Should We Change Our Skylights When Our Roof Is Being Re-shingled?

Q:

Should we change our skylights when our roof is being re-shingled?

A:

If you have a shingled roof that is more then 15 years old and your skylights are at least that age then you should probably take the time to replace them.

Skylights don’t last forever and it is more expensive to replace them two or three years after your new roof is installed then to have the roofing company or another company that specializes in skylights to replace them before or during the re-shingling process.

One of the biggest problems with skylights is that when they fail they actually start to leak and allow water to enter your home. The damage can be severe, the drywall around the skylight or the trim and the drywall underneath the skylight all the way to were the roof meets the wall can be damaged by water depending on the slope or lack thereof in your cieling.

Not all roofs leak when people decide to have them replaced, a lot of times the look of the shingles (curling, flaking or shingles starting to crumble) prompt homeowners to have their roofs replaced.

This saves the inside of the home from being water damaged and also allows you to take the time to find the right roofer for your needs instead of the first one that will show up to stop the leaking.

I would recommend that you have the skylights replaced as a precaution to any future problems; the new skylights will probably last at least as long as your new shingled roof or longer as shingles these days seem to last an appealingly short amount of time.

Another problem with waiting to replace your skylights is that the shingles that are replaced directly around the skylight can look like a different colour because they aren’t from the same dye lot that the rest of the shingles on the roof where manufactured from.

For the amount of money it will take to replace I would bite the bullet and have them replaced.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

How to brighten up a dark loft

How to brighten up a dark loft

There are three ways to brighten up a dark loft when you want to do it using natural light; it has to be done with windows.

There are three different ways to install windows in a loft to brighten it up;

Skylights

When you place skylights in the room you allow light into the top of the building envelope, this light filters down from the top of the cathedral ceilings that are prevalent in loft style second floors.

The skylights should be placed facing south if it’s possible, this will maximize the amount of light that can come into the loft.

Skylights should be spaced out in the roof to allow for the proper amount of waterproofing around the skylights.

Enlarge windows in the gable ends

Most loft style windows have there windows in the gable end walls. Usually they are the only windows in the loft. If you were to add more windows in the gable ends or increase the size of the existing windows then more light will be able to filter in.

Depending on the pitch of the roof this will limit your ability to install larger windows. Gable end walls are usually not load bearing walls, this allows you to place larger windows in the gable as they do not have to worry about load bearing points requiring smaller headers.

Roof windows

Velux the skylight manufacturer makes a product called roof windows. They are literally windows that are installed in your roof. They even open like a real window. This gives you light and also ventilation that helps cool down hot lofts.

Dormers

This is the biggest expense and also the most work but it also is the best way to allow more light into the loft. One of the great things about a dormer is that it also adds livable space in a loft and they are a great place to install window seats or reading corners.

Dormers can be built as high as the peak of the roof will allow you too and you can go as wide as the trusses will allow as well.

Whatever you do you can never go wrong adding more windows to a dark loft area.

Rob Abbott