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But I was looking at skylights, and got to thinking that literally none of the houseplans that we looked at for a potential new build had skylights. Is there a reason? As in, a functional reason? Or are they just not trendy anymore?
...none of the houseplans that we looked at for a potential new build had skylights. Is there a reason?
As in, a functional reason? Or are they just not trendy anymore?
The 10% of applications where they're objectively warranted (eg low light rooms) have them.
Maybe newer homes are being designed for having better natural light ?
I have a lot of clients who like them when we look at houses, but when we re-roofed our house this summer, we took ours out. They're hot in summer, and suck the heat out in winter.
I understand ours were older and more efficient designs exist, but in the end, it's still an unnecessary hole in the roof, and they're noisy. We get enough rain in Washington... I don't want to hear it, all winter.
As Diana Holbrook said: "Unnecessary hole in the roof."
There are lots of reasons why unnecessary holes in the roof are disadvantages, and as Mr-Rational alluded, only one good reason.
Skylights are much more opportunity for failure: A weak link in the thermal barrier, a weak link in the water barrier, a weak link in the audio barrier, a weak link in the physical impact barrier...and much more expensive than beneficial to overcome any of those issues.
If the room has no window, a skylight becomes a good idea, despite disadvantages of a hole in the roof. But a better designed home won't have windowless rooms.
Skylights were in two houses we used to own, one in CO and one in western WA.
The large CO skylight was in an unheated workshop/side room that also had huge sliding glass doors, an entire wall of windows, and faced SW. It was brutally hot in summer and frigid in winter, not to mention blindingly bright all year round despite being in a forested site. We removed that skylight and temps moderated afterward. We kept the smaller, better-located skylights in the other rooms. At least one of them sometimes leaked after a long period of heavy snows and freeze-thaw cycles.
None of these situations or problems occurred in the gigantic skylights we had in the WA house. They were more modern, installed by a much better tradesman, and placed on a steep sloped roof facing north. I loved those skylights for the ventilation (they could be opened), views, and beautiful light. That north side got light bounced around from both the Strait of Juan de Fuca and from Admiralty Inlet (sea nearby on two sides of the house). Although that room got natural light from windows on the three other sides as well as from the skylights, we would never have wanted to remove them. No way, no matter how out of fashion they got. Not even the gloomiest winter solstice days got dark in there or in the stairwell that wound down from it. Horses for courses.
Now that we are getting a house built in an even sunnier part of CO, skylights are not in our radar at all. Windows on vertical walls will provide enough light. The one exception is the unwindowed laundry room (I wanted a window for it but DH dominated that decision). He had better not complain about no natural light in there!
I really love my skylights! They are newer ones and don't seem to be leaky...but they sure do increase the amount of light coming in. During these Midwest winters they are especially appreciated.
None of these situations or problems occurred in the gigantic skylights we had in the WA house. They were more modern, installed by a much better tradesman, and placed on a steep sloped roof facing north. I loved those skylights for the ventilation (they could be opened), views, and beautiful light. That north side got light bounced around from both the Strait of Juan de Fuca and from Admiralty Inlet (sea nearby on two sides of the house). Although that room got natural light from windows on the three other sides as well as from the skylights, we would never have wanted to remove them. No way, no matter how out of fashion they got. Not even the gloomiest winter solstice days got dark in there or in the stairwell that wound down from it. Horses for courses.
Do you have picture or brand of the WA skylights? How big was it?
I have a lot of clients who like them when we look at houses, but when we re-roofed our house this summer, we took ours out. They're hot in summer, and suck the heat out in winter.
I understand ours were older and more efficient designs exist, but in the end, it's still an unnecessary hole in the roof, and they're noisy. We get enough rain in Washington... I don't want to hear it, all winter.
^^^ Probably this!! ^^^^
So, depends on your climate - they are great or not.
I have tubular, and it's like a oven from hell in Summer. Tint and insulation isn't helping.
Used to have regular skylights in Germany and they were like heaven. Made house so much brighter especially during Fall/Winter "gray" days.
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