Scott Chouldrey, of rooflight specialist the National Domelight company, considers the options for allowing light into extensions and home renovations.
We all know that being out in the sunshine boosts our mood, so have you considered how to let more sunlight into your next extension project so that your customer can get that special feeling into their home all year round?
Allowing more natural light to enter can dramatically improve an extended living area, making it feel more spacious, inviting, light and airy, even on a grey day.
Skylights and rooflights for extensions are a great way to create more light and maximise space without making major structural changes to the property, helping to improve the living area while adding value.
And there are plenty of different styles and rooflight functions to ensure you find exactly the right product to suit your requirements. So what are the options?
Glass or polycarbonate?
It can be a little intimidating to see the variety of rooflight styles on the market, but first it starts with a choice between a glass or polycarbonate rooflight. If the rooflight can be seen from the outside of the property, or if you’re looking to use it as a centre-piece inside the extension, then a glass rooflight is the best solution.
The ‘ultimate’ in glass rooflight structures is the roof lantern or pyramid rooflight. They let huge amounts of light into a property and their clean, minimalist, yet stunning, design creates a fantastic focal point in an extension.
Function and style
If you’d like to get extra light into a single storey extention where the roof also acts as the floor of a first-floor balcony or terrace, then flat walk-on glass rooflights provide the perfect robust option. Stylish in their simplicity, they sit flush with the existing roof and come with anti-slip safety coatings.
Air or argon-filled?
Things can get more complicated when you start looking at the thermal performance of a glass rooflight. As well as the style and size, glass rooflights come with a range of glazing options that have a U-value rating, which indicates how much the glass reduces heat loss.
For improved heat insulation, most units are double-glazed with the option of triple glazing. This glass can have air in the cavity between the glass panes, or argon, which acts as a more efficient thermal buffer and can save you money in the long term by reducing energy bills.
Polycarbonate options
The alternative to glass is a polycarbonate rooflight. Hardwearing and durable, polycarbonate rooflights are very functional, thermally efficient and cost-effective. They are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes as well as different coatings and ventilation options.
Too much choice?
Although it might initially seem like there is too much choice in rooflights, at the National Domelight Company we have years of experience and have worked on hundreds of extension projects, so we’re able to advise on the best and most cost effective solution for you.
Supporting non-standard requirements
We can help source the most suitable solution for a project, and if the team can’t find the right product then through our bespoke support service a solution can be manufactured to your specification.
It can be tricky if you’ve got a non-standard space, but we can help overcome that challenge. There are also certain building regulations to consider, so it’s a good idea to speak to an expert and make sure that you’ve got the best and most appropriate solution to improve the natural light in the home.
