MY SKYLIGHT GUIDE
What is a skylight?
A skylight is a window on your roof that allows natural daylight to be brought in vertically, down through your attic and into the interior of your home. When properly selected and installed, a skylight can let in up to 3 times the amount of light compared to a traditional vertical window. That’s good news for any dim lit rooms or “dark spots” in your home!
Glass Skylights
Special energy efficient glass encased in an extruded aluminum frame. Glass skylights are popular in homes because you can look up and see the sky. They let in an abundance of sunshine and can make any room feel more spacious and inviting.
Dome Skylights
An acrylic plastic lens encased in an extruded aluminum frame. Dome skylights are not as insulating as a glass skylight and are best designed for spaces where energy efficiency is less of a concern.
Solar Tubes /
Sun Tunnels
Narrow metal tube structures that reflect sunlight from a small opening in the roof, down through your attic and into your living space. These are great alternatives for smaller rooms like a dim hallway or utility closet.
Replacing old dome skylights with new modern glass skylights by Velux is very popular with home owners across the Inland Empire, from Rancho Cucamonga to Palm Springs. Today’s modern skylights come in many different shapes, sizes, and options, each constructed with different materials, specifically engineered and designed to match the unique requirements of your home. There are 3 basic types of skylights;
SKYLIGHT MODELS
Curb Mounted Skylights
A curb mounted skylight sits atop of the curb just like a box top of a lid. A curb is a fabricated wood framing system usually made of 2x6 studs and is mounted straight to the roof deck and then sealed water-tight with 3 layers of weatherproofing; paper, underlayment, and flashing.
Deck Mounted Skylight
A deck mounted skylight is a low profile skylight that is mounted directly to the roof deck sealed water-tight with paper, underlayment, and step flashing. These are good options if you want a certain design and can see your skylights from the street, but they do typically cost extra and are more difficult to replace.
Fixed / Venting Skylights
A skylight can be either fixed (non-operable) or venting. Venting skylights open and close to the outside and are designed to help circulate air. Manual Venting Skylights are operated by a manual operating rod and Electric Venting Skylights are actuated by a hand-held remote and powered via solar panel mounted to exterior base of the skylight. It also has a built in rain sensor that automatically closes the skylight if left open while raining.
SKYLIGHT SIZES
How do you measure a skylight? What size is my skylight?
If your replacing out a leaking skylight, we will take measurements of the existing skylight on our initial consultation. The proper way to measure an existing skylight is to take measurements from the outside of the existing curb. This includes any flashing or roofing material that has been applied to the surface of the curb. The measurements are always listed as width (horizontally across the roof) x height (vertically up the roof).
Standard Skylight Sizes
Skylights can come in all shapes and sizes, but standard sized skylights typically are either available in stock or carry a 7-10 day lead time. Standard sized skylight sizes:
2' x 2' 2' x 3' 2' 6" x 2' 6"
2'6" x 4' 4' x 4' 4' x 8'
Custom Sizes & Large Custom Skylights
Many older skylights were custom made and therefor do not fall into a standard size threshold. The good news is we can have any skylight made custom to match the dimensions of your existing skylight! The lead time for a non-standard sized skylight is typically somewhere between 2-4 weeks, but can go up to 8 weeks for some special custom-designed skylights. Inland Empire Skylights provides large custom skylights, like hip ridge skylights, lean-to's, pyramids, and large flat glass skylights to homes all across the Inland Empire. Check out the latest custom skylights installed by IE Skylights on our Instagram Page.
Common Skylight Issues
With year after year of exposure to the elements, skylights often develop problems;
Water leaks to the interior of your home – This could happen for a number of issues; a crack in your glass or plastic dome, the skylight sealant could be deteriorating, or a leak at the roof level around the curb of your skylight.
Airflow – dust and debris getting into your home – This issue can arise if the gasketing system has deteriorated or the skylight was improperly installed.
Skylight not operating properly – If you have a venting skylight or a skylight with blinds and the motor, operator or chain has become faulty and is not operating properly.
Skylight Benefits
A skylight is a great way to bring natural day light into your home while maximizing your homes energy efficiency. There are 3 main benefits for having a skylight in your home;
Improved Aesthetics - Skylights transform living spaces by letting in natural daylight and make your room appear more spacious—a great way to boost the value of your home!
Natural Light – Did you know that natural daylight helps fight off S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder. Sunlight also boosts your bodies immune system and helps you get a goodnight’s sleep!
Improved Energy Efficiency – Skylights reduce the need for artificial light thus reducing your electrical costs and today’s modern skylights are comprised of modern glass with excellent thermal barrier properties including U.V. protection!
Skylight Resources
Velux USA – www.veluxusa.com – Velux manufactures the top skylight brand in the world. They offer a full line of skylights and skylight accessories.
Lane-Aire – www.lane-aire.com – Lane Aire produces great flat glass and dome skylights as well as custom skylights such as round or pyramid shaped.
Energy Star – www.energystar.gov – Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. They help assist everyone in saving money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.