Skylights?

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coalcracker
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Skylights?

Post by coalcracker »

We are in the early stages of having our third floor remodeled into a master suite. It is right below the roof, and we had planned to have several skylights installed, as we love the idea of adding more natural light to the space. I have also been reading a bit about "solar tubes" which provide natural light, but don't have a view to the outside. Right now we are leaning toward traditional skylights.

We have an older house but got a new roof installed about 5 years ago. We have heard stories from relatives about problems regarding energy efficiency and leaking, but I'm wondering if this was more of a problem with older skylights rather than ones created with newer technology.

Does anyone have any experience with installing new skylights or solar tubes?

Any "I wish I would have known this before I added skylights" advice?
rokidtoo
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Re: Skylights?

Post by rokidtoo »

We have a skylight in the hallway between our master bedroom and the master bath. My wife hates it. In the summertime the skylight lights up the bedroom before we're ready to greet the day.

RE: leaking. Our house is 28 years old and we've never had a skylight leaking problem.
Mudpuppy
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Mudpuppy »

I've got two solar tubes in my house. Never had a leak and I can't comment on the efficiency since the house came with the solar tubes. You just have to make sure to have competent installers when doing it.

And as rokidtoo said, you can't put curtains on a skylight, so putting them in a bedroom is a very personal decision that might affect resale value down the road. As a person with delayed sleep phase disorder, I need the room to be completely dark when I sleep because my natural sleep cycle does not correspond with the night/sunrise (at least not in this time zone), so I would find a house with skylights in the master bedroom to be a real negative.
Topic Author
coalcracker
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Re: Skylights?

Post by coalcracker »

I had thought of that problem in the bedroom. I am usually an early riser, but sometimes have night shift duties that would require me to sleep during the day. If I put a skylight in the bedroom I would use an electronically controlled shade like this:

https://velux.skylightblindshop.com/bla ... ut-blind-2

Not too cheap but it would be a must for us.
02sbxstr
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Re: Skylights?

Post by 02sbxstr »

We had a Velux over out bed for 27 years. They don't leak when installed by someone who knows what he is doing. We did find that the noise from a moderate or heavy rainfall would either keep us awake or wake us up. We once watched the Leonids meteor shower from the comfort of our bed, which was neat.
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Dan-Fl
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Dan-Fl »

He who puts holes in roof is nuts. That might be harsh, but I have had much experience with "glass Roofs, many skylights, and I don't want any now.
Yes, they leak, yes they are heat gain and loss situation, yes you may need blinds over them, and additionally they get dirty and scratched and need cleaning!
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deanbrew
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Re: Skylights?

Post by deanbrew »

I would NEVER put either skylights or solar tubes in a bedroom. Now that that is out there...

I have three solar tubes in my house, and I like them a lot. I have one in my home office, and it provides natural daylight right over my desk, and at the current moment is providing more light than the fluorescent lights in the room. It provides substantial light even on overcast days. The solar tube in our den has a light bulb installed in it, so it acts kind of like a recessed light at night, and as a skylight in the daytime. No leaks from any of them.
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reggiesimpson
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Re: Skylights?

Post by reggiesimpson »

I just removed four of them. Enough said!
RyanC
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Re: Skylights?

Post by RyanC »

We just had one installed in our great room when the roof was replaced. I was told by the roofer that it would cost twice as much if I did the work after the new roof was installed. (meaning if we decided to wait a few years) Ours is Velux, the roofer said it was the best on the market and wouldn't leak. Haven't had any problems yet.
EagertoLearnMore
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Re: Skylights?

Post by EagertoLearnMore »

A prior house had 2 skylights in the Family Room. My observatiions:

1. When it's raining, you can't hear the television because of the noise.
2. When it's hot and sunny, the room heats up way too much. You can buy shades for skylights, but a neighbor said it was still hot.
3. Cold air in winter from currents. Even without leaking, the skylights create air currents of their own from the thermal heating and cooling.
4. If you don't cover them up when it's sunny you will fade your furnishings.

Although some people think they are positive as a selling point, I guess you can tell what my opinion is.
Topic Author
coalcracker
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Re: Skylights?

Post by coalcracker »

But doesn't this look nice?

Sail away, sail away, sail away . . .

Image
scouter
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Re: Skylights?

Post by scouter »

We have Velux skylights in a bathroom (with a 12 foot ceiling) and in a foyer. No problems, no leaks, and no damage from some pretty serious hail storms during the 12 years we've had them. (I worried about how they would withstand hail, but we've had storms with golf ball-size hail, and I watched them bounce off the skylight like it was made of hardened plexiglass.

