Skylights in a porch - yay or nay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

I love the idea, but this would be my concern. A porch is supposed to be shaded; a place to get out of the sun. Skylights kind of defeat that purpose. And if they don't increase the light inside the house, it's kind of a lose-lose, right?

[Anonymous]

We opted to have high ceiling on the porch rather than skylights. This allows a fair amount of light into the house. Agree with others what skylights will heat up the porch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This completely depends on the direction your porch faces. Ours faces north, and never gets too hot.

OP, we get our skylights cleaned when we hire out window cleaning, typically twice a year. The same company power washes our patio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

This completely depends on the direction your porch faces. Ours faces north, and never gets too hot.

OP, we get our skylights cleaned when we hire out window cleaning, typically twice a year. The same company power washes our patio.

If your porch faces north then light really won’t throw into your space. No direct sun with light filtering through a skylight and exterior window, there’s not much benefit.

[Anonymous]

Only if you like dealing with leaks in 5 years. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Our porch was built in 2008. The skylights have been problem-free.