Skylight vs SolaTube (Flower Mound: house, to buy, cost of)

[GRNDHOG]

Looking to add some light to a family room.


Looking at skylights and solar tubes.

We'd prefer the look of skylight but the cost of a tube:-)

What are your thoughts tube vs skylights.

Feel free to PM any GC recommendations too!

Flower Mound area.


Thanks.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by GRNDHOG

Looking to add some light to a family room.


Looking at skylights and solar tubes.

We'd prefer the look of skylight but the cost of a tube:-)

What are your thoughts tube vs skylights.

Feel free to PM any GC recommendations too!

Flower Mound area.


Thanks.

Tubes cost less in part because one installed can cut one in about an hour.

We have two Solartubes in our house and we really like them.

[dhakaia]

We plan to do this soon too (Skylight over master-bath and solar-tube in shared bath). From all the research, here's what I've found:

Solar tubes/ Sun Tunnels:

1. Cost effective ($500-$800 installed)
2. Brings in a good amount of light... but could look artificial/ LED like
4. Less chance of leaks/ shattering, due to reduced surface area

Skylights:

1. Could be expensive (>$2k installed)
2. Much more natural and pleasant to look at
3. Prone to leaks or shattering due to hail

check out whyskylights.com for good explanation and local installers.

[GRNDHOG]

Thanks!

That's good info! I'll check out the site.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Tubes cost less in part because one installed can cut one in about an hour.

We have two Solartubes in our house and we really like them.

^^ This.

I have tubes too and am considering adding more of them. They're FANTASTIC.

I know people with skylights and 100% of them either regret having them installed or have considered having them taken out. They all say that the skylights leak. I did a lot of homework on tubes before having them installed 2.5 years ago, and I never heard anyone say that they leaked.

It's also important to get someone who knows what they're doing to install them. Don't cheap out on the labor on this job. They're cutting holes in your roof.

Good luck OP.

[TheOverdog]

I have both, and love both. Think of solartubes not as skylights, but rather as regular lights you don't have to pay for. They do not offer views out your roof, and are much brighter than a skylight.

If you are relatively handy, and are cool with crawling around in your roof, you can install solartubes yourself.

If you are worried about hail from a regular skylight, it's easy to buy ones that are hail & hurricane rated, they aren't any more expensive - they just don't sell them in the DFW area and have to be shipped from out of town.

[GRNDHOG]

Hey BigD, overdog, and EDS...

Do you guys find your tubes look like giant Recessed Can Lights? We're (okay, my wife) trying to avoid that look as it'll be in the family room.

But I think she much prefers there to be light (like you said overdog, they're more like free lights than they are windows to the sky.


Anyone bold enough to show pictures? :-) Bonus points if you can do before/after! I've found the before/afters on the internet are poor representations or digital renderings, if you will.

Thanks!

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by GRNDHOG

Hey BigD, overdog, and EDS...

Do you guys find your tubes look like giant Recessed Can Lights? We're (okay, my wife) trying to avoid that look as it'll be in the family room.

But I think she much prefers there to be light (like you said overdog, they're more like free lights than they are windows to the sky.


Anyone bold enough to show pictures? :-) Bonus points if you can do before/after! I've found the before/afters on the internet are poor representations or digital renderings, if you will.

Thanks!

They sort of look like can lights but mine are not recessed, they're flush with the ceiling.

I don't have a before/after, but I can tell you that prior to having them installed my den was as dark as a cave. Its only source of natural light was a double glass door leading to a covered patio and there was absolutely nowhere in the room where I could have an additional window installed. The only way to get more light in would be to knock down walls or punch holes in the ceiling. I opted for the latter.

And yes, they are not windows to the sky. You don't want to look directly into them. They're pretty awesome when there's a thunderstorm at night and you can see lightning through them.

[TheOverdog]

They don't look like can lights, at least mine don't. They look more like big white plates with a glass center, say something like a circular window on an old timey boat or a standard traditional light fixture.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

They don't look like can lights, at least mine don't. They look more like big white plates with a glass center, say something like a circular window on an old timey boat or a standard traditional light fixture.

That's a better description of what mine look like too, thanks TheOverdog.