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Can a Skylight Increase your Home Value?
If you are a homeowner, you probably enjoy repairing and keeping your house in great shape. That’s because you want your property to look excellent always.
Nobody wants to live in a house that is falling apart, and you don’t have to. Maintaining your home increases its visual and aesthetic appeal.
Real estate experts advise homeowners to renovate their homes to attract potential buyers.
Creating an addition such as a new bedroom, remodeling your kitchen, or renovating your bathroom are popular house renovation ideas.
You may have no plans to sell your house, but if anything comes up and you need to make a quick sale, it must be in a condition that will get you the best price.
Adding value to a house through renovations means installing things that buyers look for when purchasing a home.
For instance, a house with many bathrooms is preferable to one with few. Therefore, adding an extra bathroom to your home is a profitable idea.
And, of course, homes with curb appeal attract more buyers too. Your home should look appealing from the street, which is one reason we invest time and energy working on our yards.
An addition that will fit into all these home renovation ideas is a skylight.
Ventilated skylights are roof windows that let in the fresh air and natural light into a house. They reduce energy costs, give you access to beautiful views of the sky, and regulate the temperature of a home.
Skylights can turn non-functional areas of your home, such as attics and basements, into valuable living spaces. When installed at the right angle, they can illuminate your home far, much better than vertical windows.
Unlike other exterior renovations that only appeal to the eye, skylights also add value to your home interior by improving the ambiance.
Therefore, home buyers are more likely to choose houses with a skylight than those without.
A little-known advantage of skylights is their value addition to a homeowner’s health. Anyone who lives in a home with a skylight can see better due to the additional light streaming in.
The sun rays streaming in from a skylight are much different than those you get through vertical windows. They can boost your moods and encourage the production of Vitamin D, which will improve your health.
In fact, houses with skylights are popular among elderly home buyers or renters because they need more light to see than the average person.
Therefore, you can expect skylights to increase the value of a home and improve your quality of life. It will give you a fantastic return on investment whether you are living in it, renting it out, or selling it.
Do skylights cost too much?
Unfortunately, many homeowners are skeptical about installing a skylight because they do not believe it adds value.
They think it costs too much to install and maintain a skylight in the first place, but that’s not the case. Here’s why.
It costs between $900 and $2,300 to put up a skylight and $ 385 – $ 1,150 to repair it.
These are not exorbitant costs considering the value a skylight brings into your home. And maintaining a skylight only involves performing regular inspections and keeping it clean.
Once a skylight is up on your roof, the benefits you get are immeasurable. And it will serve you for 10 to 15 years.
During that time, your will;
- Reduce energy costs by cutting down on the use of electricity
- Improve air circulation in your home by letting out foul odors and bringing in fresh air
- Light up dark spaces such as basements and attics
- Prevent mold or fungus from growing in wet areas such as bathrooms
- Keep indoor swimming pools and gardens in excellent conditions
- Add aesthetic appeal to your home by improving the ambiance
What to consider when installing a skylight
As you can see, it doesn’t cost much to have a skylight, and there are many benefits you get from it. Maybe it’s time to install one in your home.
Here are some tips that will help you install a skylight in the best way possible.
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Pick an expert installer
You need an expert contractor with roofing knowledge to put up your skylight. Many of the maintenance costs that come from having a skylight originate from shoddy workmanship.
Putting your skylight up correctly in the first place is the best way to avoid future repair bills from issues such as water damage and air leaks.
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Select the right skylight
The installation and performance of your skylight are determined by how suitable it is for your home.
If lighting is all you need, a fixed skylight is best. However, where more air is needed, pick a venting skylight that brings in the best air circulation.
You may also install multiple skylights depending on your needs. A skylight or two over your living area will increase aeration and let in light. While another over your attic will give you an extra room to turn your unused loft into something useful, such as a spare room.
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Choose the right space
Which brings us to space. Each space in your home suits a particular type of skylight.
For example, tubular skylights work for hallways and stairways. They are also used to light up dark areas of a home that are located over lower floors.
But if you want to add light to a room such as an attic, venting skylights are an excellent choice.
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Wisely position your skylight
And that doesn’t refer to the room over which you install it. It means the position.
For example, if you live in a cold area and need a cost-effective way of keeping your house warm, positioning your skylight to the South will ensure it absorbs the maximum amount of heat from the sun.
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Match it to your home design
Potential homebuyers look at the aesthetic appeal of an installation even as they check for functionality.
Ideally, you should match modern skylights, such as pyramid skylights, to modern homes. Installing such skylights over a traditional house will look out of place. A better option would be a victorian skylight.
Maybe you think your home is too tiny for a skylight? That’s not right. There are so many different skylights available, you will not lack one to install over your home.
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There is a skylight for every home
Although installing a skylight over a stick-framed roof is easier than a truss-framed roof, roofing experts always find a way to fit one in.
Fixed and venting skylights range from 14″ to 72″. While tubular skylights have a diameter of 10″ to 14″ and can fit over any space.
Depending on your needs, you may put up several small skylights or a huge one in your home. Therefore, your home can never be too small for a skylight.
Do I really need a skylight?
You may wonder why should I install a skylight when I have air conditioning and enough lighting. And what about the stories I hear about water damage?
Well, although many people think of updating their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system as a way of adding value, installing a skylight is a better option.
If you didn’t know, your HVAC system only re-circulates air in your home. Which means you keep breathing the same air that is clogged with dust particles and bacteria.
You need something that will refresh the air in the house. Skylights do that. They let out stale air and bring fresh air into the home. And when it’s too hot, they are an excellent outlet for warm air.
Updating light fixtures is another popular renovation idea and installing a skylight is a great way to do it.
Using skylights in conjunction with artificial lights to illuminate your home will significantly reduce your power costs. If you choose a solar-powered skylight, it will save you even more money.
And where water damage is concerned, you don’t have to worry about it if you properly install a skylight and perform regular maintenance.
However, you should operate your skylight the right way to keep leaks at bay. If you leave it open, even by a crack, it will let in water.
A venting skylight you can open or close manually or remotely is the best way to prevent water damage. And you can use it to control temperatures in your house to ensure it provides multiple benefits.
You only need to open the skylight to expunge hot air and close it when you need to keep a room warm.
And although you may not think it does, a skylight can lower humidity in your home too. That means you don’t have to worry about condensation issues.
And since too much humidity will encourage the growth of mold or fungus in your home and destroy the paintwork, wallpaper, and furniture. A venting skylight will preserve the interior of your home too.
Therefore, if you are looking for a way to add value to your home, install a skylight. There are so many benefits, and it’s not as hard to maintain as you probably think.
We’ve addressed many of the myths surrounding skylight installation to ensure you are comfortable about installing one in your home. Call a roofing contractor for a quote today!
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