How Skylights Transformed Our Home

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about skylights! 

Hands down, the best decision we have made for our home, as of yet, has been getting VELUX skylights installed. THE BEST DECISION!

If you followed along on my stories when everything was being installed, you already know my excitement and the drastic transformation. But for those that don’t, I will tell you (and show you). I also have a saved highlight of the whole skylight install if you wanna check that out on IG.

The amount of natural light that we now have, thanks to the ten skylights we installed, has completely transformed our home. And I would recommend it to ANYONE that is thinking of renovating some aspect of their home. In fact, after seeing all of our skylights completed, and using the VELUX app to envision the placement, my mom has decided to have skylights installed in her new home too.

Wanna see some behind the scenes from the installation process and before and after photos? Keep reading!

Win Skylights for your Home!

First things first! I am so excited about this.

VELUX is currently running a sweepstakes that is open now through 11:59 pm on August 10th, 2021, where you can win 2 VELUX No Leak Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights with solar powered shades (the same product I have in my kitchen, dining room and bedroom) and installation! It’s open to anyone over 21 years old who owns their own home. 

It takes like 30 seconds to enter to win (right here) and it’s so easy!

So make sure you do. Because who knows, you could be the winner!

Need some photos to see for yourself what a huge difference skylights can make in your home?

Everything is still a work in progress in terms of decorating and completing rooms (so I’d say these are progress shots), but here you go…

Why have VELUX skylights in your home?

First, VELUX is the only brand recommended by our roofer. We got our roof redone at the same time as skylights, but they were different crews. 

Not to mention, they were recommended by countless friends who also have VELUX Skylights.

Wonder why? Now I know, it’s because they’re the best!

That said, the main benefits to VELUX skylights, imo, are as follows.

1. All the natural light!

Natural light is THE key ingredient, imo, to a beautiful space. So for me, skylights are the way to go.

They add beautiful natural light to a space that otherwise might be inaccessible to natural light (i.e. they typically provide more light than windows because the light is coming in from above).

And that light can be filtered for different times of day as well, which I’ll mention later.

2. Ventilation.

If you opt for VELUX No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” Skylights with solar powered shades (like we have in our kitchen, dining room, and primary bedroom), they provide a great source of ventilation because they open and close – without letting in rain or harmful UV rays. A rain sensor on the Fresh Air Skylights automatically closes the skylight at the first sign of rain. 

3. The potential to drastically change your ceiling. In a very good way.

Depending on how you and your installer decide to install them, skylights can transform your space architecturally as well.

For example, when we were installing the two skylights in our dining room, we discovered that we could vault the ceiling in the entire room, which makes the space feel bigger, more open, and more like the heart of our home.

Our installer, who we found through the certified installers on the VELUX website, is a general contractor as well.

So we are able to make those changes on the fly and essentially kill two birds with one stone. I couldn’t have been happier!

When the primary bedroom skylights were installed, we discovered that we were not able to vault the ceiling in there, so we opted for an 8 ft opening with the skylight bays in between.

It really helped to be able to open things up in the flat ceiling there, without compromising anything structurally. And looks great too.

4. Save money and energy. PLUS, a tax credit!

In the long run, we’ll save money on lighting and cooling costs by having solar powered VELUX skylights and shades installed.

But not only that, we also get a tax credit! You get a 26% federal tax credit on solar powered skylights and shades plus installation through December 31, 2020.

5. Mood booster!

This might not be the case for everyone, but for me, having that connection to the outdoors when I’m inside is a huge mood booster.

I thrive on having as much natural light indoors as possible.

Especially in the area that we live, kind of surrounded by nature, we wanted every opportunity to feel like we were bringing the outdoors in. And these skylights have done that for us, in a big way.

Being able to see the sky and the trees from the dining room, bedroom, and kitchen throughout the day, and the stars at night! It’s been amazing.

How much do VELUX Skylights cost?

This is probably the number one question I got when I started sharing my skylights installation on IG, followed by why I put so many skylights on the porch (LOL – which I’ll answer at the end of this post).

But back to pricing! Prices vary based on a variety of factors, like location, whether you select fixed or venting skylights, your ceiling and roofline, etc.

VELUX has a really great estimated cost breakdown on their website, that goes through price ranges for various skylight types based on how basic or complex the installation may be.