We also have 3 Solar tubes, one in a guest bath with no windows, and two in our rec room, on the end of the room with no windows. Again, no problems or leaks, and great natural light for free. Solar tubes are cheaper to install in an existing roof as they go in between the rafters, and they're more energy efficient. They also throw a nice, wide, diffuse light.

I wouldn't put either a skylight or solar tube in a bedroom or in our den where we watch TV or like to take naps. I wouldn't put them in any room that you need to make dark.

You can hear the rain on the skylights, but where we have them, that's a good thing. I can step into that foyer or bathroom and hear whether it's raining and exactly how hard before going outside. You can't hear rain on the solar tubes. So again, I wouldn't put skylights in a room that you need to have quiet.
epilnk
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Re: Skylights?

Post by epilnk »

Mudpuppy wrote:I've got two solar tubes in my house. Never had a leak and I can't comment on the efficiency since the house came with the solar tubes. You just have to make sure to have competent installers when doing it.

And as rokidtoo said, you can't put curtains on a skylight, so putting them in a bedroom is a very personal decision that might affect resale value down the road. As a person with delayed sleep phase disorder, I need the room to be completely dark when I sleep because my natural sleep cycle does not correspond with the night/sunrise (at least not in this time zone), so I would find a house with skylights in the master bedroom to be a real negative.
Morning light, though, is the treatment for DSPD. I too have this sleep disorder, and the only time in my life I was completely free of it was when we rented a house with bedroom skylights. I've never slept better in my life. (An added benefit was waking up to the sight of our cat's butt every morning, as he stood guard above us until we were awake.) I'd get them again, except that it wasn't so easy on my husband.
penumbra
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Re: Skylights?

Post by penumbra »

So here's another vote. We have 8 skylights in a single story house. We love them. If it wouldn't look silly, we'd put in more. They've been in for 30 years, and the roof changed around them once. We've never had a leak.
On the other hand, I'd never put one in a bedroom unless you could completely mask it off. I sleep with an eyeshade sometimes, even without skylights. If you mask it off, what's the point of having it unless you have an integrated office or a reason for spending significant time there during the day?
As to energy efficiency, I think most of them have some leakage, but it depends on how extreme your weather is. We're in sight of the Pacific, and don't use either heat or a/c except 7-10 days per year. YMMV.
edge
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Re: Skylights?

Post by edge »

Mudpuppy wrote:I've got two solar tubes in my house. Never had a leak and I can't comment on the efficiency since the house came with the solar tubes. You just have to make sure to have competent installers when doing it.

And as rokidtoo said, you can't put curtains on a skylight, so putting them in a bedroom is a very personal decision that might affect resale value down the road. As a person with delayed sleep phase disorder, I need the room to be completely dark when I sleep because my natural sleep cycle does not correspond with the night/sunrise (at least not in this time zone), so I would find a house with skylights in the master bedroom to be a real negative.
This is not correct. You can put shades on a skylight controlled via motor or with a rod (manual).
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Cosmo
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Cosmo »

We had one in our old house and we hated it whenever we got a Texas thunderstorm and you were trying to listen to the TV. Skylights are not a wise choice where sound is a consideration and oh yeah, they are not a fan of hail.

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Helena_Handbasket
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Helena_Handbasket »

I self-installed a 14-inch diameter Solatube in my home a few years ago and am very happy with it. It has weathered a few nasty hail storms with no problems. Solatubes can be outfitted with adjustable louvers to block the light, which would be good for a bedroom installation. They can also be equipped with exhaust fans for use in a bathroom.
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Allocationist
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Allocationist »

Over ten years ago we installed three high-quality double-pane skylights and three solar tubes in a very dark house. The home is located in the mountains that average eight-feet of snow a year. We have had no leaks or other problems and are very pleased with the results. I recommend you not place skylights in locations that get a lot of direct sun exposure in the summer.

We have had some funny experiences with our solar tubes. On several occasions guests who are new to our home have asked how to "turn off lights" in the rooms with solar tubes.

Bottom line: if you pick the right location for installation, use a quality product and have it installed by a skilled contractor I think you will be very happy with the added natural light.

Good luck!
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norookie
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Re: Skylights?

Post by norookie »

:D YES!!!! :D :mrgreen:
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S&L1940
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Re: Skylights?

Post by S&L1940 »

edge wrote:
Mudpuppy wrote: And as rokidtoo said, you can't put curtains on a skylight, so putting them in a bedroom is a very personal decision that might affect resale value down the road. .....
so I would find a house with skylights in the master bedroom to be a real negative.
This is not correct. You can put shades on a skylight controlled via motor or with a rod (manual).
yes you can put in a remote controlled shade. we had skylights in two homes. natural light is terrific and never a structural problem. I have no recollection of noise from rain but we had them in rooms with high ceilings

our bedroom skylight was positioned (not by design) so that a bright moon sent a block of light across the room during the night. one heck of a night light for trips to the bathroom and fortunately, the light only crossed the foot of the bed.

