What is one thing that we have an abundance of in Florida?
SUNLIGHT!
Florida’s abundant sunlight makes your home, or your roof to be specific, a perfect candidate for a beautiful skylight; filling your room with crisp natural light, saving you on electrical costs, and adding a gorgeous sense of modern natural charm to your entire home.
Here you can see a gallery of home designs with a skylight:
As beautiful as skylights are, here are some things to do or consider before installing skylights.
Things To Consider Before Installing a Skylight
- Quality.
Because of Florida’s intense weather season, quality is something you can’t skimp on when installing a skylight. In addition to letting in beautiful sunlight, there are also things you want to keep out such as heat, water, sounds, wind, and so on. Explore the qualities of your skylights, including manufacturers who make skylights out of sustainable materials.
- Placement
It’s easy to look up at your ceiling and say “I want a skylight right here”. However, there are a few other important factors to take into consideration. One of the main factors that determine the placement of your skylight is how your roof is built and its rafter placements. Another important thing to consider is where the sunshine is on your roof. And, try to design out where the light will shine onto when it enters your house through the skylight.
1. Sunlight moves
A skylight doesn’t quite act the same way as a light bulb. Throughout the day, the sun moves from East to West. Your skylight’s angle and position should take these things into consideration.
2. Size matters
When it comes to a skylight, the bigger the better. According to several expert interior designers, a common mistake homeowners make is too small of a skylight. The installation of a skylight is the part that will cost you the most money, the actual size of it will add very little to the cost. So if possible, get a big skylight.
3. Timing
Bad weather can make installing a skylight pretty challenging. Ensure to schedule your installation when you predict there will be a few days of good weather. We know, weather in Florida is never very predictable, however, don’t schedule your installation if it looks like it’s going to rain soon.
4. Be careful or rather, call a professional roofer
As professional roofers, we know how dangerous it can be to work on a roof. We suggest that you take extreme precautions when working on your roof. Better yet, we suggest you call a professional roofer to do the job. Not only is it safer for you, but since professional roofers have all the necessary safety tools and training, they can also do the job quickly and perfectly.
5. Ventilation
Skylights need ventilation. Depending on the design of your skylight or its position, we suggest taking into consideration a self-ventilating skylight or a skylight that can open up and let fresh air in.
6. Consider a tubular skylight
If you do not have a ton of space for a skylight, we suggest considering a tubular skylight. Round in build, the top of the skylight will have a round-shaped glass that catches more sunlight while the aluminum sides help optimize the amount of sunlight it lets in through its opening.
Article by:
Robert Shingletop
Senior Editor, No1 Home Roofing
sales@no1homeroofing.wpenginepowered.com