We live in a heavily wooded area in the Colorado Foothills. After about October 1, the sun sinks behind the trees and fails to fully light (or warm) our house until about April. So we are looking for a way to get more natural light into the house. Concerns are summer heat (at 8300 ft the summer sun can be broiling), snow load (7ft at a time), and cost (we are on a budget but realize the cost of making poor decisions). The home is manufactured log with a cathedral tounge and groove ceiling. We have three windows on the south wall of the great room. There is space above those windows for more windows, and the wall is not load-bearing, so installation is not an issue. We are also considering skylights (two in the great room, one in the loft) which would face generally east and west. Does anyone see a distinct advantage to one or the other? Thanks for any advice!

The entry door from my garage into my kitchen is an inswing door. It's a real pain in the neck. There is a bathroom right next to it and if someone is entering the house when another person is coming out of the bathroom there is always a smash. I need to make this an outswing door. The door is steel and made by stanley. I would just flip it around but it has to swing out to the left and the way it is now it will swing to the right. I was thinking I could scrap the jamb but still use the door. I would make a new jamb out of some kind of hardwood and get good security hinges. I have never done this type of work to a door. I usually put doors in as a whole with the jambs. Is the work involved in this not worth the effort? Would it be easier just to buy a new door system? thanks