Naturally-lit rooms tend to be far more attractive than those even brighter with artificial light installed. For some reason, people are naturally drawn to light that comes through without additional enhancement, especially if they are expected to spend a good amount of time in that location, such as the kitchen for example. There is a well-documented relationship between people’s psychology and exposure to sunlight, and the more of it on a regular, daily basis has a profound effect on personalities as well. No surprise then, homes that have natural light provided, especially from above versus side windows, tend to be popular. And, even without a design providing above light, it can still be installed with a skylight put in after the fact.

Why Not More Lighting?

Think of a skylight as another window except this one points upward instead of to the sides such as the street or the backyard. A skylight allows a direct penetration of the light provided by the sun right into the home. Ancient homes in Rome, for example, enjoyed this feature tremendously with the design of the atrium, allowing an owner a personal patch of their own sky exposure without the crowd and fuss of the city outside their home walls. Not only does the skylight increase natural lighting in the room it allows light to penetrate to, that lighting lasts as long as the day is clear and even provides light on cloudy days too.

Multiple Benefits Over Time

Aside from the increase in lighting for the room a skylight is installed, there are other advantages to consider as well:

• The electricity bill for the modified room will go down. This can be a big cost change for a heavily used room like a kitchen or family dining area, for example.
• Do skylights add value to a home? Yes. When two similar homes are compared, the one with the skylight usually wins the sale.
• Skylights can be particularly useful for bathrooms or hallways where strong lighting is usually not used all day long.
• Unlike what is often assumed, skylights come in a lot of different shapes versus just a standard rectangle box.
• They have a proven track record of increasing people’s moods and psychological well-being when more natural light is allowed to penetrate into a home where people are located on a regular basis.
• They allow sunlight into a home while being designed to block out the harmful UV rays that cause color damage over time.

Wondering how to choose a skylight? The best place to start is to do a bit of research online about what possibilities exist, styles, shapes and options. Then consider the kind of weather and climate for your particular location. This helps narrow down some options that really make sense for the type of home you have as well as where you want the skylight to be installed in your home.

Can I Put a Skylight in My House?

In the high majority of cases, the installation of a skylight should be performed by an experienced roofing contractor. This is important for a number of reasons, most notably making sure the job is not done poorly and turns into a big problem when bad weather arrives. A poorly-installed skylight will oftentimes compromise the roof, letting moisture in and creating water damage when it rains. The industry standard is to make sure the window seal is water-tight when complete, but folks who don’t do this kind of work on a regular basis can miss a step, and that will be found out the hard way later on.

Self-kits on the market also aren’t necessarily constructed with the right glass. Some cut corners and can seem attractive with lower pricing, but without special impact glass and double-paning, they can end up costing a homeowner a lot of money with failure and heat loss.

A skylight will require some maintenance and upkeep. It is not as durable as a roof, and the beating it will take from the elements will wear over time. External caulking and sealing have to be replaced and repaired periodically to keep the skylight functioning properly. Finally, there are various building codes that have to be met. Failure to do so could cause a problem and even a costly replacement if the home is to be sold. A code violation will block a sale almost automatically. Again, these are all good reasons to be working with a professional roofer versus trying to do it alone, making the skylight installation cost worth paying versus trying to attempt a local hardware store job on one’s own.

Skylight installers like Energy Kingston Exteriors are key to putting in skylights in already-build homes and make sure the job is done right the first time. With access to a wide inventory of skylight choices as well as the expertise to handle the installation correctly, professional help makes a huge difference in achieving a new home change successfully. A skylight can literally change your home for the better, so definitely consider the option with the best tools and resources available. Please contact us at Energy Kingston Exteriors for more information!