It’s so helpful and also pretty spot on, based on what we paid with our installer. So be sure to check it out if you’re curious about pricing.

*And also all these costs are BEFORE the tax credit that you get for having solar powered skylights, assuming they’re installed before Dec 31, 2021. So there’s more savings involved when you factor in the 26% federal tax credit.

Where did we get all these skylights installed?

We had five skylights installed on our front porch. Two in our primary bedroom, two in the dining room, and one in the kitchen.

If I had an unlimited budget, I would have done them in literally every room. EVERY ROOM.

But I don’t want this to just be a fan girl post, I really want this to be helpful to anyone considering having skylights installed.

So if you have any questions about skylights that aren’t answered in this post, let me know in the comments and do my best to answer asap. Here are some more questions that I’ve been asked so far…

How long does it take to get skylights installed?

Because we had so many ours took a few days to be completed. Generally speaking though, if you’re getting 1-3 installed in a room, it will likely just take one day.

As an example, my mom is getting two skylights installed in her home. Both in the same room, and the installer told her they’d be able to complete everything in one day.

This is variable depending on your roof, ceiling, and other factors. But your installer will discuss all that kind of stuff upfront with you before install day.

What are the differences between skylights and Sun Tunnels?

UPDATE 7/5/22: I recently had five Sun Tunnels installed in our home as well and I wrote a long blog post that explains the difference between the two, if you want to check it out: our VELUX Sun Tunnels.

The post includes lots of before and after photos and my honest review.

What if you don’t want light streaming into your space 24/7?

I’m pretty much in the ‘more light the better’ camp, at all times. BUT if you want to control the light coming into your space, I highly recommend getting easy install shades from VELUX.

We have them on all of our VELUX skylights (even the ones outside on our porch), so we can filter out light on a particularly sunny or hot day.

OR even block the light all together with the grey room darkening shades that we have in our bedroom.

The bedroom light is the one that people have asked about most. And it hasn’t been an issue for us at all.

We generally close the shades at night (they’re on a remote control so it’s just the click of a button) and they block the light in the morning, so there’s no change at all from before we got the skylights in terms of sleeping. Except for the better because sometimes we look at the stars at night instead of closing them and it’s amazing.

What’s the difference between fixed and venting skylights?

In a nutshell, the venting skylights open and the fixed skylights don’t. The skylights on our front porch are all fixed.

They’re the VELUX fixed skylights with solar powered shades. They don’t need to open since they’re already outside.

While all of the skylights inside our home are venting (as mentioned before, they’re VELUX ‘Fresh Air’ Skylights with solar powered shades), which means they all can be opened.

It’s really awesome to have the venting skylights inside.

Especially with all the paint projects I do that need ventilation, or when we are cooking something that is super fragrant or even just want some fresh air.

What’s the difference between curb mounted and deck mounted?

This is probably an installer question, but generally speaking, deck mounted is more sleek (lower profile) for the type of roof that we have.

So we went with that option.

Curb mounted models are installed on a curb the installer builds out of 2×4 lumber, similar to a shoe box. The curb is the box and the skylight is the lid.

Some installers have a preference for curb mounted skylights. And lower pitch roofs need curb mounted skylights, so the skylight can be installed at a slight angle to shed rainwater.

Why did you add skylights on your porch?

Several people have asked me this. So I thought it deserved an explanation.

Initially, we decided to add skylights to the porch to improve the natural light streaming into our living room.

Which may sound like a head scratcher. But our roof is a little unique.

And that ‘uniqueness’ meant that there was no way to put skylights in the actual ceiling of the living room. I explained it more in my fireplace makeover post if you want more details.

But after speaking with our installer, he recommended adding skylights to the porch to bring in light through our large living windows. He provided some really great insight for us as we were planning the project. So, if you’re local, I’m happy to pass along his info.

The eaves on our front porch extend down quite a bit. And as a result blocked a huge amount of natural light from coming into the living room, even with the big windows. So, the skylights on the porch were initially meant to brighten up our living room. And it did!

The unexpected (and fully appreciated) side effect of adding all of those porch skylights is an open and airy space. It feels like a whole other room. We spend SO much time out there on the front porch now.

And because we installed light filtering shades in all of these skylights as well, we can block out the harsh light and heat of the midday sun. So we can use this space all day long.