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Choosing the Right Roof Windows For Your Home

Choosing the Right Roof Windows For Your Home

Roof windows, or skylights as they're also known, can offer the perfect solution to bring new light into your home.

Whether installed into your converted loft or into the roof of your new extension, a roof window will provide you with greater levels of natural light, brightening up your interior without having to resort to overusing lamps and other forms of artificial lighting. Thereby not only improving the overall aesthetic feel of your home but helping reduce energy costs and making for a more environmentally friendly property.

Wherever you are looking to install the roof windows it's important to consider the right option to suit your needs and provide the best solution for your property. Which is why we'd advise giving thought to the following when you are choosing the right roof windows for your home.

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Where will the Roof Window be located?

One of the first things to consider, in order to get the most amount of daylight into the property, is where you will need to locate the windows in the roof. From a practical point of view you need to understand some of the structural issues that might be a factor when positioning a roof window. Things such as electrics, ventilation or beams within the building itself have to be taken into account, as they can effect where and how the windows can be positioned.

The other location aspect of installation should be concerned with the direction the windows will be positioned to get maximum benefit. Think, for instance, about when you need the most amount of light in a particular room space.

Perhaps you are installing on a new kitchen extension in which you want to enhance the amount of light (and indeed, heat) received in the mornings. In which case looking for an east-facing installation if possible is going to help maximise this. Whereas, for creating greater light in a room later in the day you might look to install in a more west facing direction.

 

How big do you require the windows to be?

You might think that in order to get the most light and heat into the room, you'll require a large window in the roof. Obviously, bigger window space will of course allow more light in, but you need to also balance the size of the window with other practicalities and indeed the aesthetic feel of the property. You may not want a room that is awash with near uncontrolled daylight as it might make it too bright or too hot to be comfortable.

Considering the size of the window is an important factor when looking to get the right level of light and heat appropriate to the room. In many cases it may well be more appropriate for a smaller window, suitably lighting your room and ensuring it is a comfortable environment within.

 

Consider the style of roof window you want and / or require

Once you've ascertained location and size, next you want to consider the style of window you want installed. This might be a simple, fixed skylight which cannot be opened but does provide natural light to a room.

More commonly these days however, is a form of vented (openable) roof window, of which there are a variety of types depending on need, taste and budget.

A quick scan across some of the most popular names in roof window, such as: Velux, Duratech, Fakro or Roto, and you'll find different types to fit the requirements of any given property. These might be windows which open via a central pivot, offering a variety of opening positions to control air flow, or through a more traditional top hung pivot so the window opens up and out from the top.

Again, depending on need, taste and budget, the different windows in the range offer things such as electronic, remote control opening or more traditional manual control. Once you've decided on the type then you can choose the finish. This might be pine or PVC to fit in with the overall appearance of the property, or to enhance some of the energy efficient qualities of the window itself. For instance, opting for a slim profile frame to enhance the amount of window space, allowing for more daylight to come into the room.

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What kind of glazing do you need on the window?

It's another key factor and will be dependent again on considerations around location, need and budget.

Think about whether you need to optimise the control of heat both entering and leaving the room when it comes to the type of glazing. The quality of the window can have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of your home. Paying more upfront for quality glass can often result in longer term cost benefits on energy bills.

 

Consider your insulation requirements

This really follows on from the glazing selection. Because when you are choosing a roof window for your home you should be looking at ensuring a robust level of insulation. In the first instance this will be through careful selection of the window itself, and the relative qualities described above.

However, beyond this is the crucial issue of ensuring correct installation. To optimise your insulation you should be ensuring that the window is properly sized and professionally installed, using the correct roofing materials and appropriate flashing kits. Correct installation will ensure that the window offers its maximum level of insulation and heat control on both hot summer days and cold winter nights.

 

Know your budget

Naturally you should be aware of your budget before embarking on new roof windows at home. What you can afford will of course dictate the types of windows available to you. However, that doesn't mean you need to entirely skimp on good quality, robust windows.

Consultation with an expert should enable you to find suitable options that meet the critical criteria whilst remaining within your overall budget, even if it means one or two fancy additions have to be done without.

And of course, as we alluded to above, when you are budgeting for a new window, it can pay long-term dividends to understand the amount you may be able to save in energy costs by investing a little more up front on quality windows and professional installation.

Have a look at our entire Roof Window Range here.

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Published at: 16-02-2016

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