Skylights/Suntubes
During the course of many roof installations, customers will often ask about the feasibility of installing skylights or suntubes to get more light in those dark areas of their house. Of course this is the ideal time for such improvements to avoid additional expense and disruption at a later date.
Although skylights have been around for ages, suntubes have gained an immense popularity where the prime objective is simply more light. Suntubes are a great solution to distribute light through a tube into a living space.
Suntubes have a clear light gathering lens on the roof connected to a highly reflective mylar coated tube that transfers light through the attic and then diffuses the light into the room below. They are available in 10 inch and 14 inch diameters and while not unattractive do have somewhat of an industrial look and are therefore more fitting in smaller areas such as bathrooms, hallways, walk-in closets and more. Designer diffusers (the ceiling fixture) can be obtained for a more custom appearance. Suntubes put out an astounding amount of light for their size and in smaller rooms the 10 inch size is more than adequate. They can usually be installed in a couple hours and compared to standard skylights are very affordable.
Skylights are more appropriate in large rooms such as kitchens, dining rooms and family rooms where a larger more decorative opening in the ceiling is more proportional and appealing in a larger room. In a room with a standard 8 ft. ceiling, the finished hole in the ceiling will typically be much larger than the skylight itself as the walls passing through the attic area, from the skylight to the ceiling, will be flared out for a more natural appearance and to broadcast more light. Building and finishing this “light well” is much more time consuming and expensive than the installation of a suntube. Nevertheless some applications just call for the installation of a standard skylight and skylights always enhance the beauty of a room that needs one.
Whatever your choice we can help you “see the light” with the installation of skylights or suntubes. We have installed hundreds of each and have definite preferences for both.
SOLATUBE® suntubes are an industry leader in their all metal construction and ability to transfer the most light to the living space below. We’ve literally lost count of how many SOLATUBEs® we’ve installed and have never had a problem or a call back on any. These are miles above the quality of the generic type suntubes available at home improvement stores.
VELUX® skylights are known throughout the building industry as the best selling and best performing skylights in the U.S. They offer a wide variety of sizes and styles to fit your application and budget. They come in operable and non-operable styles with a large array of accessories to customize to your individual needs.
