant for those who spend all daylight hours in the apartment - mothers with children, pensioners. But we must not forget about the view characteristics - the view from the window sometimes means much more than the side of the world that the windows face.”

East direction

The eastern side is considered the most universal. There will be no constant hot sun here, and you won’t notice a shortage of light. The East is a good place for your bedroom if you have to get up early every day. Otherwise, either take care of thick curtains in advance, or choose the west.

Our experts confirm that many apartment buyers pay attention to the direction of the world where the windows of their future home face. But there are several more factors related to the lighting of the room: the choice of floor, the view from the window (are there trees or buildings opposite), the size of the window openings and the presence of a loggia or balcony are important.

“At the design stage, we provided some options that increase the amount of light and sun in the apartments. Firstly, these are expanded window openings. Both in width and height. Agree, when the window is “to the ceiling”, the perception of the world is completely different. Secondly, this is the presence of upper panoramic floors, when the balconies and loggias are glazed from floor to ceiling. This, of course, further increases the value of such apartments; people are willing to significantly overpay for them. Thirdly, this is work with lighting the space of small apartments. For example, the format of studio apartments is now very popular, where the cooking area is located in a single living space. At the same time, there are a huge number of studios on the market designed as elongated “carriages”, where the light at the end of the tunnel enters the room through one small window on the far wall. IN "Astoria" all have a regular, almost square shape, and each one must have two windows. This way, the studio spaces are well lit.”

Residential building "Astoria"

“In our projects, we pay great attention to architecture and design, including thinking through interesting windows that residents will appreciate from both a practical and aesthetic point of view. For example, in the first building there are apartments with large-format panoramic windows 5.2 m wide. Window sills in all apartments are 70 cm from the floor (standard window sill is 90 cm from the floor). In apartments on high floors, we installed window sills even lower - at a level of 40 cm. It is very convenient to admire the view from the window - your gaze does not rest on the window sill. The second house has even more different windows in location and design. There will be floor-to-ceiling French windows, apartments with panoramic windows in the kitchen, a window in the bathroom, and double narrow and tall windows in the New York style.”