Installing skylights into a home?

[mackmama]

We are looking at a home that is a little dark in the FR. We are thinking that it'd be great to install 1-2 skylights and are wondering what would be entailed. Has anyone had skylights installed in their home? How much does it cost to install a skylight?

[PunkyBoo]

We had several solartubes put into our house before we moved in. Best money we spent by far. We have one in the dark hall down to the bedrooms, two in the kitchen, one in the laundry room, and one in our master shower. They look like recessed light fixtures and all have light kits in them so we can turn them on at night, but I love NEVER having to turn on lights in the daytime. The one in our shower has a light and a vent fan. I like that we get all the natural light but don't have to worry about keeping the glass clean like on regular skylights. I don't remember how much they cost but it was inexpensive enough to put in so many. I have no regrets about them and visitors always comment on how bright and sunny our house is.

[brittone2]

We had several solartubes put into our house before we moved in. Best money we spent by far. We have one in the dark hall down to the bedrooms, two in the kitchen, one in the laundry room, and one in our master shower. They look like recessed light fixtures and all have light kits in them so we can turn them on at night, but I love NEVER having to turn on lights in the daytime. The one in our shower has a light and a vent fan. I like that we get all the natural light but don't have to worry about keeping the glass clean like on regular skylights. I don't remember how much they cost but it was inexpensive enough to put in so many. I have no regrets about them and visitors always comment on how bright and sunny our house is.
I was going to suggest those too. I have considered them in a few north facing rooms in our house.

[mypa]

We installed a solar tube as well in a no window bathroom and it is so nice to have so much natural light in such a dark space. I was concerned that the light would look fake, but that has not been the case. It is very naturally looking and really bright. We bought ours at Costco about 2 years ago and our handyman installed it.

[mackmama]

Great feedback - thanks!

[hellokitty]

We have solar tubes too. We had them installed when we had our roof done 8 yrs ago. The only thing to consider is that while the two in the upstairs hallway work great, the one in our mudroom is kind of lame. We did not want the solar tube to show out of the front of the house, so we asked them to put it on the roof toward the back of the house. Well, that part NEVER gets any direct sunlight, b/c it is a little bit recessed in btwn the house roof and the garage roof. So, it gives off very little light. Lesson learned. We have been very happy though, the roofers had no trouble installing them and we haven't had any issues. My mil has tradition skylights and they suck. They leak and the glass has gotten all cloudy. If we ever build, I'm definitely doing solar tubes again.

[squimp]

We had a skylight installed as part of a bathroom remodel, where we took out the mildewed window by the shower and put in a skylight instead. It was so nice and cost about $500 but that was about 8 years ago.

[zukeypur]

Solar tubes are on my looooong list of things to add to the house if we decide to stay. It hold be a HUGE quality of life improvement.

[gatorsmom]

We have had both solartubes and skylights put in this house. The sola tubes add a lot of natural light but I would not put them in a family room. The reason I say this us because I don't find them particularly attractive. You can't see the sky because the tubes are so narrow while a skylight is more like a window. I could be wrong in this- the solar tubes we have are very narrow. It's possible they come in different sizes.

We put a solar tube in my laundry room and walk-in closet for some natural light. We put double-wide sky lights in our 4 seasons porch for light and the feeling that the ceiling opens to the sky. We are aware of the fact that skylights have a bad reputation for leaking. We really wanted them anyway.

[mackmama]

Thanks everyone. SolarTubes sound perfect for our needs. They'd be installed in a cathedral ceiling, so it's okay if they're not super attractive since they'll be up a ways. Now to find out where to buy them and who would install them for us.

[happymomma]

I would love to know who does this kind of work. I called one company that does Sola tubes and it was expensive. It was $750 for a 10" solar tube and they said that they couldn't come out to do the work unless it was over $1500. I just really want one solar tube in our dark hallway. It would be perfect but the price seems steep.

[essnce629]

Great info everyone! I totally want some solar tubes now for my house. I need one in the boys' bathroom, laundry room, hallway, and master closet (all which have no windows or natural light). I just looked on Pinterest and there's lots of pics of solar tubes!

If anyone knows exact costs, I'd love to hear it!

[hellokitty]

I would love to know who does this kind of work. I called one company that does Sola tubes and it was expensive. It was $750 for a 10" solar tube and they said that they couldn't come out to do the work unless it was over $1500. I just really want one solar tube in our dark hallway. It would be perfect but the price seems steep.

Did you call any roofers? We had ours installed (the outside part, dh crawled up into the attic space and did the interior part himself, he said it was easy) by the roofers when we had a new roof put in. DH is afraid of heights and I am afraid he will fall off the roof, or otherwise, he doesn't think it is that hard to install on your own.

[squimp]

I also think the solar tubes are unattractive and would not like them in a living room. They are not very big - I think they would be perfect for a bathroom, hall or smaller room though.

[Reader]

DH just installed a solar tube in an existing hole in the roof (used to be a chimney) in one of the kids bedrooms w/a regular ceiling. It took him a few hours. I'd look on angle's list or yelp for a handyman (or word of mouth) for someone to install. We have cathedral ceilings in places and have a regular window skylight installed in part of it. I don't love the look of the skylight in the cathedral ceiling and would rather not have it, but there's not much we can do about it now (previous owner put it in).

[mackmama]

DH just installed a solar tube in an existing hole in the roof (used to be a chimney) in one of the kids bedrooms w/a regular ceiling. It took him a few hours. I'd look on angle's list or yelp for a handyman (or word of mouth) for someone to install. We have cathedral ceilings in places and have a regular window skylight installed in part of it. I don't love the look of the skylight in the cathedral ceiling and would rather not have it, but there's not much we can do about it now (previous owner put it in).

Just curious- how do you think 1-2 solar tubes would look/work with your cathedral ceilings instead of your skylight?

[Reader]

Just curious- how do you think 1-2 solar tubes would look/work with your cathedral ceilings instead of your skylight?

I think they'd be ok with cathedral ceilings made of drywall, but ours are made of wood (painted white), and I don't think I personally would like it. It would probably look fine, though.

[mackmama]

I think they'd be ok with cathedral ceilings made of drywall, but ours are made of wood (painted white), and I don't think I personally would like it. It would probably look fine, though.

Ours are white painted wood, too. Do you mean you don't think they'd work well - or that you wouldn't like how they look?