Do’s and Don’ts of Installing a Roof Skylight

Roof Skylight Tulsa, OK

 

Thankfully, today’s skylights generally provide homeowners with fewer technical worries than they once did due to improved manufacturing. Even still, there are functional and aesthetic factors that demand careful thought in terms of installation.

Take it from the pros – here are a few do’s and don’ts of installing a roof skylight.

 

Do’s of Roof Skylight’s

A skylight can be an excellent addition, providing more natural light throughout your home. Here are a few tips on how to choose the right skylight for your home.

Carefully Select a Location

You should take your time when deciding where to install a roof skylight and take special consideration into its solar orientation. If you’re considering an area that doesn’t get much natural sunlight throughout the day, installation costs might not be easily justified. In contrast, if the sunlight is in an area that gets too much sunlight, it might make the room unbearably hot.

Consider Tinting

Most skylight manufacturers today provide a variety of tinting options. This glaze goes across the sunlight and ranges from grays to bronzes to translucent whites, depending on the sun’s orientation on your rooftop.

Bronze or gray tints will help to allow for direct sunlight while minimizing some overheating in the interior of your home. The white tinting will act as a diffuser of the sunlight into the room below.

Pay Attention to Indoor and Outdoor Appearances

Since skylights connect the outdoors to the indoors, you need to pay attention to the aesthetics in both areas of your home. From the inside, try aligning your skylight with a window, door opening, or any other existing feature in your home. This trick helps to prevent your skylight from looking out of place.

Go as Big as You Can

When choosing your skylight design, opt to go as big as aesthetics and orientation will allow for your home. Larger skylights tend to be cheaper than smaller alternatives per unit area, with the difference in labor being relatively minimal. Skylights can be as large as ten feet by twelve feet.

Also, one large skylight is better than multiple smaller ones in the same area if you can manage it. Less light is brought in by smaller skylights, even when there are multiples. They also tend to cost more in labor and will increase the likelihood of leaks.

Get Creative

There are tons of different skylight options. You are not restricted to the traditional bubble design. Some manufacturers specialize in low-profile skylights, and others use flat glass rather than acrylic. You can find some unusual skylight shapes, too, such as octagons, circles, or pyramids.

You can find just about anything out there if you look hard enough. Always make sure that your skylights meet local building and fire codes, though.

Consider Self-Ventilation

You can easily find self-ventilating features on skylights for your home. This concept helps to keep your space airy and cool while illuminating it with natural light.

For optimal convenience, look for automatic skylights which have rain and heat sensors. These sensors detect both moisture and temperature and open when it is too warm and close when there is rain.

 

Don’ts of Roof Skylight’s

Adding a skylight to your home should take careful consideration. To err on the side of caution, here are a few tips to try to avoid when picking your skylight.

Install on South-Facing Sloping Roofs

As previously mentioned, too much sunlight can be harmful to a room, especially those of a smaller size. South-facing skylights installed on sloping roofs are known to overheat rooms. Instead, opt to install your skylight on a north-facing rooftop to take advantage of a soft, diffused light throughout the day.

Install on Street-Facing Roofs

As best as you can, avoid installing skylights on any roofs that face the street. They tend to look wildly out of place on more traditional home styles. Even on some modern homes, skylights can have a cluttered look from the street. It’s always recommended to have as discreet of concealment as possible not negatively impact your curb appeal.

Skimp on Quality

Not surprisingly, skylights are not a feature of your home that you should compromise quality for cost. Important considerations to high-quality skylights include water tightness, wind resistance, sound reduction, energy efficiency, and load resistance. Because installing a skylight into your roof is a considerable undertaking, you’ll want to make sure you find the highest quality available in your area.

 

Wrap Up

Following the do’s and don’ts of installing a roof skylight will ensure that your home receives a tasteful design paired with effective distribution of natural lighting. While there will also be some minor concerns surrounding leak potential, thankfully, today’s skylights have been improved to minimize these threats.

So, if you feel like an area of your home could use some brightening, maybe it’s time to consider adding in a roof skylight of your own.

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