Australia is having hotter temperatures than ever, and experts say it's just going to get hotter. With the heat rising, you may be wondering what you can do. Actually, there are a lot of fun home renovations that can improve your home and help you escape the heat. Check out these ideas:

Windows to Increase Cross Breeze

Cross breeze is when the wind can blow from one side of your house to another. It can be an effective way to keep your home cool. That's especially true if you keep the windows and blinds closed during the day. Then, when you open the windows at night, the temperatures are cooler, and a cross breeze can sweep through the house. When you close the windows in the morning, the cool air gets locked in.

Talk with a home renovator about the possibility of adding more windows. To get a cross breeze, you want to add windows or large screen doors to parts of your home that have other windows across from them. In some cases, you may even want to consider knocking down walls, combining small rooms into larger rooms or making other renovations to make cross breezes possible.

Shaded Verandas or Porches

You may also want to add shaded verandahs or porches. Depending on the design of your home, a renovator may be able to add porches, decks, verandas or patios. Then, you can add a shade over those areas.

That creates a relatively cool area to spend time outside, but it also helps cool your home. The covering of this area shades the entire part of the home that it's covering. When that area is shaded, it reduces the heat coming in through those walls and windows. That can lower indoor temperatures.

Remember, you don't have to make these changes on the ground floor. You can also add shaded patios to first and second floor rooms for a similar cooling effect.

Basements

If you have an older home without a basement, you may want to see if you can add one. Underground spaces are almost always cooler. That's why wine cellars and fruit cellars were often located underground long before refrigeration became popular.

Talk with a renovator about where a basement could be added onto your home. That provides a cool space to set up lounges, bedrooms, offices or other spaces.

To learn more about changes and renovations that can cool down your home, contact a renovation expert.