What are roof windows?
Roof windows, also known as skylights or roof lights, are windows that are incorporated into the design of a roof with the purpose of allowing natural light into the building. They are mostly outward opening, however, some roof windows are designed not to open, as the only purpose is to allow natural light to shine through the roof rather than natural air. You can install roof windows during the new build stage of a property or add them later on.
Why should I install a roof window?
Roof windows can maximise the benefits of natural light to create a natural light source during the daytime. This is especially useful for areas that would otherwise be dark such as corridors and rooms that are not on the outer edge of a building and, as a result, are unable to make use of normal wall windows.
According to a study on the ‘Impact of Windows and Daylight Exposure on Overall Health and Sleep Quality of Office Workers’, workers in windowless environments experienced poorer scores in terms of subjective well-being and sleep quality. Workers with windows had more light exposure during the workweek, which resulted in a trend toward more physical activity and longer sleep duration.
It’s fair to suggest that, as a result, the quality of work they could produce would benefit from their increased energy and concentration levels. This could also translate over to homes with more exposure to natural daylight. The occupants of the home would also benefit from better sleep and a healthier lifestyle.
Roof windows can provide additional ventilation for a building if it’s possible to open the window. Ventilation is important for any building as it can reduce the levels of airborne pollutants and moisture. It can help remove odours and just make the building feel more comfortable with fresh air coming in.
Triple glazed roof domes reduce noise from outside and inside the building. This is because of the additional thickness of the glass, which increases the mass of the window and more mass means less noise can get through it.
Triple glazed roof windows also make a building more energy-efficient as it offers more insulation than single or double glazing. STORM Building Products’ Galaxy range includes single, double and triple skin roof domes.
Building restrictions can affect the type of windows that can be used to retain the style and look of the building or the area that the building is situated. In this scenario, sometimes it is possible to install a roof window instead of a regular window, which would be allowed even with building restrictions. If you’re unsure feel free to contact us for help and advice.
Roof windows are not only practical but also stylish, adding value to a property.
Which roof window is best?
STORM Building Products supply different types of roof lights. The GALAXY range includes:
Sun Pipes
An innovative and effective means of transmitting natural daylight to otherwise poorly lit areas. With ventilation options available, Sun Pipes can assist in compliance with building regulations and the areas where Sun Pipes are installed benefit from increased levels of natural daylight. Sun Pipes are ideal for residential and commercial buildings, schools and hospitals, they can be installed into new or existing roofs with ease, and they can be accommodated within most roof construction types.
Decorus
A contemporary double glazed roof light that features a slimline thermally broken ridge, 20 degrees fixed pitch, all aluminium external components, great thermal efficiency, and pressure die-cast ridge caps and rafter end caps. Decorus is made-to-measure with Pilkington activ self-cleaning glass and available in any RAL colour. It can be used to give an aesthetically pleasing feature to a flat roof, giving natural light. Plus, it’s cost-efficient and simple to install with a fast turnaround.
GALAXYlite
“Less bars, more light”. GALAXYlite roof lanterns use a full powder coated, thermally broken Aluminium Profile on the External Face. They have a super slim 60mm ridge and no radius ends. The GALAXYlite range consists of:
GALAXYflat
GALAXYflat’s unique glass lock system means that once the frame is clicked into place the glass can no longer be removed from the frame, making it one of the most secure roof lanterns available.
GALAXYpyramid
GALAXYpyramid roof lanterns are designed to fit onto a square roof opening. With no ridge required and sloping on all sides, the GALAXYpyramid gives the maximum possible glass area with minimum obstruction.
GALAXYlantern
With a ridge of just 60mm, no bulky radius ends, and eliminating the need for jack rafter supports, the GALAXYlantern roof system is one of the slimmest roof lanterns on the market. Using powder-coated aluminium caps externally, GALAXYlite Roof Lanterns have a life expectancy of 25 years.
Roof Domes
High quality thermoformed roof lights designed to make optimum use of natural light. Roof domes are offered in a wide range of sizes, shapes and glazing options to meet virtually any specifier and client requirements. For use on flat roofs – single ply, felt, hot-melt, asphalt GRP and lead.
Are roof windows a permitted development?
According to Planning Portal: “You do not normally need to apply for planning permission to re-roof your house or to insert roof lights or skylights as the permitted development rules allow for roof alterations subject to the following limits and conditions:
- Any alteration to project no more than 150 millimetres from the existing roof plane.
- No alteration to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
- Side facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.”
How many roof windows do I need? And what size roof window do I need?
As many as you want and however big you want! However, if you are looking to maximise the amount of natural light in a building without spending a huge amount, a good starting point would be making the total size (cm2) of your windows around 20% of the total size of the walls in the room.
Where to buy roof windows
STORM’s Galaxy roof windows are available for purchase from distributors across the UK, fill out our ‘find a distributor’ tool and we’ll be in touch with you to inform you of your local STORM Distributors so you can find out where to buy roof windows.
How to supply roof windows
To become a distributor of roof windows all you need to do is head over to our ‘become a distributor’ page and fill in a quick form. STORM Building Products offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of superior quality building products in the UK. STORM also provides distributors with relevant POS, marketing tools and marketing support to help you gain the sales you need!
You can also get in touch by emailing [email protected], calling 01278 455326 or filling in our online enquiry form.
This article was written by Jade Mitchell.
Jade is the Marketing Coordinator at STORM Building Products, she has been working in the building plastics industry since 2016 and has completed ISMM level 2 and 3.