Skylights in a porch - yay or nay?
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Anonymous
| We’re building a new screened in porch. It’s 19*16 feet and is east facing. It’s adjacent to our living room and will definitely cut out some light. Skylights cost around $3 k per set. Might improve light but no idea how we may clean them. Do you recommend we spend extra for it? |
Anonymous
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Absolutely, yes. Add them.
I have them in my porch which is off both my family room and kitchen. The light from the skylights makes the interior rooms feel connected to the outside. |
Anonymous
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Wish we had them and surprised more row homes with very limited light do not have them.
I feel like 3K is a lot for a skylight but i've never priced them out. Porch install should be a lot easier than roof install? |
Anonymous
| Op here. It is on the roof of the porch. Not sure I get you pp. |
Anonymous
pp here, I just meant the getting on top of a porch and installing should be much easier for the installer than installing on a multi-story roof. I would also think you could use lower quality glass since energy efficiency and minimizing heat loss isn't a concern. |
Anonymous
| Get the skylights. Cleaning really isn’t an issue (for us) bc rain hits them regularly, unless you have overhanging trees directly above. |
Anonymous
| My parents had a skylight in their screen porch when we were growing up. It added a lot of light. |
Anonymous
| We have them on our screened porch and I really like them because we have a lot of trees in our backyard and this let's some light into the back of the house. We have our windows washed each spring and they also clean our skylights. |
Anonymous
| We did them and it was the right call. Haven't tried to clean them yet but they seem fine. |
Anonymous
Not that poster but since it's an addition addon porch, it's not an attic space, so adding in skylights should be quite simple and not $3k. If there is an attic space to be made above the porch, then you could get more expensive skylights that have mirrors or refractor tubes that amplify the light. If they are simply a cut hole with a glass/plastic dome, then it should be much cheaper. |
Anonymous
| For those who installed them, have you lost shade while sitting on your porch due to holes in the porch roof? I get they let light into the house but was wondering if it’s less bearable now that there’s less shade. We sit on our porch and less direct sun is appreciated. Our porch faces south. |
Anonymous
| Mine were already there when I bought the house, but I like them. it depends in installation but my experience is it's bit really direct light as the sun is rarely right over them but it lets extra light in and keeps the interior room brighter. |
Anonymous
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I'll be the voice of dissent and say I wouldn't do them again. I don't think they make much of a difference in the light to the interior room. I never even open the shades on them.
If you do get the skylight, you have to install a shade too. We went low tech with a version that you open and close with a hook. There are remote control versions too, if you prefer that. Without a shade, the skylight is going to heat up the porch and you'll always be moving around to escape the sunlight beaming in. Which is why we keep the shades down. |
Anonymous
Do you have blinds in the glass to angle the sun rays (is that even an option?) or open/ close options only? Getting hidden power to a skylight would be tricky for a remote version. And I cannot imagine a crank is available for a blind. |
Anonymous
| Yes absolutely |