What Is A Skylight?

It is easy to be confused when it comes to buying non traditional windows for your home. Here, we simplify what is meant when the industry talks about skylights, rooflights and roof windows.

Written on 05

 

April

 

2014

What is a skylight? I mean…a skylight. What is it really?

In the dictionary, a skylight is defined as

 

‘a window set in a roof or ceiling at the same angle’

 

and because the term 'skylight'

 

is so broad, it

 

can be used in the pitched roof sense as well as the flat roof sense when it comes to talking about them.

Flat Roof Skylights

Until about 10/15 years ago, if you had a flat roof on your property it probably meant you had a garage attached where you stored all of the junk you didn’t want in the house but yet couldn’t bear to throw away (oh, and your lawnmower and other tools if like me you don’t have a shed!)

Since the recession hit back in 2008, more and more homeowners are looking to build upwards and outwards instead of moving home due to the downturn in the economy. Building an extension or converting your loft space into an additional room is seen as the popular choice in recent years with people preferring to add value to their property in the current climate, instead of risking a move to another property.

Because of this change in thinking from homeowners, as well as an increase in state-of-the-art technology, the installation of a skylight into your home is now easily affordable and can add even more value to your home.

Types of Flat Roof Skylights

Flat Glass Rooflights

When considering the installation of a skylight in your flat roof, maximising the amount of natural daylight coming into your home is often the number one priority. This is ultimately the reason for wanting to have one installed in the first place.

Flat glass rooflights

 

are made up of a

 

double,

 

triple

 

or

 

quadruple

 

glazed flat glass unit with insulated supporting upstand. With some products,

 

you may need to build your own on-site upstand to support the flat glass unit however this is clearly outlined on the necessary products where required. This is our simplest form of flat roof skylight and with

 

prices starting from £225, it becomes a highly affordable option when you’re at the first step of considering an installation of a flat roof skylight.

Flat Roof Lanterns & Pyramids

Made for a modern or contemporary home, flat roof

 

lanterns

 

and

 

pyramids

 

will give you a fantastic view of the sky above and add up to

 

3 times more natural light

 

than vertical uPVC windows.

Whereas the majority of pyramids and lanterns are

 

non-opening, there is the option to add ventilation across some of our brands with a manual opening or

 

electrically operated

 

vent-flap or

 

slide opening

 

flat roof lantern. With the huge array of options available when it comes to flat roof lanterns, you can effectively build your own. At Sterlingbuild, we give you the choice of internal and external finish, the glazing finish you would like whether that’s clear, a blue tint or privacy, and the option to include a blind with your skylight.

Prices start from £637

 

and offer a touch of luxury to any home.

Flat Glass Domed Rooflights

The VELUX Group

 

and

 

FAKRO

 

lead the way when it comes to flat glass domed rooflights. Offering the same advantages as the

 

flat glass rooflights, the addition of a single-skin, polycarbonate roof dome helps stop the noise trying to make its way into

 

your home.

With the additional dome situated

 

over the flat glass rooflight, acting as an extra layer of protective security, rainwater is easily able to slide off the unit and onto your flat roof which stops any form of pooling happening.

Available in

 

electrically

 

or

 

manually operated

 

and fixed operation, the flat glass domed rooflight

 

costs as little as £343.

Walk-On Rooflights

A

 

walk-on rooflight

 

makes an amazing centrepiece in any home and can be installed

 

externally

 

on your flat roof or as a

 

stunning internal feature.

Allowing you to bring natural daylight to places where it wasn’t possible before, walk-on rooflights don’t compromise in a loss of floor space.

Available in either

 

single, double,

 

triple

 

or

 

quadruple glazed, the choice really is up to you when it comes to which one to go for. Prices for the walk-on rooflights

 

start at £511.

Pitched Roof Skylights

Pitched roof skylight is the most common term to homeowners when it comes to installing a skylight into your roof. The most popular being

 

VELUX skylights. The company, founded in Copenhagen in 1941, has had the same effect on the roof window market as the Hoover has had for vacuums. Most people see a roof window and immediately call it a VELUX window, whether it is or not.

As spoken about earlier, with more homeowners looking to convert empty spaces in their homes into new rooms fewer people are looking to sell. This has led to a huge increase in people converting their lofts or adding extensions onto the side of their homes with lean-to roofs.

Types of Pitched Roof Skylights

Centre Pivot Roof Windows

The most popular and obvious choice when it comes to putting a skylight in a pitched roof. The

 

centre-pivot

 

window, with its ease of operation was the first kind of opening mechanism on a roof window and comes in manual opening,

 

electrically operated

 

or

 

solar powered.

Most suitable for out-of-reach installations due to half the window coming in when open, the centre-pivot roof window can also be used for eye level installations.

 

Prices start from just £83

 

for a pitched roof window.

Top Hung

 

Roof Windows

Built for you to enjoy the best views,

 

top-hung roof windows

 

do not enter the room when opening and are ideal for eye-level installations due to the way they open. With none of the sash entering the room, there's no chance of banging your head

 

on a low swinging sash when the window is opened.

Being suitable for eye-level installations, certain sizes of top hung skylights meet

 

means of escape requirements

 

as per your local building official's regulations as well as being ideal for gaining

 

access

 

onto the roof for any maintenance.

 

Prices start from just £162.

Skylights for Uninhabited

 

Spaces

There are certain rooms in your home that are completely dark and unventilated and clearly require some light

 

and air to get rid of the smell and feeling of nothingness! These can be storage rooms or even shoe cupboards.

Skylights for uninhabited spaces

 

are specifically designed for this scenario. They're not suitable for living areas such as kitchens, living rooms or other rooms where the room temperature regularly fluctuates on a daily basis. These are the simplest of skylights designed to allow light and air into those areas you don't use as consistently as others.

FENSTRO skylights lead the way with their affordability,

 

starting from just £83.60. Designed to open in either top hung or side hung operation, the FENSTRO skylight comes as a complete package and includes the skylight and universal flashing.

There are far too many pitched and flat roof skylights to mention in one blog post, but I hope I've helped make the decision

 

clearer and easier for you on which product to go for.

Please note: All prices correct at time of publication.