Hello all, I’m visiting a condo for the 2nd time tomorrow, and it’s one that I’m seriously considering. It’s in an elevator building, and all the windows in the apartment face north. Now, the north walls in both the living room and the bedroom have plenty of windows, and when I was in there the first time (at around 11am) there didn’t seem to be any shortage of natural light. But regardless, the apartment won’t get any direct sunlight. So my question is, have any of you ever lived in an apartment with only north-facing windows, and if so, did the lack of direct sunlight ever bother you? Did you ever sit in your apartment on Sunday afternoon and pine away for the sun’s golden rays?
Thx in advance. Comments on air conditioning costs also appreciated.
I have only north windows, with the high rise condo “wall of windows” setup. It’s more of a plus for me, since it’s plenty bright, but it’s not as hot in summer as the people who get direct light. They complain that they can never get cool. Plus, direct sun will fade and destroy your furniture and rugs. My brother had to replace a leather couch and chair and wooden table just from desctruction from the sun.
My windows are all north-facing. I don’t know exactly how much role the direction plays in how much sunlight I get, as I’m also under a 7 foot deck, but I generally wish I had more natural light. If too much light bothers you, you can always get blinds, but not enough can never be fixed.
I’m pretty sure that 3M manufactures window film that will prevent damage to your furniture, carpets, etc. from the sun’s rays. Also, the film is said to help lessen heating and cooling costs and is easy to apply. Hope this helps.
In Chicago, as long as nothing else interferes with the sunlight, you are (between March 21 and September 21), going to get anywhere from a minute of sun at sunrise and sunset to a couple of hours of sunlight, morning and evening on June 21.
If you have a high rise to the west that blocks evening sun, you will see much less of it. (Mornings, most people are too busy getting to work to appreciate the sunlight slanting in from the north-northeast.)
I have had north-facing units in college and south-facing units after college and I preferred the north-facing units. Unless you are facing a row of conifers that rise up to block your windows (or a brick wall that absorbs light that is further shaded by the higher floors in your building), you should get a fair amount of reflected light. (I would not paint or paper with dark colors or put up wood paneling–even the old blonde paneling absorbs too much light for a room if you want it bright.)
If you want to get all techie, on your next visit, take a photo meter (or a camera that you can manually adjust for light) and get some readings facing walls in rooms you like or dislike in your current residence, then take some readings of the south wall to see whether you are getting as much light as you need. (There is no point in reading the window wall as that does not tell you how much light is bouncing around the room.)
thanks for your comments, all. I decided that there was plenty of reflected light – it faces its twin building, so the view isn’t great, but to the east and west there’s nothing really to get in the way. There’s even a sliver of a lake view in the winter, when the trees are bare. I gave the selling agent an offer, we’ll see what happens.
I never really bothered to figure out which direction the windows in any apartments I’ve lived in faced. The first thing I do when I move into a place is figure out how much light is blocked by normal blinds, and, if it’s too little, find some sheets/heavy curtains to block out the rest.
All my windows (bar one eastern one) face south. Bearing my location in mind, this is the same as north to you. It’s not been a problem really. There is a whitewashed wall of the next building a few feet away, and that seems to reflect enough sunlight for me. I still have to pull the curtains tightly shut if I want a daytime nap.
