Sitting Areas by Windows: Balancing Comfort and Airiness

When building or modifying your home, you should consider installing a skylight in your structure. This type of feature is ideal for improving lighting in your interior space. In simple terms, you will lower the lighting expenses in your house and enjoy the ambience provided by natural sunlight. Moreover, an operable skylight can be used for ventilation, and it can complement the work of the HVAC system. If you decide to go through with this project, it is critical for you to choose the right material for the skylight. This will determine the resilience, durability and general performance of the feature after installation. Here are your primary material options to consider for your new residential skylight.

Glass

If you are interested in a flat skylight, glass might be your ideal material for the feature. This is the optimal choice because the material has a clean, contemporary appearance that is perfect for modern homes. Moreover, glass is highly efficient in allowing light into the interior space. When purchasing the glass skylight, you can choose between toughened and laminated glass. Laminated glass is constructed with a plastic layer which bonds sheets of glass. This prevents the window from falling apart in case of breakage. Toughened glass is considerably hard to damage, and when it breaks, the material breaks into harmless pieces. You should also ensure that your skylight is treated to prevent flow of UV radiation and heat gain.

Acrylic

Acrylic material is a perfect alternative for glass, so you should choose this if you are apprehensive about the glass choice. Basically, these sheets are manufactured from a special plastic and are marketed under an assortment of brand names. The main advantage of acrylic is the resistant to breakage on impact or due to eventual stress. This property contributes to the durability and resilience of the skylight. Moreover, acrylic can be shaped into any desired shape to suit your design preferences. For example, most dome skylights in buildings are manufactured from acrylic.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate skylights are strong and tougher than the alternatives. Therefore, these are suitable if you expect significant disturbance on the roof, for example, from small wild animals. This property can be attributed to the addition of carbonate elements into the structure of the polymer. You can get good polycarbonate glazing sheets with great optical transparency. However, the plastic grades can vary significantly, so it is important to request for a sample before purchase. Unfortunately, polycarbonate skylights will be more expensive than the glass and acrylic options.