A skylight allows you to make the most of sunlight from it’s most natural angle, overhead, as well as conserve energy. They are functional as well as beautiful. Some varieties even have an electric light for nighttime hours.

Skylights come in a few common shapes. A flat skylight is probably the most common, consisting of a square or rectangular piece of flat glass or acrylic, which may be fixed or ventilating. A round skylight emerges from the roof as a half-sphere bubble. A polygon skylight peaks up out of the roof with a number of glass or acrylic polygons (more expensive but aesthetically impressive). A pyramid skylight is a simple four-triangle pyramid which juts out of the roof. Finally, a dome skylight is similar to a flat skylight, except that the glass rounds up past the surface of the roof. Some are ventilating and can be opened for air.

A less expensive, easier to install version called a sun tunnel (tubular skylight or sun tube). Sun tubes are smaller and cannot light a room more than 25 feet by 25 feet and do not open. They are geared towards the do-it -yourselfer. Some models use flexible tubing so they can be installed around rafters and so require less cutting. Rigid versions are also available and less expensive. It is also easier to get a weather tight seal. A sun tunnel diffuses sunlight making it less harsh when it bright and brings in more light on a cloudy day. A sun tunnel can be installed on any pitch of roof, but tile roofs require additional equipment. Any skylight requires a hole in the roof, but the fewer the better, especially if you need or want to install it yourself.