Sky Lights - Who's Got Them ??

[reddeerguy2015]

Wifey and I are strongly considering putting in a couple sky lights when we build our house this summer.

What is the general consensus on them??

Our builder doesn't recommend putting them in, as per the usual horror stories.

My question is, are the new ones better than the old style, especially when it comes to leaks and future issues down the road??

We are going with the fixed style, not the ones that open.

Also as mentioned - it will be installed during a new house build, so it's not like we're cutting holes in an existing roof.

Anyone know what kind of warranty is covered with them, or even a reputable installer around Red Deer??

Thanks again!

[Ebrand]

Hate the other issues.

House is ten years old.

I would not want these ones again.

[220swifty]

I've only framed a few (as in 2 or 3) roofs for them in all the framing jobs I've done over the years, and the general consensus is that they are more risk than they are worth. It's not just the unit itself, but the installation and the quality of roofing materials and roofer that shingle around the unit.

If it were me, I'd avoid a skylight. The hail storms we've been getting would add to that decision.

On a side note, who is your builder?

[Grizzly Adams]

Nice to have the light, especially in an inside room, or where a wall window is not an option. The cheap acrylic ones are ****, dull over time, low R value . Hail ? Got one in our house, lasted 20 years, till we had a tornado come through with golf ball sized hail, easy to replace though. Leaks ? Installation is everything. These aren't cheap, but in a league of their own.

http://www.velux.ca/en/consumer/products/roof_windows

Grizz

[jlgsgw]

It's very simple, if it's done properly they won't ever leak, unfortunately a lot of people install them incorrectly and you get the horror stories as mentioned. I've installed and re roofed many of them over the years. Just be careful who you get to do it.

[Twisted Canuck]

Even if done properly, a good hail storm it's smashed, and then hope it gets repaired right. I'd skip them completely.

[reddeerguy2015]

I've only framed a few (as in 2 or 3) roofs for them in all the framing jobs I've done over the years, and the general consensus is that they are more risk than they are worth. It's not just the unit itself, but the installation and the quality of roofing materials and roofer that shingle around the unit.

If it were me, I'd avoid a skylight. The hail storms we've been getting would add to that decision.

On a side note, who is your builder?

True-Line is the builder. I'm on the fence about them - love the idea but would hate to be dealing with leaks in 5 or 10 years.

I guess I was hoping of finding a vendor/installer that would guarantee the product for X amount of years - including any future issues that might come up.

[Sundancefisher]

got my old acrylic ones replaced with triple pane glass.

http://www.skylightconcepts.ca/

Can't complain. However you will lose heat. Also will get dirty if you can't access. Natural light is awesome. Install should be planned with your next roof shingle replacement IMHO. They can be done after...however I like having the ice and water shield seal the thing but good. They are prone to leaking with improper install.

[brslk]

Never. We had our new custom home built 2 years ago and I talked to about 20 builders before we chose one. Every single builder told us to not install sky lights.
They will all leak eventually no matter who makes them or who installs them.

[jlgsgw]

Never. We had our new custom home built 2 years ago and I talked to about 20 builders before we chose one. Every single builder told us to not install sky lights.
They will all leak eventually no matter who makes them or who installs them.
Lol every roof leaks eventually , it's called a re roof, lots of reasons to not have it done but don't tell people that you can't make them water tight because that's false. It's like saying every vehicle will break down eventually , steer clear lol

[jlgsgw]

To the op , if you want more natural light with less risk then add some solar tubes to your roof, easy to install and keep water tight.

[brslk]

To the op , if you want more natural light with less risk then add some solar tubes to your roof, easy to install and keep water tight.

This I agree with.

[Jack Hardin]

We had one installed by a company from Red Deer 30 years ago when we were building our house. No problems, no leaks. When the tornado came through about 3 yrs ago the hail left a chip (similar to a windshield rock chip) on the glass but it did not leak. We had it replaced by insurance as they had to replace some of the siding due to hail damage. Still no problems or leaks.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Some family members have a sky light in their home. The house was nailed hard with large loony sized hail last year, although the shingles took a good beat down the sky light was fine.

[CaberTosser]

I have 3 skylights in my house and all have held up just fine since the 2008 build. I'm pretty sure they're Velux units. One is in the kitchen and one in each main floor bathroom. The pitch of your roof would have an impact on how they contend with hail, as well as the direction they are installed (I notice that most hail in Calgary seems to fall at an angle to the south, so a north mounted skylight might be at greater risk of the old 90 degree hit as opposed to the glancing strikes the south facing one would experience. As for leaks, if it's flashed-in properly there should not be cause for concern, we've had some pretty intense storms since the build and haven't had a drop of water ingress from the skylights.

