In a world as modern and improved as ours, skylights have quickly become the norm. This doesn’t mean houses with skylights on the roofing didn’t exist prior to this, but it’s more sought after now than it was ever before. This is mainly because skylights are ideal for those who wish to bring in natural light into the room – not to mention how spacious the rooms and the house looks as a result of skylights. Most commonly, skylights are installed into the ceiling or attic of the house and you can also do it yourself!
How to Install Skylights
Due to popular demand for the impressive ceiling style, getting skylights installed from professionals might require more finances that what an ordinary person can afford. However, you don’t necessarily have to pay for it if you install it correctly on your own, by following these steps:
- Prepare the Roof: As aforementioned, skylights are commonly installed into the ceiling or the attic of the house. Wherever you wish to feature the skylights, prepare the roof by measuring the slope, pitch, etc., and mark the location where you wish to install the skylight, on the inside.
- Cut through the Ceiling: The second step is rather simple as long as your roof is easy to cut through from the inside of your house. Once you manage to do that, insert 4 screws on either corner, then head up to the roof and remove all shingles.
- Mark the corners and sides: Mark corners and sides on the roof in accordance with the measurement of the skylights. Prepare the area beforehand.
- Insert the skylight: Once you’ve prepared the opening, insert the skylight’s frame into the rough opening from the inside of your house. Push it through to the roof but make sure that it stays in place – if not, go over the measurements once again.
- Secure the skylight: Granted that you’ve got the skylight in place, secure it onto the roof by placing screws through the frame’s sides on the metal brackets.
Making Sure That the Skylights Don’t Leak Afterwards
Although it looks beautiful and you should certainly give yourself a pat on the back if you installed it all on your own, there’s still a thick chance that your skylights might experience leakage in the future if the weather is not in your favor. Luckily, there are steps that can be taken to avoid leakages:
- Roofing Felt: Available at any hardware shop, you can buy roofing felt and staple it all around the edges of the skylights to ensure that it doesn’t leak through.
- Roofing Cement: Adding cement to all corners that might help the water or other nuisances leak through the spots is a great way to ensure that your skylights won’t leak.
- 100% Silicone Caulking: Found in the form of a tube, this is the ideal option for those who are looking for a way to seal their skylights firmly in place so they don’t have to worry about leaks.