Skylights

By letting natural light stream in, skylights fill rooms with warmth and a feeling of spaciousness. By reducing the need for electric lighting and adding winter warmth, they help trim energy bills. And clear ones give you a window to the starry night sky.

A skylight is like a window in the roof, but its frame is designed and flashed to withstand the rigors of rainfall that a roof receives. As shown here, a skylight's flashing works in concert with the roofing material to usher away rain and snow.

Newer skylights are virtually leak-free, thanks to rugged construction and easy-to-install, integral flashings. They're also equipped with channels that carry away condensation .

Though some frames are solid wood or aluminum, most new skylights are made of a combination of metal, vinyl and wood. The exterior frames tend to be aluminum cladding with a durable finish; the part you see inside is often made of solid wood, plywood or white vinyl.

Some skylights are glazed with acrylic or polycarbonate; others with glass. Plastic ones are lightweight, economical choices often put where a skylight could be easily broken. Because they are molded, they come only in standard sizes and shapes: flat rectangles, bubbles and domes, pyramids, ridge-shaped and dormer models and so forth.

Glass is preferred by many people because it doesn't scratch as readily as plastic does and because it's available in nearly limitless sizes and types. You can get single, double or triple glazing with energy-saving low-E glass or argon-gas-filled panes. For use where the sun may damage carpets and furniture with ultra-violet (UV) rays, you can get bronze-tinted or other UV-blocking glass. Other options for eliminating or reducing the sun when it's not wanted include built-in blinds, horizontal curtains or shades and UV-blocking insect screens.

Cross-section view of glass skylight shows key parts and how the flashing provides continuous drainage down the roof.

MORE ABOUT:
/ Outer shell / / R-values / / Types of doors / / Exterior doors / / Interior doors /
/ Door construction 1 / / Door construction 2 / / Doorknobs & locks / / Locks & security /
/ Mortise locksets / / Window types / / Window parts / /
Skylight shafts /

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