I am sorry that our tile roof in a hurricane area does not seem to be conducive to skylights. consider this a YES vote.
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SteveB3005
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Re: Skylights?

Post by SteveB3005 »

Love 'em, we have two solar tubes in the kitchen and one in the hall, no problems in 10 years. They look like regular recessed fixtures and cast a softened, but still fairly bright light. On big moons they put off this eery glow, which catches you a bit, if you wake to it.
scubadiver
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Re: Skylights?

Post by scubadiver »

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White Coat Investor
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Re: Skylights?

Post by White Coat Investor »

Don't put it in a bedroom, but our kid's bathroom has one and it keeps them from turning on and leaving on the lights.
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Norris
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Norris »

We had two solartubes installed about ten years ago. One is in the mudroom off the garage and the other in a windowless bathroom. We love them both. The added light is great. No leaks, no noise and no apparent temperature gain or loss. Cost at that time was $1000 total. The contractor was well-qualified and as I recall completed the job in 3-4 hours.

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turlock1
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Re: Skylights?

Post by turlock1 »

I have seven solatubes in my house. Love them!! I would be hesitant about the bedroom though, you might not want the light early in the morning unless you are an early riser. On a full moon, you would also get an significant amount of light.
Valuethinker
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Valuethinker »

We live in a narrow Victorian terrace (row) house in London (the latitude is just over 50 degrees, so think long nights in winter and long days in summer).

We get good light to the south of the house but the garden and back of the house face almost due north.

We installed 2 when we put in a third floor (US usage) loft.

One on the new staircase which made a huge difference to the light in the 2nd floor hall and that staircase.

We also put one in the new bathroom (zoning laws prevent you putting new windows to the side of the house, that would overlook neighbours).

These are both domes.

To the front of the new loft, we put slanting Velux windows (they don't do triple glazed, but they do do 'low E' coatings to retain heat). They get hot, but they came with completely solid blinds which do block out the solar radiation on a sunny day.

To date, less than 2 years:

- no maintenance problems, but even 'stay clean' glass gets smudged by bird doo

- glad I got them triple glazed *this is highly worth doing* because you can feel the heat loss in winter, even so-- it's a massive hole in the thermal fabric You only want to do this once and for a bit extra money, you get improved thermal performance and comfort

- If I lived in a hottier/ sunnier climate I would not have put one in the bathroom because that can get hot (even though it only has a north facing window)

That said, being able to sit in the bath and look up (not directly up) and see the clouds and the odd bird fly by is truly neat

- I am sure this is bad for the roof structure and will need replacement in the next 25 years

- the alternative would have been a slanting window, harder to do, but open-able which would be nice. We went for the cheap route as part of the builder's package

- I would absolutely *not* put a skylight in a bedroom. One should always retain the option of keeping the bedroom in total darkness. I think it would subtract from the value of your house to another buyer

- we are very happy with our decision
Valuethinker
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Re: Skylights?

Post by Valuethinker »

turlock1 wrote:I have seven solatubes in my house. Love them!! I would be hesitant about the bedroom though, you might not want the light early in the morning unless you are an early riser. On a full moon, you would also get an significant amount of light.
It's also going to worry many potential buyers.
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6miths
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Re: Skylights?

Post by 6miths »

We have four in our family room/kitchen and one in our bedroom. They were originally plexiglass bubble types which were 25 years old when we replaced them with glass Velux when we did the roof 10 years ago. Neither type has ever leaked although once I thought one was leaking but actually a red squirrel had chewed its way through a roof vent just up slope of one of the skylights. We enjoy having them (the skylights, not the red squirrels - cut down the big spruce trees beside the house and now they have moved on).
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DiscoBunny1979
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Re: Skylights?

Post by DiscoBunny1979 »

Definately skylights in the Master Bathroom, but NOT in the Sleeping area of the Master. Having skylights in LIving spaces - like a living room can make a big difference, but make sure you're aware of the summer heat - that depending upon the type you choose - heat can get through. For instance, I remember in my house in Southern California, the skylight in the bathroom often produced a beam of light directly onto the toilet! So it brings new meaning to 'hot sh*t' (excuse my language) - especailly if you have to sit there a long time in direct light of the sun. so even having a skylight in bathroom can have it's negatives . . .like if the beam of light from the skylight were to cast directly onto the bath tub . . . or into your eyes when you want to take a bath during the day. So, it's a matter of placement . . . but there might only be one location where a skylight would fit or "look" good . . . but then there might be consequences. Think before you act and I'd put them in only if the roof was to be redone.
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