DELUX VELUX

When extending a property, it’s important to give thought to how much natural light an additional structure may either add or take away from your existing surroundings. 

We realised early on that adding an extension with a solid flat roof onto our kitchen would result in a much darker room likely to need more artificial lighting during the daytime.  Not great when the price of electricity is almost as much as the cost of feeding a very, very hungry hippo. 

Our helpful builder when reviewing the plans suggested we consider incorporating a skylight window in the roof design to provide an extra burst of natural light into the kitchen area.  Brilliant idea!  I’ve always wanted to look up at the stars when tucking into dinner – much more romantic than looking at a plain plaster ceiling full of cobwebs. 

I’ve chosen a delux Velux of reasonable size (1.2m x 1.2 m square) to be fitted in the ceiling on the other side of what will eventually be the archway joining the kitchen to the new dining room. 

What the rooflight will look like

Now on paper or online, a 1.2 m square doesn’t sound very big but now that it’s been delivered, I can see it’s quite a large window.  It looks very heavy too so how on earth they’re going to lift it onto the roof without using a crane will be very interesting.

 

It's a monster sized window!

And on the subject of interesting, fitting a Velux skylight window is a complex process involving a great deal of additional work.  I feel sorry for our builder, cutting away at all those precise and thick insulation layers that made up his lovely flat roof in order to create a supported aperture for the skylight.

 

Additional timber supports being put in place

Cutting through the roof layers to reach the top panel

Sky/roof light windows come in many shapes and sizes so it’s mostly a matter of preference and budget as to which one you go for.  As ours is merely to provide light and not ventilation, then I’ve picked a fixed window rather than one with an opener which has cost just over £1,000 to buy. 

The window comes in two sections, an upstand/base which fits into the hole in the roof topped with a framed glass unit.  It looks sleek and not quite as clumpy as those weird domed type of units. 

 

Peeling back the layers to remove the final piece of ply

Rooflight base unit fixed into position

As Oscar Wilde once said "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" although I don't suppose this quote has anything to do with skylight windows in dining rooms. 

 

Rooflight window in situ

Can't wait to see it finished

Knowing our luck, instead of stars we'll be staring up at the shitty arse end of a seagull as I suspect they will now take great pleasure in using this new window for target practice.

Now that the rooflight base is in position, the roof can be fully felted then the top glass panel will be added last to finish it all off.