[reddeerguy2015]

I have 3 skylights in my house and all have held up just fine since the 2008 build. I'm pretty sure they're Velux units. One is in the kitchen and one in each main floor bathroom. The pitch of your roof would have an impact on how they contend with hail, as well as the direction they are installed (I notice that most hail in Calgary seems to fall at an angle to the south, so a north mounted skylight might be at greater risk of the old 90 degree hit as opposed to the glancing strikes the south facing one would experience. As for leaks, if it's flashed-in properly there should not be cause for concern, we've had some pretty intense storms since the build and haven't had a drop of water ingress from the skylights.

Caber, are yours the fixed style window (that don't open) or are they the opening style ??

I've looked at the Velux a fair bit and they seem to be the better ones out there.

Did you have your builder install them, or the supplier??

Thanks again for the feedback.

[antlercarver]

A dormer is another option for natural light.

[Deep]

I have had two "Solar tubes"- for a while now. They work very well in my bungalow, giving lots of light esp. in the short days of winter. Never any issues as their quality is exceptional. Actual silver coated inside aiding in the transfer of all the sunlight that passes through the roof dome.

[CaberTosser]

Caber, are yours the fixed style window (that don't open) or are they the opening style ??

I've looked at the Velux a fair bit and they seem to be the better ones out there.

Did you have your builder install them, or the supplier??

Thanks again for the feedback.

Fixed style and I did them myself so that I could trust that the flashing and water barrier was (over)done properly. Things like that I won't leave to some random yahoo unless I know and trust their workmanship beforehand.

[fishcat78]

As a guy who works for a glass company i've replaced many skylights. There are no issues if done properly but have seen many messes and ****ty installs. Wouldn't want them in my house as the solar tubes are a much better option

[reddeerguy2015]

Fixed style and I did them myself so that I could trust that the flashing and water barrier was (over)done properly. Things like that I won't leave to some random yahoo unless I know and trust their workmanship beforehand.

Oh ok. Did you just use the flashing that came with the Velux windows?? Or did you do anything additional to the (three) levels of flashing they come with ??

In my eyes it seems if a quality skylight is installed properly, there should be very few issues (short of golf ball sized hail, etc)

But then again I'm not an expert.

[CaberTosser]

To be honest I can't recall precisely what I did, but I did have a bunch of Grace waterproofing membrane around so I might have done a little extra on the high side where a bit of snow/ice damming could occur. I think I might have wrapped the raised 'vault' in it also, it's a plastic membrane with a thick tarry/gummy substrate. Like with shingles, start at the low side and everything then layers over that to ensure proper water flow.

[reddeerguy2015]

Perfect thanks for the tips!

[CaberTosser]

The membrane I had left over from shielding my front porch with it, there is basement under the poured & stamped concrete porch so I wanted that to be completely impervious to water ingress. There is a primer that rolls on with a paint roller and the barrier has a peel-away sheet to remove that exposes it's very sticky surface, then you use a roller to press it down for adhesion and to eliminate air pockets. Some caution and planning is in order with how you place the membrane, particularly if working solo. I would set out the piece and then square it up before removing the peel-away layer, then roll it out while removing the peel-away layer and pressing it down with the roller. For small pieces on a roof it wouldn't be difficult, I rolled out 180 sq ft for the porch, just plan on dealing with the sticky factor as it won't come apart easily, particularly if it contacts itself. Some of these things I'd picked up here and there from reading Fine Homebuilding magazine regularly for 24+ years. Those builders in the coastal regions with heavy snow and precipitation sure have their tricks down.

[Newellknik]

When I redid my roof , I removed the old acrylic one , curb was good
Installed a Velux solar powered skylight with a solar powered
Interior blind . Remote control .
Worked fabulous , wife loved it , skylight is in ensuite , let's out
Moisture etc. During the Feb heat season I fired it up , blind worked
Window no ...it's like blue tooth . 5 yr. warranty ...coming to replace
Motor .....this week . Hopefully one time event ....

[Grizzly Adams]

The membrane I had left over from shielding my front porch with it, there is basement under the poured & stamped concrete porch so I wanted that to be completely impervious to water ingress. There is a primer that rolls on with a paint roller and the barrier has a peel-away sheet to remove that exposes it's very sticky surface, then you use a roller to press it down for adhesion and to eliminate air pockets. Some of these things I'd picked up here and there from reading Fine Homebuilding magazine regularly for 24+ years. Those builders in the coastal regions sure have their tricks down.

