Get the bigger picture when choosing your rooflights. Learn how viewable glazing area impacts light and your overall design.
Letting Light into a Building
Rooflights are a hugely important element of any new build or renovation. They determine how much light is let into a building and can create bright, airy spaces that impact on the design and ambience of a room.
Getting the right design might be one of the first considerations when choosing your rooflight, but from a practical viewpoint, the most important thing to think about will be the physical viewable area of glazing.
Not all Rooflights are the Same!
This may sound obvious, but do not make the mistake of thinking that all rooflights are the same in this respect and just because you are buying a rooflight, for example, that is 1m x 2m, be aware that this doesn’t necessarily mean that that you are going to have 2m² of viewing area.
It is important to understand that the amount of light that enters your property relates to the internal viewable size rather than the more general fixing size of the rooflight.
The most common mistake to make is to specify a rooflight that simply fits the space between your rafters. In fact the size of the actual rooflight is immaterial if all you are paying for is a large frame. The common perception is that if you buy more glass the viewing area will be bigger.
Don’t be baffled by edge-to-edge glass, it’s what’s underneath that counts. In other words, what’s the point in having a window you cant look out of?!
Clear Viewable Area
On the same sized rooflight, the actual viewable glazing area between different manufacturers can be significant, and make a huge difference to the amount of light entering the building. You might be surprised to know that some manufacturers sell rooflights that are predominantly (more than 60%) framework or non-useable glazing!
The best advice would be to ensure that that actual fitting size is as close to the size of glazing you can physically look out of, and always make sure you are comparing apples with apples when looking at the price.
Why pay for a rooflight that simply pads out the hole in your roof rather than performing its primary function – to let in light and ventilation.
