Hello World! Welcome Friends! Many people dream of living in a hotter climate. If you’re from a country that doesn’t get a lot of sun, then year-round great weather can be a huge change for you.
Hotter countries have adapted their way of life to live and work in these conditions. From the buildings, they live into their working hours, it can seem like a completely different way of doing things.
When it comes to building or renovating a property in an area that gets a lot of hot weather, there are many things to take into consideration.
Embrace the Outside Living Lifestyle
One of the major benefits of a good climate is that you can do much more outdoors. You’re not constantly worrying about the cold and rain, or restricted to the occasional BBQ or afternoon in the garden when the weather permits.
Adapting your home to take advantage of your outdoor space can be achieved in a number of different ways. Consider the benefits of bifold and sliding doors to open up your home to the outside as if it’s the same space.
Depending on your lifestyle and budget, you might want to invest in an outdoor pool, relaxation area, or even an outdoor kitchen and dining area.
Work With Local Designers and Builders
It’s easy to make a mistake in the design or renovation of your home if you lack knowledge of the area. By working with experienced local designers, they can advise you on the best way to do things. For example, they can recommend various materials and finishes that will deflect heat, window placement, and similar.
Design Your Air Cooling System
There are a number of air cooling options you might want to consider. Traditional air conditioning is very popular and easy to use and install. If you’re renovating completely, then you might want to invest in other options such as underfloor heating and cooling integrated fans.
Whatever you choose, ensure that it is compatible with your house configuration and layout. Installing air con in rooms you don’t use often might be a waste of money and energy. Focus on the living areas of the property.
Ceiling fans are also popular ways of keeping stagnant air moving inside the home and can create a cooling effect.
Use Non-Electric Methods Too
Another way to deflect or remove heat from your home is to make sure that the outside is painted in a lighter color. Darker materials will soak up the heat and raise the temperature in your home.
All windows should have awnings, blinds, or shutters that can be used during the hottest parts of the day to keep temperatures down.
Choose your window placement carefully. Try and have approximately the same number and size of windows on each side of the house. When it’s getting hot, open them in pairs on each side so that hot air can escape as cooler air is sucked in. Window tinting can also be done to reduce the amount of heat coming through the glass.
Seal Gaps and Doors
It may seem a little counter-intuitive, as ensuring good seals and doors are in place is generally recommended for keeping your house warm, but they can help you too. If you’ve taken steps to cool the air in your homes, such as using fans and air-con, then you don’t want all of that cool air escaping out of gaps around doors or windows, or being replaced by hot air from outside.
Use Plants and Trees
In the right place, greenery can help prevent sunlight from getting in through your windows, without completely blocking the view.
Choose Fabrics Carefully
The types of fabric you choose for your furniture and linens can help you feel less hot and sticky. Choose good quality linens that can help to keep you cool. Leather furniture is also a big no-no. It can heat up in warm weather and if you’re sitting on it for any period of time, it can make you feel all sweaty and uncomfortable, which isn’t how you want to feel in your own home.
Ditch the Carpets
Have you ever noticed when you travel to a lot of hot countries, they don’t use carpets in many of their living areas? That’s because carpets can really add to how much heat is trapped in your home, making it feel uncomfortable. You can use rugs in areas where you don’t want tile or stone flooring but try and stay away from the carpet where possible.
Look for Sources of Heat in Your Home
It’s not just the weather outside that can heat up your home, it can be made worse by some things inside your home too.
Firstly, look at your lighting. What types of bulbs are you using? Older types of incandescent bulbs can emit a lot of heat. If you have multiple lights on, then this can raise the temperature a few degrees inside.
Other appliances can also heat up when they’re being used or even just plugged in and left on standby. Items like microwaves, game consoles, and DVD players should be switched off completely when not in use. If you’re using a clothes dryer for your laundry, make sure that it’s in a well-ventilated room so that the hot air is escaping out of the house rather than heating it up.
Use Paving Outside
If you’re thinking of building a wooden deck outside of your home, you might want to swap this for paving stones. These stay cooler for much longer and if they do get hot, this dissipates faster when the temperature drops. In many hot countries, there is a tradition of wetting the paving outside of your home. This isn’t to clean it, it’s an ancient trick to cooling down. As the sun beings to heat the water, it evaporates, allowing the stone to become cool. Then any air which passes over the stone and into the home has already been cooled down.
Takeaways
There’s a lot to consider when building or renovating a home in a hot country, but with these tips, you’ll be as cool as you can be.
Click the links below for any posts you have missed:
4 Things You Need Before Starting Your Renovation Project
6 Solutions For Old or Damaged Roofs
6 Delicious Meals You Can Make on Your BBQ
Old Ease: A Comprehensive Look Into the History of Rustic Architecture
How to Make the Most Out of Apartment Living
A Fence Protects Your Garden From Wildlife
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Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day/night depending on where you are in the world! Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!
Toodles,
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