Pick the prime skylight spot to bring sunshine to your home.
A correctly placed sunlight will add a great layer of ambiance to your homeA skylight gives any home a luxurious touch, and these fixtures don’t have to be complex or fancy to serve the purpose of letting in light. When you know how to pick the best position for a skylight installation, you can maximize illumination and enjoy natural brightness any time of year.
The Best Spots for Skylight Placement
The basic answer to the question of where to put a skylight is wherever your home receives the most direct sun, but there are other things to consider. For example, it follows that the more light you get, the more heat comes with it. Installing a south-facing skylight brings in a lot of ambient heat in the winter, but you might regret it come summer when the temperature outside is making your house unbearable. By contrast, a north-facing light will keep you cool during the summer but isn’t very good for warming things up in winter. East- and west-facing skylights bring in light in the morning or the evening, respectively. Both provide warmth along with illumination for part of the day.
You can control the way the light diffuses by placing your skylight in particular areas in the ceiling. A traditional central shaft provides even lighting throughout the room. Positioning the shaft on a section of sloping roof directs light toward the nearest wall and bounces it back into the room to amplify its effects.
Other Design Considerations
- You can ensure maximum brightness from your skylight by taking advantage of other design elements:
- Paint the shaft a light color that reflects the sun or choose a model that comes with a reflective coating
- Size the shaft according to how many other windows are in the room for balanced lighting
- Choose a location that directs the light where you most want it to go
Skylight shape doesn’t have much effect on illumination, but it does impact the look of the room. Round and oval have a soft appearance while traditional square and non-traditional triangles and diamonds add an angular design.
Now that you know where you want to put your skylight and the types of designs that are available for it, are you ready to tackle the job of installation? Let the pros at Interstate Roofing take care of it for you. Contact us for a free quote or give us a call at 503-684-5611. There’s a lot of measuring, cutting and placement work involved in getting a skylight to look just right, and you can rely on our professional staff to work out all the details.