How Big of a Skylight Do I Need?
There is no easy answer to this question, as everyone’s needs are different. Our salesmen are trained to understand all potential aspects of a home, and recommend a personalized quote for the best possible skylight and location.
We look at which direction the skylight will face, how large the room is, how reflective the materials are in the room, how deep the shaft will be, the age and requirements of the homeowners, and many other factors, ensuring they always get the best possible solution to their needs.
Skylight Sizing Factors
Some of the more common aspects to consider are:
- Most people, being disappointed with a dark room, over-estimate their skylight causing too much heat loss in the winter and too much heat gain in the summer.
- Many contractors install a standard 2×4 skylight without considering any of the different factors.
- TV or computer rooms require lesser amounts of direct light and more diffuse light to ease stain on the eyes and glare on the screen (Light filtering shades are great for these situations).
- Bedrooms usually require blackout blinds, as the moon can often keep up homeowners during full moons.
- South facing roofs get much more light than north facing roofs (in the northern hemisphere).
- Trees, mountains or other physical objects that might block the sunlight.
- Reflectivity of the room. White and light colored rooms reflective much more light than darkly colored rooms.
- As people age, they need more light to see clearly.
