Sunlight – it’s free as sunshine. That’s really the selling point of skylights in a nutshell. But by putting a hole in your roof and filling it with two or three panes of glass, you won’t just be brightening the room below. You can also increase your exposure to the natural light your body needs in order to function correctly, save money on your heating bills, improve your home’s market value, and even qualify for a $600 tax credit.
Let’s take a look at all you stand to gain by adding skylights to your home!
Skylights Are Good for Your Health
We know we aren’t delivering the newsflash of the century when we tell you this: sunlight is good for you – and that means skylights are good for you, too.
Serotonin. It’s a neurotransmitter. It’s made by your own body. It’s responsible for regulating many of your most important mental functions, including memory, happiness, sleep, hunger and memory. Did we say memory twice? Our apologies. We must need more serotonin.
Sunlight begins to stimulate natural serotonin production as soon as it reaches your eyes. That’s why spending time in a skylit room can improve your mood, as well as ward off symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Doctors prescribe light boxes for SAD patients, but we reckon a little extra Mr. Sun couldn’t hurt their chances of feeling better.
You may also become malnourished if you don’t get enough sunlight. Exterior remodelers typically don’t have very much medical training, but even we know the human body needs 10 to 30 minutes of midday sunlight, multiple times a week. It uses the ultraviolet rays to produce vitamin D3, which helps it absorb vital nourishments like calcium and phosphorus.
Skylights Are Good for Your Home
After reviewing just a couple of the sun’s known health benefits, it’s no wonder why so many people want lots of natural light in their homes. (Lots of natural light – words you have already read if you have ever looked at a real estate listing.) That’s why skylight installation can significantly increase a home’s appeal and market value.
We can’t guarantee you would get a noticeable return on investment if you added skylights to your home and then immediately put it on the market. But brighter, naturally lit rooms do appeal to the majority of homebuyers all the same. They are willing to pay thousands of dollars more for a home that was designed with natural lighting in mind.
If you add skylights to your home, you can expect some savings as well. Southward-facing skylights absorb more solar radiation during the wintertime, passively warming your home in the process. And if you install skylights that meet Energy Star criteria, you can even qualify for an energy efficient home improvement tax credit. It allows you to claim 30% on the total project cost, not totaling more than $600.
Skylights Can Go Anywhere
Well, not technically anywhere. They can’t go in the floor, and if they go in the walls they’re windows. But so long as a roof sits above a room in your house, there’s most likely enough space for a skylight. You can install a small 14″x14″ skylight over your breakfast nook to get an extra jump start each morning. There are even tiny 4″-diameter skylights that install quickly and pretty much anywhere.
Their versatility makes skylights an interior designer’s best friend. When you want free mood lighting that the human eye reacts positively to, put a skylight in your kitchen, bathroom, bedroom – any room that has unique features to highlight, or which simply wouldn’t be hurt by looking a little nicer.
Skylights Are Easy to Install
Skylight installation is outside the scope of most DIYers’ abilities. It requires planning, the right materials, and hands-on experience with roofing, sheetrock and insulation. But because these are all the tools of an exterior contractor’s trade, you should have no problem finding an exterior pro to quickly install your new skylights.
Skylights aren’t hard to maintain, either. So long as it is installed correctly, a skylight should remain watertight for decades. But any skylight can wear out over time, which is why it’s important to look out for leaks: every one or two weeks, and immediately following heavy rainstorms. Early leak detection can prevent thousands of dollars in property damage by black mold. Also make sure to occasionally test skylight mechanisms such as motorized shades.
Would you like to add a skylight to your home or commercial property in the greater St Cloud, Little Falls, Alexandria or Brainerd, MN area? Or do you already have a skylight that’s in need of repair or replacement? Then we welcome you to contact Exterior Pro today to request your free inspection and estimate!