Skylights on your roof!!!

Skylights
A skylight is a glazed window that fits on your roof. It can be flat or domed, fixed or vented. Some vented skylights operated by an electric motor, while others open and close manually.Skylights come in all shapes and sizes and have been installed in homes in all types of climates. Skylights add light and brighten up dark and dreary rooms or hallways and can make your house very cheery and bright. If you are considering installing a skylight, there are a number of factors to take into account. Location is important especially if you are trying maximize the amount of light that comes in, heating or cooling effects in winter, aesthetic impacts, construction changes to your roof and the and overall light improvement in the home.

Roof skylights are not only great to look at; they offer many benefits as well. The value of your home will increase, and your rooms will benefit from the natural light. Your energy bills may even drop as a result. Here are a few design choices to consider if you have a flat roof.

3 Stylish Flat Roof Skylight Designs are

Combination Roof Lines
If you have an area that is partially flat, and partially pitched, a combination skylight can add a unique look. You can find these to use with almost any pitch. They are designed to be placed on both the pitched area as well as the flat roof area. This looks great in entryways and in sunrooms alike.

Pyramid Skylights
If you want a way to add some depth and dimension to your flat roof, consider a skylight with a pyramid design. These are more difficult to install since they will require a new framing system around the sky lighted area. The extra effort is well worth the look you will achieve.


Tinted or Stained Glass
For an extraordinary looks consider using tinted or stained glass. A flat roof will accommodate the colored glass well since there isn't any pitch involved. You won't have to worry about the pitch taking away from the beauty of the glass itself.

Skylights on your roof not only save energy bills, they are beautiful too. People are opting skylights in their new homes or renovations. Installing skylights in your home is a relatively easy way to add warmth and value to a home. If you're building a brand new home, it's easy to include them in your initial plans. If you plan to add them to an existing home it will be well worth the effort and the investment. One of the biggest advantages to installing skylights in your home: they can transform an average, ordinary home into an extraordinarily-livable space. Skylights bring life by bringing light into your house. This natural light not only allows you to use darker areas in your house, they make them appear larger. These also save your electricity bills.

Skylights can be cracked or even broken by heavy impact from falling branches, windblown debris, or other accidents. If this is the case, repairs should be conducted by a professional, as skylights can be a hazardous and grueling process to try and repair or install without the required experience and tools. If you have a moving skylight, whether or not it is mechanically raised and lowered, the gears that move the skylight can jam.

Many skylights appear to be leaking in winter or rainy season. During the winter on very cold days, frost may form on the inside of the glass. This can be caused by high humidity in the home and cold weather. As the sun warms the roof during the day and in particular the frost on the skylight window, the frost will thaw and run down the sides of the walls inside the well of the skylight. Over time this can cause discoloration and even damage to the walls and even the floor below if there is very high humidity in the home. A simple solution is to control the humidity level in the home.

A more serious concern is the buildup of ice on the roof also known as “ice dams”. An ice dams can be formed on a roof below a skylight when snow builds up, on or around the skylight. Since the skylight has a lower insulation factor that the surrounding roof, snow on the skylight can be melted from the heat transfer through the glass and the sun. As the snow melts, the water will begin to flow down the skylight onto the colder roof, at which point it freezes due to the colder temperature of the roof. If sufficient ice builds up, and ice dam has formed and prevents the dissipation of the water causing it to seek other paths as it follows gravity. Water can back up under shingles and into the attic causing a great deal of unseen damage in the attic before it is finally exposed in the lived in portion of the home. If a spring thaw occurs, the homeowner can experience significant leakage into the home caused by the ice dam and the subsequent damage. The solution can be relatively simple. Constant vigilance and removal of any snow build up on or just below the skylight will usually prevent ice dams and the subsequent leakage. Homeowners who do not want to get up on a slippery roof can purchase a “roof rake” attached to a long flexible pole and rake the snow off the roof while remaining at ground level. A few minutes work may eliminate significant damage and inconvenience from a serious roof leak.