If you are looking for your next home renovation project with a wide variety of benefits for your family, you may want to consider adding a sky window to your home. It lets in more natural light in a space, so you can save on electricity for lighting and heating purposes. More natural light can also help make small areas look roomier. It can also improve the ventilation and enhance the air quality in your house by letting in the fresh air. On top of these, it can increase the value of your property because it enhances your access to a natural view in your home.
In this piece, Dreamspace will walk you through the basics of installing sky windows. We’ll discuss the various types of sky windows, where you can place them, how much it costs, and what designs you can try.
Different types of sky windows
- Ventilating Skylights – skylights that let in the fresh air and improve the circulation in a room.
- Fixed Skylights – skylights that you cannot open.
- Tubular Skylights – skylights that use a rooftop dome to capture sunlight which it passes to a connecting tube and an interior light diffuser that distributes the collected sunlight to interior spaces.
- Tilt Window Skylights – also called roof windows, they are installed low, so you can reach and open them using a ladder.
Where can you add a sky window in your home?
- Kitchen – install it near your cooking area to compliment your exhaust system and let out cooking smells
- Bathroom – installing one in your bathroom can help reduce humidity and reduce the risk of mould and mildew.
- Mudroom – it can help vent out the smell of wet clothes and increase circulation to dry wet clothes faster.
You can install a sky window in almost any room in your house, including common spaces like bedrooms and living spaces. It would probably require some kind of roof renovation for specific parts of the house, so it’s always best to tap an experienced renovator or builder for your project to execute it properly.
5 sky window design ideas to try
Walk-in wardrobe
Walk-in wardrobes are often dark to provide you privacy while you try out your outfit of the day, so they usually have a lot of light bulbs to make them brighter. Installing a sky window is a more sensible option than peppering your walk-in wardrobe with electricity-hogging light fixtures.
You can let in more natural light without compromising your privacy. This is also an excellent way to conserve electricity because you don’t need to turn on your lights when using the walk-in wardrobe during the daytime. What’s even better about this home improvement project is that you can try out your clothes and know exactly how they will look when you’re wearing them outside because you’re trying them out while bathing in natural light.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are notorious for being humid, and installing a sky window is an excellent way of reducing the humidity in your bathroom. By making your bathroom less humid, you can inhibit the growth of mould and mildew that can cause health issues for your family. Reducing humidity can also help improve your mood while using the bathroom because high humidity levels can cause a feeling of lethargy.
Aside from helping you control humidity levels, a skylight can also make your bathroom more relaxing. Install a skylight right above where your bathtub is, and you can have a relaxing warm soak while enjoying the view of the sky above. During the night, you can have a glass of wine while soaking and taking in the view of the stars above.
Kitchen
Your kitchen requires proper ventilation so your entire house doesn’t smell like your last meal, and installing a sky window can help you increase air circulation. Improved air circulation can help keep your kitchen cool even if you have your oven and stove running simultaneously. A roof window is ideal for kitchens since you can open and close it as needed. With the help of a roof window, you can vent out cooking smells, so they don’t get stuck inside your kitchen.
A roof window can also increase the amount of natural light in your kitchen to aid you in cooking without the need to consume electricity. Suppose you have an open design kitchen or a combination kitchen/dining room. In that case, a sky window installation can help make your dining area brighter so your family can eat comfortably without having to turn on your dining room lights.
Hallways
Dark hallways make your home gloomy, and a sky window is a simple way to make it look brighter without installing several light fixtures. What’s great about this home improvement project is a single installation can provide adequate natural light to brighten your hallways.
A skylight installation is also an excellent project if you plan to have a biophilic home because letting in more natural light can help plants grow. With more natural light coming in, you can care for potted indoor plants without having to take them outside frequently to expose them to the sun. You can also save money because you don’t have to purchase and use expensive grow lights that indoor plants require without sunlight.
Living room
Your family spends a lot of time in your living room, making it brighter and critical. Large windows are the most common way of increasing natural light in living rooms. Still, this option is not always available, especially for families living in urban areas where houses are too close to one another. An excellent alternative is the installation of a skylight. It can bring in more light to brighten up your living room.
What’s great about a skylight in your living room is it works well with just about any living room design, so you don’t have to worry about the skylight clashing with your overall house design theme. More natural light can make bright home designs cheerier while highlighting dark tones for subdued home design themes. You can always talk to a designer about your project so you can make sure every design element of the sky window fits perfectly with your living space.
Possible features of sky windows
- Electric Opening Ventilating Skylights – some skylights have machinery allowing you to open and close them using a remote control. This is ideal for skylights on high ceilings and unreachable by ladders.
- Manual Control Rod – this is a feature often found on roof windows. Without electrical machinery, you can use a manual control rod to open and prop up your skylight.
- Insect Screen – having an insect screen can help you keep bugs out of your home when you have your skylight open.
- Solar-Powered Ventilating Skylight – this type of skylight uses solar power stored in a battery to operate the ventilating skylight. This type is ideal for homeowners who live in areas that receive a large amount of sunlight all year round.
- Impact Glazing – impact glazing can help you protect your skylight from the elements. It helps ensure that your skylight can resist the impact of cyclones or hail.
How much is a sky window in Australia
The average cost to install a sky window is around $1,700. However, depending on the type of sky window you want to use, the costs can go as high as $4,500. The expenses will also depend on your location because of different labour costs across the country.
You can take advantage of Dreamspace’s free quote program, where you can get a free-of-charge detailed quote for design and build cost estimations.
Plan your sky window installation with Dreamspace
Home improvement projects require a budget, so we tend to concentrate on projects that yield more benefits without requiring a huge budget. Installing a sky window is one such project. It can help improve the air quality in your home by letting in more fresh air. It can also help you save money because you can have brighter interior spaces without using electrical light fixtures.
If you have an amazing home improvement project in mind, feel free to use Dreamspace. Dreamspace is a project coordination platform that allows you to manage your home project end-to-end (from design to build). When you create your account for free, you can:
- Access thousands of design ideas from our Inspiration Gallery
- Connect with hundreds of designers across the country and build your own team
- Take advantage of our in-built tender service that helps you select the right builder at the right price to make sure everything is on budget
- Find reliable suppliers of materials, furniture pieces, and design elements for your renovation project in our Inspiration Gallery
To get started, sign up here.
