Things To Know Before Installing A Skylight

skylight

Who doesn’t love a beautiful skylight? Skylights illuminate our living spaces with natural light and add a bit of luxury to any room. However, there are quite a few things to consider and research before installing a skylight in your home. Here are a few things you should know before installing a skylight. 

Don’t Skimp on Quality

The first thing to keep in mind when installing skylights in your home is to not skimp on the quality of your skylights. Energy efficiency, sound reduction, water tightness and other factors such as load resistance are very important considerations. You should be sure to explore options such as shading and UV coatings, as well. Installing a skylight is a serious decision, so you should make sure that you will be satisfied with it always. 

Choose The Right Type Of Skylight For Your Home

There are a couple of different options for skylights in your home. Make sure to choose the right one for you.

Flat vs Domed Skylights

Many homeowners choose domed skylights because leaves and other debris slide right off. This ensures the skylight view is rarely blocked. If you want to install a dome skylight, you will be limited to using plastic skylight material.

Glass vs Plastic Skylights

Skylights glazed with glass are more expensive than their plastic counterparts. However, plastic skylights attract scratches and have the tendency to become discolored over time. Glass skylights offer a clear view for years. 

Choose The Correct Placement For Your Skylight

Skylight placement is typically determined by the placement of your home’s rafters. Plan accordingly before you start cutting sections out of your roof. There are a few things to consider when choosing the placement for your new skylight.

Control The Lighting

The shape of the skylight has an effect on where the light goes in the room. If you want light to spread out, install a skylight that flares. Skylights with straight sides are better suited for areas when you want to focus the light entering the room in a straight line.

Create An Illusion Of Space

Rooms can feel bigger when light reaches all corners of the space. One carefully placed skylight can create a huge difference in the illusion of space in a room.

Skylight Glare

You will want to install skylights carefully so as to minimize the chances of sun glare coming through them. Glare can cause a room to become uncomfortably hot and too bright. It can also wash out fabrics and cause fading. Adding a shade or a filter to the skylight can help prevent this problem.

Energy Efficiency

Where you install your skylight has a big impact on how much light and heat is let into your home. Face your skylight south if you are interested in energy savings. A north facing roof with a skylight will give you a consistent amount of sunlight year round. The slope and position of your skylight also determine its energy efficiency. You can minimize heat gain by installing your skylight at a lower slope. 

Heat energy can heat up your home fast, making it feel like a sauna. To eliminate heat gain, make sure to get a skylight constructed from double-insulated glass tempered with low-E coatings, or some other sort of tinting. Bronze tinted skylights on west or south facing roofs are also recommended by roofers. 

Make Sure To Check The Weather

Bad weather can ruin your plans for your skylight. Rain or snow can seriously hinder the project and even make it impossible to continue if moisture gets in midway through the installation process. Summer is the best time for skylight installation because of its dry weather. Since the likelihood of rain is lower in the summer, you likely won’t experience delays with your installation. Since summer installations are more common, it’s likely for roofers to charge less for a winter skylight installation.

There Is A High Risk Of Falling

Installing a skylight yourself is not recommended because of the high risk of falling. Even if you have experience with similar home improvement projects, it’s best to call an expert for this one. However, if you insist on doing it yourself, make sure to always exercise safety precautions when working on ladders. Be sure your ladder is the right type and height. Ensure you are wearing the right shoes or boots with proper traction. You may want to consider using roof jacks to support a 2×12 board to stand on while you work. When doing so, secure the roof jacks with nails and make sure the nails are driven into the roof joists and not just through the sheathing.

Do Your Research Before Buying Anything

Do your research before buying the flashing you will use for your skylight installation. Make sure to waterproof the flashing so any water and ice flow away from the opening of the skylight.

Add Extra Drywall and Insulation

Add extra drywall and insulation near your skylight to cut down on condensation and make sure that the light you let in doesn’t expose less than ideal ceiling space. 

Consider Different Kinds Of Skylights

Self Ventilating Skylights

There are a few brands of skylights with the option to allow you to vent your room as well as illuminate it. A vented skylight allows fresh air into the room and lets the heat out. Vented skylights are more vulnerable to leaks and are more expensive than fixed skylights. 

Automated Skylights

Additionally, there are a few brands of skylights that can actually be automated. These skylights have rain and heat sensors, which detect temperature and moisture. They open the kylight when it gets too hot and closes it when it senses rain Most of these also come with programmable remotes, allowing you to open the skylight when you want, or on a schedule.

Final Words

Spring is the time for skylights. Everybody loves them, and everybody wants one. There are quite a few considerations to make before installing on in your home though. Contact us today here or at (636) 699-0449 to get a free estimate for your skylight today.