What to Consider When Buying Roof Windows

A properly installed roof window, or skylight as they’re also called, will bring light and air into the darkest and most dismal of loft conversions, kitchens and anywhere else you decide to install a roof window. The key feature of a roof window is it is on the roof, so the room it is going in needs to have the roof above the ceiling or next to a wall.

Room

Only certain rooms are going to be suitable for Velux Roof Windows. They very nature of a roof window means they can’t be installed in a finished basement, unless that basement extents beneath the garden.

Roof windows are ideally suited for loft conversions, where they might be the only source of natural light. While you are in the room, you need to consider the room’s use.

In the rare case of a finished basement stretching under the garden, these tend to have flat roof windows that don’t protrude as that can lead to a tripping hazard.

A kitchen is going to want different roof windows to a bedroom. Some people like to lie in bed and watch snow falling or the stars come out but don’t want to be woken bright and early on a Saturday morning. This is where tinting or blinds come in.

In a kitchen, people want to be able to see what they’re cooking. Clear glass with no tint might be better in the kitchen but the kitchen will experience the same bleaching effect that happens in front of any window. Items like wool-blend carpets need to be considered with roof window placement.

Planning Permission

If installing the roof window in a house, you won’t typically need planning permission, unless it is listed. You will require planning permission for extensions, conversions and basements that stretch into the garden. Be sure to include the roof windows in the application. It is always best practice to check your house’s listing. Some listings are so strict only a certain shade of paint can be used on all windowsills. It is better to check planning permission instead of retroactively applying for it.

Roof

Once the room is decided upon, you need to find out if the roof itself is suitable for a roof window if this is a new roof window and not a replacement.

If it is a replacement roof window, it is much simpler to buy in the same size and shape as the existing roof window. You may discover the old window was cut in a custom size or shape.

If cutting into the roof for the first time, particularly if this is an existing structure, the roof needs to determine if it is suitable for a roof window. The exact location, size or shape may change on what it looked like in your head or blueprints. It is simpler to have a new skylight installed when the roof is being redone.