Installing a skylight is not an easy task and will benefit greatly from the expertise of a contractor.
Skylights sure do look nice, as they let an ample amount of sunlight into a room and allow you to gaze lovingly at the clouds above. But installing a skylight… that’s a different story. Unless you have some serious roofing skills, skylight contractors will be your best bet at getting a skylight properly installed. In other words, when it comes to cutting a hole through your roof, it’s best to let the experts take charge.
What is it?
Skylight sounds a lot better than roof window, but that’s essentially what it is — a window located on your roof. Therefore, a hole needs to be cut through your roof in order to install a skylight in its place. And that’s just the first step. From there, it depends on what specific model skylight you’ve purchased. That being said, there are two basic types of skylights — curb-mounted skylights and frame in place skylights.
Curb-mounted skylights are generally raised above the plane of the roof, almost in the shape of a dome (some more than others) and will either be glazed with clear acrylic or glass. Frame in place skylights are typically installed on the same plane as the roof, similar to a vertical window, and held in place with steel brackets. Of course, there are also variations on these two types of skylights, an example being ventilating skylights which can open and close to allow for hot air from the house to escape.
Though construction and installation varies by model, skylights will generally need to be nailed or screwed into place. Furthermore, the most important aspect of installing a skylight is ensuring that it is properly sealed so as to prevent any leakage due to weather conditions. This can be successfully accomplished by tactfully slipping roofing paper (heavy, tar-based paper) underneath the shingles on the roof and installing several layers of flashing, which is basically sheet metal (aluminum or galvanized steel) meant to be placed over joints in the roof for maximum waterproofing.
Interweaving shingles with roofing paper and overlapping flashing in and around the base of the skylight can be particularly difficult and should be done by a professional or an extreme roofing enthusiast at the very least. Regardless, a skylight should come with its own detailed directions that need to be followed with extreme precision.
Who needs it?
Alright, let’s be honest, no one ever “needs” to install a skylight in their home. It’s purely an aesthetic luxury. With that in mind, skylights have branched out enough so that different models can cater to many types of people and their specific needs. You have the more high-end skylights, such as the ventilating skylight, as well as skylights with built-in remote controlled shades (for those who feel like having a skylight only on weekends and holidays). Of course, if you’re low on funds, you can purchase the more inexpensive skylights on the market, such as bubble lights or plastic skylights. And last but not least, for you environmentally conscious folks out there, you can purchase skylights that are double or even triple glazed in an effort to be more energy efficient.