Mike Holmes would call that Best practices, especially if you use that under shingle membrane on your roof

Grizz

[mich]

No matter how you install them they will cause water problems or leak, the roof seal is just part of the issue. Condensation will occur, the seals will leak, period. Even the best units available are just a delaying action for the inevitable results. This is a design issue that band-aides have not been able to fix long term, any good roofer or envelope specialist can explain the problems

[Grizzly Adams]

No matter how you install them they will cause water problems or leak, the roof seal is just part of the issue. Condensation will occur, the seals will leak, period. Even the best units available are just a delaying action for the inevitable results. This is a design issue that band-aides have not been able to fix long term, any good roofer or envelope specialist can explain the problems

You could just as easily be talking of your basic wall mounted window. No different.

Grizz

[mich]

You could just as easily be talking of your basic wall mounted window. No different.

Grizz

Different design parameters and environmental conditions placed on the skylites. So no

[crosman177]

Velux and Columbia are the two big names- figure out if you want it curb mounted just have it installed properly with flashing kit and labour warranty or roofed to the deck. New power models have solar with rain and snow gaurd and shutters.

Sky tubes are a good option as well- they do have filter shades you can put on.

[dodger]

Velux - Ice and water shield - Proper install = No problems.

I do have a 9/12 pitch roof so it will take a significant size hail to bust through. I also added the solar blind.

Dodger.

[reddeerguy2015]

I think I'm leaning towards having them put in.

Like I said it will be on a new house build - so hopefully it should be done right from the start.

Just wondering if I should have the home builder install them or pay the additional cost and have a velux installer come out and put them in.

[winmag]

Have one in kitchen, no problems so far , every fall i go up and tar any cracks around the base of sky light and the flashing around the wood stove chimney pipe, monthly i clean the cap and run a few brush strokes and good to go , i also check the vents and shingles while i am up there ,just what i except is part of house maintenance .As a after thought it just kills me when people renovate inside and their shingles on the south side are curled bad , always start on the roof and work down a quote from Holmes.

[CaberTosser]

Correction, it was Blueskin membrane that I used, I likely noted Grace membrane because that's the one always quoted in Fine Homebuilding magazine.

http://ca.henry.com/waterproofing/waterproofing-systems/blueskin-wp-200

[reddeerguy2015]

Correction, it was Blueskin membrane that I used, I likely noted Grace membrane because that's the one always quoted in Fine Homebuilding magazine.

http://ca.henry.com/waterproofing/waterproofing-systems/blueskin-wp-200

Would this be applied over or under the flashing ??

[CaberTosser]

Would this be applied over or under the flashing ??

First layer adhered to the roof sheathing and up and over the top edges of the framed riser for the skylight. There was a paint-on primer that I used first, allow that stuff to dry slightly until it's tacky before applying the membrane. I'd just prime where I was about to apply so that I'd not be kneeling or bumping it and getting it on my clothes. I don't see the paint on primer in the Home Depot link but you can see the roll width options.

On the specs & details page there are PDF's of architectural details on how to install the stuff for various applications:

http://ca.henry.com/waterproofing/waterproofing-systems/blueskin-wp-200

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/search.products.html#!q=blueskin

[reddeerguy2015]

Awesome! Very good info Caber.

[MountainTi]

To the op , if you want more natural light with less risk then add some solar tubes to your roof, easy to install and keep water tight.

Yep, also referred to as a sun tunnel. Problem free.

[NCC]

I had one in my last house that leaked. The heat escaping from the light would create an ice dam that would back up water. If doing it again I would position the sky light right at the peak of the roof to minimize the chance of water building up. This also allows you to run the flashing of the sky light right to the roof peak so there is no chance of the water getting under it.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

Bump for a friend to read. :)

[CaberTosser]

Another detail I did with mine: I noticed that the framing for the curbs to mount the skylights were not insulated and would be a source of heat loss (of course the skylights have poor R-value but the framing doesn't have to). I used 3/4" or possibly 1" sheet foam around the inside perimeter of the curb and drywalled over that; this slightly reduced the inside diameter but I figured it was worth doing. The vault/tunnel that extends from the ceiling up to the skylight was spray-foamed in the attic.

[curtis_rak]

Solatube. http://www.lightcosolar.com

Have some really neat accessories for them as well.



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[reddeerguy2015]

I still haven't decided if we are going to have it done or not.

I think it would be an amazing accessory to the house but my gut is telling me it's probably not worth it.

On the fence.