Skylights are beautiful and they help to increase the amount of natural light in your home without too much effort. However, in addition to the luxurious feeling it brings to your home, having a skylight requires work and comes with some drawbacks. So with that in mind, here are just a few things to keep in mind before you install that complicated-looking but very simple and incredible skylight.
Energy Efficiency. It’s a Thing.
Having a skylight is great, but think about it. If not installed properly and with the right material in the right place, your skylight is going to turn your home into a solar oven. There are energy-efficient skylight options that are certainly worth considering if you’re wanting to avoid getting baked in your own house by a well meaning light source.
Consider speaking to an expert and considering where the best placement and material might be. There are skylights that vent hot air out of the house, and depending on your roof and the area your home is in, this might be a great option. Trust us, it’s definitely worth the extra effort it’ll take to explore the possibilities. And you’ll be thanking your lucky stars you put the time in when Summer starts heating up!
Glass or Plastic?
While glass skylights tend to be more expensive, it can be well worth the money. In a couple of years when a plastic skylight starts becoming discolored and foggy, you might regret not spending more on a glass counterpart.
Most people like the fact that plastic won’t get scratched as easy, however, so it all just depends on what you’re willing to put up with or if you tend to live in an area where one or the other might do better. Climate and weather will, of course, affect the look of your skylight as well as how long it lasts, so you’ll want to keep all of that in mind when deciding between glass or plastic for your new skylight.
Consider Good Times to Have it Installed
Whether you’re putting it in yourself or calling an expert in to do the dirty work, we’d recommend you wait to install it until late Spring or early Fall just due to the fact that you’ll avoid cold winds, rain, snow, hail, etc, if you wait a little while. Summer tends to be a dry season overall and you won’t be dealing with fluttering dry leaves falling into your home off the trees, either. Always a plus!
Flat or Domed? Does it Matter?
Yes! It might not seem like it’d make too much a difference other than the fact that they’ll look a little different. But believe us, you’ll notice as soon as it’s installed. Both have their good sides and bad sides. If you get a domed skylight, they tend to collect spider webs and if you get a flat skylight, they tend to get covered in leaves on the outside.
If you can easily access your skylight or your roof, neither of these issues might affect your decision at all. However, if you can’t, it’s usually easier to get a pole and clean off spider webs than crawling out on a roof. If you have to, always call an expert to do the dangerous ladder and roof work. They have the equipment to handle things safely and though it might seem more expensive than doing it yourself, it’ll definitely be cheaper than medical bills, we assure you.
There are a lot of things you’ll want to keep in mind when it comes to your new skylight. We recommend ALWAYS having an expert install your skylight to avoid injury and make sure it’s installed correctly to ensure no leaks or breaks. Enjoy the sunlight!