Skylight and Rooflight Guides

Skylights and rooflights in general

• Where to Put a Skylight: Start From the Spot You Use12 min readHow to decide where to put a skylight, by standing on the spot you use and working back up through the ceiling and roof.
• Skylight and Rooflight Planning Rules in Derby10 min readWhether a skylight or rooflight in Derby needs planning permission, the permitted development conditions, and when to ask the council first.

Roof lanterns

• Sizing a Roof Lantern for the Room Below10 min readHow to size a roof lantern against the opening, the upstand, the ceiling and the place in the room it has to light.
• Roof Lantern Glazing: Solar Control, Self-Cleaning and Tints9 min readSolar control, self-cleaning, tinted and laminated glass for a roof lantern, and how to choose between them for your room.

Flat roof rooflights

• Kerbs and Upstands for Flat Rooflights10 min readWhat a kerb or upstand does under a flat rooflight, what it is made of, and why it decides whether the roof stays dry.
• Rooflights for Single-Storey Extensions10 min readHow to choose and place rooflights for a single-storey extension: the spots that need daylight, the unit types and the rules.

Roof windows

• Centre-Pivot or Top-Hung Roof Windows11 min readHow centre-pivot and top-hung roof windows differ in use, headroom, cleaning and fit, and which suits the spot under them.
• Roof Windows for Loft Conversions11 min readWhat to know about fitting roof windows in a loft conversion: head height, escape, pitch, light and ventilation.

VELUX windows

• VELUX Size Codes Explained10 min readHow to read a VELUX size code such as MK04, find it on your window and use it when you want a like-for-like swap.
• Replacing an Old VELUX Window9 min readWhat replacing an old VELUX roof window involves, from spotting the signs to the fitting day, flashing, glass and the rules.

Electric opening rooflights

• Rain Sensors and Controls on Electric Rooflights10 min readHow a rain sensor shuts an electric rooflight, where it sits, and what other controls an opening skylight can have.
• Using an Opening Rooflight to Ventilate a Room10 min readHow an opening skylight clears heat, steam and stale air from a room, and how to place one so it really works.

Energy efficient rooflights

• Rooflight U-Values Explained in Plain Terms11 min readWhat a rooflight U-value measures, which limit applies to your unit, and how to read the figure on a quote.
• Double or Triple Glazed Rooflights9 min readDouble or triple glazing for a rooflight, weighed by heat loss, weight, daylight and the spot you want lit.

Misted rooflights

• New Glass or a Whole New Rooflight?10 min readHow to tell whether a misted rooflight needs only a new sealed glass unit or a whole new rooflight, frame and all.
• Replacing a Cracked or Yellowed Polycarbonate Dome9 min readWhy polycarbonate rooflight domes crack and turn yellow, and how a worn dome is replaced on the kerb it sits on.

Walk-on rooflights

• Walk-On Rooflight Glass and Load Ratings10 min readHow walk-on rooflight glass is built, what its load rating means, and how we match both to the way you use the floor.
• Walk-On Rooflights for Roof Terraces and Balconies10 min readPlanning a walk on rooflight roof terrace or balcony in Derby, from the room below to the table above.

Conservation rooflights

• Conservation Rooflights in Listed Buildings11 min readWhat a listed roof asks of a new rooflight: consent first, the rear slope, slim steel-look frames and a careful opening.
• Derby Conservation Areas and Rooflights9 min readHow a conservation area changes the rooflight question in Derby, and how to find out what applies to your street.

Sun tunnels

• Rigid or Flexible Sun Tunnels11 min readRigid and flexible sun tunnel tubes carry daylight differently. Here is how to choose between them for the run above your ceiling.
• Sun Tunnels for Hallways, Landings and Bathrooms9 min readA room-by-room look at where a sun tunnel brings daylight to hallways, landings, stairwells and bathrooms with no outside wall.