If your property has a view worth looking at, then you owe it to yourself to maximize that view. Your home may sit at the top of a hill and overlook a valley, or you may live in a rural area and have a stunning view of a forest or meadow. You could even create a view yourself with smart landscaping and gardening.
The point is that when you have something to enjoy looking at outside, it’s important to make sure you can adequately see outside. This isn’t a default design choice, either, which is why to maximize your view, you’ll want to follow this guide.
Replace Your Fence
If your view is beyond your property’s boundaries, start first by replacing any bulky, ugly, and distracting fence with a glass fence installation. Glass fencing can help you maintain your property’s boundaries without interrupting your view. They’re great if you previously had a pool fence that broke up your view, or if your property looks out over a hill. As they’re made of tempered glass, they’re incredibly durable and can even be coated with a nano-coating to repel water and hydrocarbons to keep your fence clean with minimal maintenance.
Use Low-Level Shrubbery Near Your View
Plants, though beautiful and absolutely essential to maintaining privacy in any home, can also block the view in question. In these instances, you’ll want to replace those larger trees or taller plants with low-level shrubbery instead. Before you cut anything, of course, always check that it’s allowed by your local planning authority. Those who live in wooded areas may have a limit to how much they can cut down around their property, for example.
Once you’ve determined what you can and cannot trim back, you can then start strategizing on which view “window” you want to make for yourself. If you only have one large window looking out, for example, you’d need a smaller window to that view than if you had good access throughout your property.
Build an Elevated Porch or Balcony
Views are almost unanimously better seen from above. This is true even if your home is already on a hill. A great way to maximize said view, then, is to add an elevated deck or even a balcony to your home, so you have options to look out to the beauty of the natural world beyond from a bird’s-eye view.
Upgrade Your Windows
Consider upgrading your windows. Replacing a dark wall with glass immediately makes the view a central feature in your home. Just keep in mind that doing so will reduce your home’s thermal efficiency, so consider whether a triple-pane solution is within budget.
Other options include replacing your backyard door with a glass alternative, widening existing windows, or changing your window design from a divided window with cut-ups to a picture window.
Add Window Seats
Another great way to ensure you enjoy that view more is to simply add window seats. These could be built into the wall, or it could simply mean adding a chair or two angled towards the window where you can comfortably have your morning coffee.
