Cooling Six Western Windows Without Losing the View
Western sun is relentless through a Brisbane summer. It pours through the glass all afternoon, warms the rooms behind it, and quietly pushes the air conditioning into overtime. The obvious fix is to cover the windows completely, but then you lose the light and the outlook you actually wanted. This job was about finding the middle ground.
The Brief
Six windows needed help. One large window at the front, and five more running along the western wall with no eaves or soffits to throw any shade. The ask was simple to say and trickier to deliver. Turn down the heat and glare through the hottest part of the day, without darkening the rooms or blocking the view to the yard.
Why Slats, Not A Solid Panel
A solid screen would have fixed the heat and created a new problem, a wall where a window used to be. Slatted aluminium is the smarter tool. Angled blades intercept the low, harsh afternoon sun while daylight still filters through and the breeze still moves freely. From inside, the outlook stays. From outside, the house reads as clean and deliberate rather than shuttered up. We ran the blades at 90mm with a 20mm gap, a ratio that shades hard without feeling closed in.
The Finish
Colour does more work than people expect. The screens were powder coated in Paperbark, a soft warm neutral that settles quietly against brick and render instead of competing with it. Being aluminium, there is no rust, no rot and nothing to repaint, so they will look the same in ten summers as they do on day one.
The Result
Six windows that once copped the full afternoon sun are now shaded, comfortable and still full of light. The rooms behind them run cooler, the view is untouched, and the whole western side of the house looks considered rather than exposed. Same windows, same outlook, a much calmer home.
Got a hot, sun struck wall of windows on your own place? A few well placed slatted screens can change how an entire side of the house feels.
