Skylights add extra beauty to any commercial building. It is also a good source of free light. But there are also drawbacks. Every cosmetic change to your home has potential disadvantages and skylights are no exception. As professionals who have installed numerous skylights for homeowners, we can tell you that many of the drawbacks come from poor decisions before the skylight is installed.
- Investing in poor quality materials without any warranties
- Without proper consultation choosing the skylight placement
- Doing it yourself
- Hiring an inexperienced person to install a skylight
- And many more
Consult us on 1-780-710-9990 to make your skylight installation and maintenance process smooth. We have 10+ years of experience in installing the skylight over the roof in Edmonton and surrounding areas.
If the installation and maintenance process is followed properly, then there are few limitations homeowners will face.
5 limitation of roof skylights
- Heat Loss
- Heat Gain
- Interior damage
- Limits usable space
- Damage during storms or Treefall.
Heat Loss
Skylights are made from glass, whereas ceilings and walls are made from wood and concrete. During winter months, cold will seep in easily from the glass skylight because glass is less temperature resistant than wood or concrete.
Solution: Use the skylight that has insulation. All hardware inside the skylights should not be connected to the outside hardware. Also, apply a film to the skylight to reduce solar radiation.
Heat Gain
Skylight is made from glass, which is less temperature insulated than concrete or wood. So in the summertime heat will enter through the skylight. Also, the skylight passes the sunlight directly into the room. Sunlight exposure will hike room temperature.
Interior Damage
While access to free natural light is the primary benefit of the skylight, there is also a drawback. Depending on the placement, the skylight can let too much light, contributing to glare and excess UV exposure. This will damage the furniture and carpet, and poorly installed skylights could cause water damage to the home or office interiors.
Limit usable space
When skylights are installed on commercial or residential buildings, they occupy the space on the roof. This space can be used for equipement like air conditioners, generators. For a commercial building, this may lead to the limit of usable space. For residential buildings, they can manage the space in the ground or other parts of the roof where there is no skylight.
Damage during Storms
Even standard roofs are vulnerable to the winds and storms, but skylights are even more vulnerable. Skylight is the weakest part of the roof. Snow loads may lead to trouble during the winter. So, Skylight needs more maintenance than normal roofing usually requires.
Prevention: We recommend our customers purchase laminated glass in case of breakage. This type of glass is covered with a thin film that holds the broken glass in place, instead of shattering and falling into the house.
Skylight contributes to a building’s aesthetic appeal and also reduces the electric lighting requirements, but building owners should consider that skylights also have drawbacks like the cost of roof maintenance, heating, cooling and safety precautions.
We have over 10 years of experience in installing and maintaining skylights. Contact us on 780-710-9990 to install skylights in Edmonton, Beaumont, Leduc, Calmar, Devon, Lamont, Wetaskiwin, Sherwood Park, Ft. Saskatchewan, Bruderheim, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Edson Plamondon.
