Safety first: Easy installs for a safer home in winter


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How would your exterior square up to the safety risks winter weather presents? Three easy install features lead the way to a safer season.

LIGHTING
Come the dark, gloomy nights of winter, outdoor lighting does more than enhance exterior aesthetics. Improving visibility, built-in and additional lights placed around your property make it easier to see hazards and safely navigate pathways. Without outdoor lighting, potential intruders might take that as an invitation inside.

A well-lit space discourages them. Lighting transforms how we visualise a space, so use it to your aesthetic advantage. When building new, install lighting fixtures into eaves and fixed canopy roofs for ample outdoor lighting.

To highlight tall features and add ambience, set lights facing upwards. To illuminate pathways and direct people through, use path lights that shine downwards. Combine form and function by uplighting trees, which will then light up pathways.

HANDRAILS & BALUSTRADES
Offering support and stability, handrails and balustrades are a crucial safety feature in slippery winter weather, and an added sense of confidence for children, elderly and those with mobility issues.

Feel more comfortable enjoying your outdoor space in winter while adding character to your home. To weave this safety feature into a cohesive outdoor home experience, aim to marry the elements – colour, material, style, to what already sets your front’s façade. If your house radiates a modern vibe, consider a glass or aluminium balustrade, while classic or timber styles might suit a home with heritage charm.

WINDBREAKS
Wrap your outdoor entertaining space in a windbreak – an ideal barrier to cold winds. Shielding plants and your property from harsh winds and damaging debris, windbreaks guard the area closest to your indoor living. Your chances of tripping over furniture displaced in strong winds could become a thing of the past.

Shield your space in style by opting for chic glass panes, just remember to keep them clean.


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