Skylights are a great option for anyone wanting to upgrade the way a room feels and looks by sustainably adding natural light to their home.
Skylights became popular decades ago because they were a brand-new concept. The idea of looking at the clouds in your own home was an architectural marvel that caused homeowners around the world to buy skylights. Over time, they became problematic because they would often leak and require costly maintenance.
Today, skylight brands have come a long way in modernizing not only the design of a skylight, but the efficiency with which the skylight is installed, preventing future leaks and costly repairs. Some skylight brands go as far as offering decade-long no-leak warranties on their products.
Reasons to Install Skylights Today
Architectural Upgrade
In the early days of skylights, your options for installing a skylight in your home were often limited to places with high ceilings and large rooms. Today, skylight brands have many sizes and design options making it possible to upgrade just about any area of your home. The inclusion of natural light and fresh air from the ceiling adds depth and space without having to do a major structural renovation. They can turn a dark, stale room into a bright and spacious oasis at a fraction of the cost you would normally spend to expand the room.
Save Money on Your Energy Bill
When skylights were new, they were often poorly planned and installed causing them to wreak havoc on your energy bills with the extra sunlight they brought in. Thanks to better installation methods and new technology, skylights can actually help you save money on heating and cooling costs.
- Built-in shades can help prevent too much heat in warmer weather by automatically opening and closing during the hottest parts of the day.
- Venting skylights can help save money by automatically opening on summer nights to vent the heat of the day out of your home. In fact, venting skylights can help with whole-home airing when opened at the same time as vertical windows. This helps cool air refresh your home without fans or air conditioning.
- South-facing skylights, for example, increase the temperature of a space because they pick up more of the sun’s rays than skylights facing other directions. This can be used to your advantage in the winter by letting the sunshine heat your home, saving you money on your heating costs.
Adds Value to Your Home
Like swimming pools, skylights are seen by some homebuyers as an asset and valuable addition because of the way they brighten your home and save you money. Between varying installation costs – usually based on type, the number of skylights, and location – different housing markets, and homebuyers having differing priorities, it can be hard to put an exact number on a skylight’s ROI.
When installed correctly (within warranty, insurance, and HOA guidelines), skylights won’t depreciate your home. Often, they add value in the eyes of certain homebuyers.
Debunking Myths About Skylights
Skylights Are Bound to Leak
Leaks plagued skylights in the early years, but since then, skylight brands have gotten better at engineering products that are guaranteed not to leak if installed correctly.
Some brands even go as far as offering decade-long no-leak warranties on their skylights, making leaking skylights a thing of the past even on a flat roof.
Too Much Light Can Cause Sun Damage
While it is true that too much sun pouring into your home can cause it to heat up and rugs, carpets, furniture, and other random household items to fade, today’s skylight brands offer many unique accessories such as shades to combat the harsh sun in the summer months.
Installing solar-powered shades allows the blinds to close automatically during the hottest part of the day protecting your home and can save you money by taking advantage of the federal solar tax break.
Skylight shades range in style from blackout to light-filtering, adding a unique design element to the home.
Skylights Are Too Expensive
Skylights are a great option if you are looking to improve the way a room looks without having to spend thousands on structural renovations. Compared to other remodeling projects such as remodeling your bathroom or kitchen, skylights are relatively inexpensive and much less time consuming.
- Average cost to install a skylight: $900 – $2,300
- Average kitchen renovation: $21,000 – $80,000
- Average bathroom renovation: $10,000 – $30,000
