Louver Vents & Dormers for Your Home
A home is built to protect its residents from the environment, but sometimes the home itself needs to be protected from adverse weather conditions! As building construction techniques continue to improve the airtightness of a building’s envelope, it’s more important than ever that homes have a way to “breathe”, especially during high heat temperatures.
Conditioning the living space of a home
Many homes have air conditioning to make the air temperature and humidity in the living areas more pleasant. But for homes that have attics, the air conditioning is typically not used in that space. That means the home must regulate its temperature in that space on its own. The way it does this is by the use of louver vents and dormers.
What is a louver vent?
A louver vent is an attractive vent that can look similar to a window that has had the glass replaced with slats. It’s similar in appearance and function to a blind that goes over a traditional window. The slats are angled to allow air to move in and out but do not allow rain or snow to enter. Louvers are typically constructed of steel or wood. The opening and closing mechanisms are usually controlled by a pull cord, a lever, or a motor that can be set to a timer to open and shut on a schedule.
What is a dormer?
Dormers are windows that have an architectural usage of adding a window to an upper part of a home. Often, the purpose is to let in light as well as add visual interest to a roofline that would otherwise be plain lines. Large-scale dormers can add a lot of usable space to a home. When added architecturally, a small dormer can help move water off a roof and into a more desirable part of the yard.
Combining louver vents and dormers
Often, dormers are windows, but they can also be constructed as louver vents! In this construction, the glass that would be normally placed inside a dormer window is replaced with a vent. This combination adds visual interest to a home and allows hot air to escape from the attic. This keeps the home’s humidity levels down and helps keep the home’s living areas at a more reasonable temperature, taking the strain off the air conditioning or HVAC units.