skylight, practical for Maine home? (fit in, new home, camp)

[boonelsewhere]

I find skylight bring in a lot of natural light in to the house, wonder if it practical for home in Maine with snow on the roof during winter season.

[Acadianlion]

There are ten skylights in this house. These are Velux roof windows, and they range in size from small to very large. The house was designed and built in such a way that in winter, the roof windows would bring in light, but there are trees that were retained around the house and in summer, the sky is partially blocked by leaves.

During heavy snow storms and immediately after, the roof windows are covered with snow, but the snow blows off, or melts faster than the surrounding roof, so they become clear.

Some of these windows open. The windows in the rear of the house, open and have screens, and the two upstairs bedrooms and the bathroom all have roof windows that are the ONLY window in those rooms.

In another property that I built I used Andersen roof windows. Of the two brands, I prefer Velux because they seem to be a bit easier to assemble and install. Not much differece in pricing.

I need to have a lot of light especially in winter, and in designing the new home that we are building this year, we are spending a lot of time thinking about using roof windows again, and they certainly have been everything that I had hoped for when this house was built. I have been here for ten years now and the windows are wonderful.

[kellysmith]

I've got 4 velux windows in my house. Non-operating type, and never had any problem with them. Snow doesn't seem to stay on them very long before they are clear, and I've never shoveled them off.

[McMar]

Great info, Acadianlion and kellysmith. I have been investigating passive solar for my dream house (more like little cabin), and I was concerned about the snow causing leaks. Good to know skylights are feasible.

[Submariner]

I like skylights.

The house that we recently looked at for Starwalker, has a roof problem near a skylight. But it is nor a problem with the skylight. Rather [I think] the problem lies with the roof.

That roof line is the mating of two roofs, they mate forming a 'V' with a gully. The skylight is on one side of the 'V', placed at the bottom of the gully. So it looks like if it formed an ice-dam the backed up water would submerge the skylight.

I do not know how well flashed the roof is, nor it is had any water-proof underlayment.

[contented]

velux skylites work very well and since the advent of ice and water shield there is seldom a leak issue................two things to watch out for in the installation 1. make sure the iws on the sides is put on b4 the mounting brackets are installed. that way, if they sweat condensation, it won't appear below as a leak. 2. i like to run the sheetrock from the sloped ceiling up into the rough opening area and into the nice 1/2" groove velux provides for just that. because most of my jobs involved many of the same size skylites i would build one 1/2 plywood box (4 sides, no bottom or top)just the dimension to fit into all four sides of the velux and ripped the width to accomodate what ever sized rafters were used. then staple saran wrap around the outside edges and install it with some long sheetrock screws. then i would spray non expanding foam into the crevice between the box and the rough opening in the framing (use a spreader for the long skylites so the foam doesn't push). now a couple of things happen. when you remove the box, the area where warm, moist air would slip up into the roof system is sealed off and the face of the foam is in perfect position to install the sheetrock over with out any wood shimming or other wrassling. even if the i&ws doesn't go behind the brackets, this foam will prevent condensation from forming on them.

[AliceT]

My camp has no windows - just fixed skylights. The camp was built in 2005 and for the most part, sits unheated, unattended year round. Last summer, a small leak started at the edge of one of them and I went around the edge with some aquarium caulk. It stopped the leak.

I have no power in my camp currently and they were more than sufficient for letting in plenty of light. Well, a bit too much for my liking and I usually closed all but one of them during the day. Mine are not shaded by trees. I'm going to have to work on that next summer.

I am considering having the same folks build my garage/barn and would have it built with no windows again - just skylights and perhaps one or two venting ones.

I've been told that snow quickly dissipates from glass or plexiglass as previously pointed out by kellysmith. This is essential since I will have solar panels, too.

[futurecruiser]

Originally Posted by boonskyler

I find skylight bring in a lot of natural light in to the house, wonder if it practical for home in Maine with snow on the roof during winter season.

Like other posters said, as long as they are properly installed, (mud and ice shield, caulking etc) they are fine. If the home is heated snow melts off if it doesn't blow off.

[Mainer61]

We have skylights, opening and non-opening. I couldn't stand not having them.

[CapeCodder]

I have three and I love them. No leaks. They all open.

So far so good!