CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Do you need extra light in your Massachusetts home? If so, consider adding a skylight. They add natural light and ventilation and can help reduce your home’s energy bill. You can have skylights installed in any room or space in your home, from the kitchen to a stairwell.
New roofing construction with attic skylights, rain gutter system, roof windows and roof protection from snow board, snow guard exterior. Modern House Construction. Hip and Valley roofing types.
Understanding Your Skylight Options: Fixed, Ventilating, and Tubular
Not all skylights are the same, and each style is suited for specific uses and areas of your home. There are three main categories of VELUX skylights we carry and install:
Fixed Skylights
Fixed skylights are one of the most common types of skylights Massachusetts homeowners choose. This type of skylight is designed to bring in natural light in places such as bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, or stairwells. Fixed skylights lack an opening mechanism and are typically not installed in areas that require additional ventilation.
Venting Skylights
Venting skylights are installed in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or any area where you wish to have fresh air. These areas of the house can experience increased humidity from activities like washing dishes, doing laundry, and taking showers or baths. At Beantown Home Improvements, we install electric venting skylights that operate on older hardwired electrical lines, manual venting that operate with hand cracks or the newer more popular Venting Solar Skylights that use solar power to open and close.
Tubular Skylights or Sun Tunnels
Sometimes referred to as solar tubes or sun tunnels, tubular skylights are an affordable skylight option for dark spaces. They have a small reflective tube that uses special lenses and dome technology to gather sunlight from the roof. The sunlight is then channeled into the room for a soft, diffused natural lighting option. Solar tubes are fixed and are ideal for small spaces like an attic, pantry, hallway, or closet.
Energy Efficiency: How Modern Skylights Can Lower Your Utility Bill
One of the key reasons homeowners choose to have skylights installed is to help lower their energy bills. Skylights add natural light to your home, reducing the need to turn on lights. During Massachusetts winters, the skylights can let in solar rays, helping to warm your home passively, and when it’s hot out, you can open ventilated skylights to let trapped hot air out. In addition, ventilated skylights can let out humidity, reducing the need for fans or dehumidifiers running on electricity.
Materials Matter: Glass vs. Plastic Glazing Options
Our VELUX skylights for homes are made with tempered, laminated safety glass with safety glazing. These skylights offer clarity and safety while reducing spotting and outside noise. Beantown Home Improvements can install impact, white laminated, snow load, or tempered glass for your home’s protection.
Some homeowners may choose budget-friendly plastic glazing over their skylights. While less likely to break, unless you have impact glass skylights, plastic glazing tends to crack, fade, or become yellow over time. Once damaged, the plastic glazing allows more solar rays into your home, decreasing the energy efficiency. Consult with our skylight experts to learn more about glazing options.
Smart Placement: Positioning Your Skylights for Maximum Benefit
Location and slope angle can affect the performance of your skylights. Depending on your home’s location, a north-facing skylight usually provides steady but cool illumination, ideal for having light with minimal solar gain during the summer. East-facing positions give you light and heat in the morning, and west-facing locations will warm your home in the afternoon.
South-facing skylights allow for maximum light with the most amount of solar gain. While a south-facing placement is ideal for light and warmth in the winter, they do allow for extra heat in the summer. VELUX skylight shades will give you better solar and heat control.
Skylight Sizes: Finding the Perfect Fit for Every Room
The size of the skylight compared to your room size can also influence how well the skylight will work. If the skylight is too big for the space, it may let in too much solar heat, and if it’s too small, it may not vent properly. The experts at VELUX suggest that the size of the skylight should be about 5% of your floor space if the room already has lots of windows that allow light and heat in. If your space has a minimal amount of windows, the size of the skylight should be about 15% of your floor space.
Skylight shapes are generally rectangular for fixed and ventilated skylights, while tubular skylights are round. They can also come in domed or flat shapes, triangular shapes, or custom shapes. Consult with our skylight experts at Beantown Home Improvements for recommendations on sizes, shapes, and custom orders.
Installation Considerations: What To Expect During the Process
After consulting with our skylight professionals and setting a timeline and budget, expect the installation process to take about two days, depending on the roof slope and pitch, and the placement and amount of skylights we’ll install. Working with our experts will ensure the skylight installation is done correctly without mistakes that could lower the effectiveness of the skylight or cause damage to your home.
Maintenance and Longevity: Keeping Your Skylights in Peak Condition
VELUX skylights have a life expectancy of about 20 years with proper care and maintenance and come with a 10-year no leak warranty. A DIY task a homeowner can do to upkeep their skylights is to periodically clean the surface to remove dirt and debris. In addition, you should have the flashing and seals inspected and replaced to avoid water leakage and damage to your home.
Transform Your Boston Home with Professional Skylight Installation
Skylights come in several styles, sizes, and functions, and the best way to know how to choose skylights for your home is to schedule a consultation with our team of skylight experts at Beantown Home Improvements in Middleboro, Massachusetts. We are the area’s trusted source for high-quality VELUX skylight products with professional installation, repairs, and replacements.
If you’re ready to add natural light and ventilating options to your Southeastern Massachusetts home, give our team a call at 781-293-1417 or contact us for a free consultation.