Ranch Roofing offers skylight installations in addition to our many roofing installations and services. In our experience, our clients often consider adding a skylight when installing a new roof or having repairs done to existing roofs. Skylights, including dome skylights or any other type of skylights, can be installed or updated at any time. However, if a skylight installation or dome or other skylight replacement has been on your home wishlist for a while, fulfilling this dream while having roof work done can actually save you money!
Although most residential buildings may not have space for the vast glass dome skylights in historic buildings or commercial designs, homeowners can still enjoy similar skylight benefits with their own dome skylight. In general, skylights increase natural light and beautify spaces of all sizes, but bubble or dome skylights offer some unique advantages over traditional skylights. As you explore skylight options and compile questions to ask your skylight contractor about your upcoming project, understanding the construction, additional benefits, and installation considerations of dome skylights and other skylights can help you achieve your desired skylight experience.
What Are the Materials and Shapes Available with Dome Skylights?
Dome skylights may win the unofficial award for most names that refer to it. For example, these skylights are sometimes called skylight domes, dome rooflights, bubble skylights, bubble dome skylights, or bubble rooflights. They are also sometimes categorized by various terms for their round shape or the material that forms the domes, like acrylic dome skylight, polycarbonate skylight dome, or just plastic skylight dome. Although some consider glass skylights better for clear visibility and durability, glass can require more maintenance. Acrylic and polycarbonate are also durable but are more lightweight, more impact-resistant, and more affordable.
In addition to its many names and material variety, dome skylights take many forms. For example, the skylight itself may be circular or bubble-like. Alternatively, the transparent covering may be domed but fit into a square or rectangular frame. Tandem units or continuous vaults, often found in commercial locations, offer multiple connected skylights or singular longer domed skylights.
What Are 5 Unique Benefits of Dome Skylights?
Skylights enhance the look and feel of any space. They increase available sunlight and, in doing so, can improve energy efficiency. Dome skylights have some additional advantages over more traditional skylights.
- Like solar tube skylights, round skylight domes offer greater privacy than the traditional window-like form because of their curved shape. It is simply harder to see through the rounded shape than the flat pane.
- The rounded shape also helps reduce any potential glare from the incoming light and more evenly distributes softer light throughout a space.
- Plastic skylight domes are lightweight which makes them easier to install. This makes for easier installation and often translates to savings on labor and overall cost!
- Acrylic or polycarbonate dome skylights offer greater resistance to UV radiation and impacts of severe weather.
- However, when Nor’easters and other severe weather events happen, water typically drains better around a rounded skylight. Therefore, pooling water and leak issues are reduced!
What Factors Impact Skylight Installation?
There are both external and internal factors that influence the most helpful or most accessible locations for skylight additions. Here are some questions to help you think about where to put a skylight:
- What rooms lack windows? What rooms would you like to feel more spacious?
- Where could a dome skylight enhance the safety or functionality of a space? Is there a closet or a stairway in which the light is minimal or inconsistent?
- Is there a room, like a bedroom or bathroom, where you’d love the aesthetic enhancement of a dome skylight but still want to maintain your privacy?
- Does a dome skylight or a different skylight style best fit the architecture of your building?
- In considering the layout of your roof, would the size of a bubble skylight work better for the space or be the only feasible option in a particular area?
- Do you have a flat or low-pitched roof that has made you cautious about traditional skylight installation? Skylight domes are even suitable for these circumstances!
- To take advantage of the light, how does the sun move over your house? Which way does your house face?
Now that you are thinking of how dome skylights could benefit almost every room in your house, it’s time to consult the skylight professionals here at Ranch Roofing! Our team can help you realize your skylight vision and facilitate this investment in your property and your happiness. With services available to areas throughout MA, we look forward to collaborating with you on your design and placement considerations. For consultation services, free estimates, professional installations, and quality products, contact Ranch Roofing and tell us about your roofing needs, including skylight installations, today!