Let there be skylights

SKYLIGHTS can have a huge impact on a home, says expert David Smith. David, together with his wife Sue, own Wellington-based business Skylight Specialists, which installs its own brand of skylight, and repairs and services all other leading brands of skylights, tubular skylights, domes and roof access hatches.

The couple have been in the skylight business for the past 20 years now and in that time they’ve seen many a home undergo a transformation.

‘‘Skylights can have a huge impact on a home, they make an amazing difference – it opens the home up to the light, spruces it up and modifies the house,’’ says David.

‘‘Making it feel warm, light and just brightens up your spirit.’’

Old, character homes that are often cold, dark and dingy become flooded with daylight, David says, and it can alter the whole feel of a home.

He speaks of a recent skylight installation in a Lockwood-type home in Waikanae, in a kitchen with a low stud.

‘‘The owner felt as though she was walking into a cave whenever she went into the kitchen, we put a skylight in and you’d honestly think we’d put five lights in there.

‘‘The skylight has also opened it up, it doesn’t feel like a cave because the roof is open, and it has made the room feel larger and more spacious.’’

It’s the same story in most houses where Sue and David have installed skylights, the most common rooms being dining, living and kitchen areas.

‘‘It’s usually in areas where people spend a lot of time – there’s nothing worse than seeing the lovely sun outside and you’re not getting it in your house, it can be depressing,’’ says David.

Entranceways and hallways are his favourite zones.

‘‘Put a skylight into an entranceway and it just makes the home feel bright, warm and welcoming, it gives a nice aura to the house and lifts your spirit.’’

Bedrooms and bathrooms are other rooms that are often in need of more light.

‘‘In bathrooms often people don’t want the ceiling looking too messy with lights and ventilation, so they put a skylight in, one that opens, and you’ve got both light and ventilation.

‘‘And because our skylights are aluminium there’s no rot with the steam.’’

All Skylight Specialists’ skylights are a fully welded, seamless aluminium frame which guarantees a robust, watertight sealed unit.

Each skylight is custom-made to requirements, whether it be fixed or opening or a roof access hatch, and in whatever shape, size, colour or tint.