7 Important Things You Need to Know Before Installing a Skylight
Skylights are known for creating a luxurious impression in a home, allowing natural light to flood in. A skylight is a great option for several reasons. Wondering how you and your home could benefit your skylight? Keep in mind that it is also to ponder how a skylight can affect your home in terms of light and temperature regulation. We discuss everything you need to know about skylights before deciding on installation.
The Shape of a Skylight Controls How Light Travels
Wherever your skylight is installed in your home, it will definitely have an influence on how light travels. Because of this, you should definitely think about how you want your skylight shaped. If you want a light to be evenly spread, you should install a skylight that flares out instead of facing straight down. Skylights with straight edges are best suited for when you want a focused light in a room.
Avoid Skylight Glare
In order to avoid that uncomfortable glare that light gives off sometimes, be wise about where you place your skylight in your room. Glare can make a roof hot and uncomfortable and make an area too bright. More so, glare can wash out fabrics and cause them to fade if light falls directly on bedding. Consider adding a shade or filter to the skylight to be more careful with skylight glare.
Skylights Create Illusion of Space
Looking to create the illusion of more space and openness in your home? Skylights are just the thing you are looking for. Sure, you could always consider expanding your home and adding a room, but adding a skylight is a perfect option when you’re looking for a simple touch. Because a skylight draws more light into a space, it creates the effect of airiness and space, which is especially helpful in smaller rooms.
Choose Materials Designed to Regulate Temperatures
More windows or light means more heat in their homes to some homeowners. This doesn’t have to be the case with a newly installed skylight. To make sure your home doesn’t experience any uncomfortable heat gain, install a skylight made out of double-insulated glass tempered with low-E coatings. These coatings are designed to minimize the amount of ultraviolet and infrared lights that travel through glass without minimizing the transmission of visible light.
Consider Your Skylight Options
To keep your home cool while allowing maximum light in, it is important to consider skylights designed for these efforts! Some manufacturers offer vented skylights. These skylights allow fresh air into a room and circulate heat outside of your home. For ease of use, look into skylights that have a motorized feature as opposed to those that require manual operation.
Another great and effective option you can consider is an automatic skylight. These skylights are equipped with rain and heat sensors. The sensors detect changes in temperature and moisture, opening the skylight if it gets too hot and closing when it senses rain. These automatic skylights come with programmable remotes, so if you would like to open and close them as you please, you can do this in addition to using automatic features!
Consider How Climate Can Affect Your Skylight
For skylights made out of acrylic materials, they are more likely to become brittle and yellow with age. This also increases their weakness when it comes to severe weather. Should your skylight be covered by a heavy blanket of snow or sleet, the material could suffer some fractures. Acrylic doesn’t compare when it comes to glass materials, considering it does not offer the same quality of transparency as glass does. Skylights made purely out of glass are intended to work against rain and snow. That way water spots are not left behind, and you will not have to worry about leaks.
Installation Can Take up to Three Days
As most roofing projects require, skylight installation is known for taking as light as a half-day to as many as three days. The timeline greatly depends on the complexity of materials, the shape of the skylight, and how it will be positioned in your home. For example, it could require more time if your contractor has to build a light shaft to accommodate flat ceilings. Of course, if you are installing more than one skylight, this could also call for more installation time.
Learn More, Contact Us at El Paso Roofing!
If you have found that a skylight is right for you and your home, we couldn’t be happier to help you with the process. Contact the professionals at El Paso Roofing to make an appointment, and we’ll get to working on your roof right away!