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Skylights are the best type of makeover you can carry out for your home. They are the least expensive as well as are becoming immensely popular in modern architecture. Skylights are windows installed on the roof. Such windows aid in providing natural sunlight to the house. Sunlight can naturally enter the room, making the room get a daylight tint. According to experts, skylight roofs permit up to five times more brightness in comparison to a conventional windowpane of the same scope. Thus, skylight roofs act as a perfect substitute for artificial lighting.
You can install skylights in any part of the house. Living rooms and kitchen are preferred options. Nevertheless, skylights in bathrooms are also gaining popularity as solar energy can add warmth during the colder seasons of the year. A closed patio, a drawing room can look elegant with a tiny skylight, in comparison with the traditional designs. In kitchens, skylights can have a chimney effect, removing any unwanted moisture and water vapor. These roofs indeed offer a naturally lit milieu. If you are a plant lover, you need not worry about the sunlight they need if you install a skylight roof. It can also save money, as you would not have to invest in artificial lighting for the room.
To get a thorough impact of skylights in your home, it is essential to understand and contemplate the various characteristics of skylights, such as size, design, positioning, style, and many others.
Bigger the Better? Not in Case of Skylights!
Experts state that skylight roofs can brighten up a room that is as big as twenty times the room. Even the smallest skylights have a high ability to transmit light into your house. Some people choose the biggest skylight to have more light and illumination in the room. But this is not how skylights work. Bigger is not always the best when it comes to selecting a skylight. Experts estimate that in a room with windows, the size of the skylight has to be less than five percent of the floor space, whereas if there are no windows installed in the room, the size of the skylight should not be more than fifteen percent of the floor space. Choosing the right size will also vary following the application of these skylights. It will be different for a residential building as well as a commercial structure.
Style ‘em Skylights!
Skylights are available in varying shapes, designs, and colors. The most preferred configuration of a skylight is rectangular. The several types of shapes and colors of skylights determine the beauty and the look of your room. In the earlier days, the most common problem with skylights was condensation. They were susceptible to the building of water vapor during the winter. It would result in droplets, and the whole room would get wet. But with the advancement of technology and innovation, renowned roofing service providers offer skylights with capture channels, causing no complications to the homeowners. Also, high-quality skylights are less prone to condensation issues.
Glass or Plastic? You Choose!
The material of the skylight is one of the crucial yet ignored elements. The type of material you use for the skylight is directly proportional to the efficiency as well as the lifespan of the skylight. The popular materials that you can use are plastic and glass. Plastic is less expensive in comparison to glass skylight but offers fewer benefits. Over some time, the plastic material will tend to fade, discolored, and deteriorate. Glass does not fade and is scratch proof. However, glass skylight roofs can cost you quite more than the plastic counterpart and can shatter at one-go on a huge impact but are more reliable and act as a good return on investment. Most of the commercial buildings prefer glass glazing as it a one-time investment for them. Notorious roofing companies offer eminent roofing services in Utah. Such companies have come up with glass skylights with tempered glass on the outside and constitute laminated glass on the inner side.
Placement of the Skylight
The placement of the skylight in the room is an essential factor. The position and the slope at which the skylight placement contributes substantially to the volume of light and heat received, resulting in natural lighting. Skylights facing the north can provide your room with a consistent stream of cool lighting, whereas those skylights facing east can offer total solar energy during morning time. Skylights facing west are suitable for rooms needing maximum sunlight in the afternoon.
Moreover, if you think there will be more sun and warmth and no cooling, you can always go for a shading device on top of the skylight. To keep the heat at bay, you can even install skylights in the shade of a tree.
The price of the skylights can vary from hundreds to thousands. With additional customization of devices, such as shading products, special gazing, and remote control, the price increase a few hundreds. Nowadays, it is imaginable to darken or lighten the skylights, or even open or close them with the use of remote control. Similarly, you can fit moisture sensors to skylights to close windowpanes automatically during the rainy season.
Before selecting skylights for your home, you have to carry out a little research about the basics of skylights. The wrong types of skylights can lead to environmental issues, resulting in a massive waste of money. An overbearing skylight can elucidate the impression that you are living in a stuffed greenhouse. Also, ask your friends, relatives, and neighbors about their views about the skylight service providers in your town. Moreover, you can ask if they have any references.
Remember that word-of-mouth advertising works best in the construction industry. After that, the next correct thing to do is to book a consultation with professional roofing service providers; they will explain all the pros and cons of installing a skylight home. You can then compare their services and choose the best.