Whether you’re building a brand new house or renovating your beloved old family nest, you’re likely to face many different challenges. Choosing and installing flat roof windows is just one of them. It may be hard to determine whether you should proceed with this idea or just give up on having a skylight in your house and find another solution.
Fortunately, not everything is as complicated as it seems, and sometimes all you need is more details that will guide you in the right direction. For instance, while it’s certainly true that a flat roof skylight can be a source of various issues, such as leaks, it also has plenty of advantages.
After all, you simply can’t beat the amount of natural light a skylight can let in, even on a cloudy day. In some houses, it’s also a great way to ensure better indoor air quality. On top of that, a skylight can also help you save money on energy bills.
Below, you will find a list of the benefits and challenges of installing a flat roof skylight.
Benefits of Flat Roof Skylights
Here’s what you could potentially miss out on if you decide not to include a flat roof skylight in the design of your house:
More Natural Light
One of the most important benefits of installing a flat roof skylight is the amount of natural light that will help illuminate even the darkest rooms inside your house. With the right window, you won’t have to worry about sitting in a gloomy space regardless of the weather outside. Exploring a wide range of rooflights can help you find the perfect option to achieve this effect in your home.
Thanks to the extra light entering your room through a skylight, you will feel more energized and have an easier time staying focused when working from home. You won’t feel as sluggish as you used to when relying primarily on artificial lighting.
Better Air Quality
The quality of indoor air is vital for good health and well-being. However, these days, people spend a lot of time inside, whether due to their work, chores, or because they consider themselves homebodies. And while there’s nothing particularly wrong with staying inside, spending hours upon hours in poorly ventilated rooms can put you at risk of developing respiratory issues or even reduce your quality of life.
Indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Luckily, you can fix this issue by installing an openable flat roof skylight that will provide you with an extra source of ventilation. If you start opening for at least 15 minutes each day, soon you should notice a significant improvement. Using the skylight for ventilation will also help prevent mold growth and may reduce the severity of your allergies.
Reduced Energy Consumption
The 2022 cost of living crisis affects many people, and while the term is mainly used in the UK, it can also apply to other countries. The prices of food, energy, and other basic human needs increase faster than average household incomes, meaning that people look for savings wherever they can.
In such a situation, investing in a skylight might seem counteractive, but with the prices starting at £515, it’s possible to find something for every budget. A flat roof skylight provides you with plenty of natural light from dawn to dusk, and you won’t have to turn on lights as early. The rooms in your house will feel brighter and cozier. And most importantly, your investment in the skylight will return with time in the form of lower energy bills.
Drawbacks of Flat Roof Skylights
While it’s not a hundred percent sure that everyone who installs a flat roof skylight in their home will face the same challenges, it’s still important to talk about their possible disadvantages.
Leaks
Saying that every skylight will leak eventually is an exaggeration, but it’s still crucial to mention that some skylights may start leaking at some point. In general, this kind of window should serve you well and with no significant issues for at least 15 to 20 years, which is a considerably long time.
As with any other type of window, seals and flashing in your skylight will deteriorate over time. This will allow water to penetrate your roof, and while you may not notice the issue right away, snow, heavy rain, or hail can speed up the process. In such a situation, replacing the entire skylight and repairing the water damage will be the most reasonable choice.
Excessive Light
In most cases, people who install flat roof skylights in their homes do so because they want to let more natural light in. However, some of them might underestimate the fact that a skylight can let in up to 3 times more light than a vertical window of the same size.
Therefore, the end result of skylight installation may be surprising to some homeowners. To ensure you won’t regret your decision, try to tour properties with skylights similar in size to the one you’re interested in.
For example, you can go to house viewings in your area even if you have no interest in buying them and check out the buildings with skylights to get a firsthand experience. And remember that, should the excessive amount of light ever bother you, most skylights can have blinds installed.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different factors you should consider before installing a skylight in your house.
When talking about the benefits of such a solution, many people mention the amount of money it’s possible to save thanks to a skylight and the improvements in indoor air quality. This kind of flat roof window can also let in lots of natural light and lift up your mood.
However, the amount of natural light that enters a room through a skylight may bother people who aren’t used to brightly lit spaces. After a few years, skylights can also start leaking, which can cause water damage and require replacing the whole window.
In the end, it’s up to you to determine whether the benefits of installing a skylight outweigh its potential disadvantages.
