Five ways to maximise light in your extension
A home extension naturally gives your home more space, more air and a better flow from room to room. Instead of settling for basic windows, why not give your new space three times more natural light* and all the benefits that come with this?
A skylight is the ultimate addition to any extension, can be your secret weapon to brightening your spaces and improving ventilation throughout your home. Here’s five ways a new skylight can help you to maximise light and help your extension look fantastic:
1) Clever ways to help light enter your rooms
Regardless of the size of your new space, there’s a skylight that will fit it. One of the best facts about skylights is that they let in three times more light than standard windows. This means that even when it’s grey outside, you’re maximising the amount of natural light into your new extension.
If your space is long and thin, consider a flat skylight that will create dramatic ‘strips’ of light over certain parts of the room. If your new extension is boxy, then a pyramid skylight can create a glass roof that floods the room with natural light.
For those bigger extensions, we can offer specially reinforced skylights that cover a large proportion of your roof. When skylights are this scale, it’s important to consider their impact during the summer months when UV rays are at their most damaging. We offer solar control glass as standard to help manage this and keep your rooms cooler when the weather warms up.
Whatever of the style or shape of your extension, we can design a skylight to fit your space perfectly. Speak to our team about the look you’d like to achieve and we can talk you through the options (and the sizes) we can install.
2) Work with the location of your extension
Remember that although skylights let in light all day, depending on the direction your house and room is facing, you’ll get more concentrated brightness at different time of the day.
North-facing rooms generally have a colder, more neutral light throughout the day, away from direct sunlight. Artists often choose north-facing studios because the light gives the truest rendition of the colour they’re using. Skylights really benefit North-facing spaces by maximising on the amount of light you can get into a space all day long.
For East-facing rooms and homes, you’ll find the light is brightest first thing in the morning – with long shadows and minimal sunlight later in the day. You may want to install a light set of blinds to your skylight to take the edge of that harsh morning light.
South-facing spaces benefit from warm light all day long – but in the summer, the midday sun is very bright. Really make the most of the light if your extension is south-facing with a huge skylight that floods your space. Rest assured though that we install solar control glass as standard to help minimise UV rays.
For West-facing rooms and homes, you’ll get long shadows and beautiful warm light as you move into late afternoon. Skylights in West-facing spaces are particularly useful to make sure you can as much natural light as you can as you move through the evening – perfect for entertaining.
3) Using the right type of glass
If you’re looking to invest in a skylight for your extension, take the time to decide on what type of glass you’d like to install.
During the summer months, there’s the potential for extensions to get hot and stuffy. To help control this without having to draw the blinds, we can install innovative solar control glass to your new skylight. Solar control glass reflects the sun’s rays, letting in a smaller amount of heat. This helps to keep rooms cooler, without stopping light getting into your spaces altogether. It reduces solar glare and damaging UV rays that can fade furnishings and wall colours.
We have two colour tints available: blue and clear (with a slight grey tint). As standard, we also offer a self-cleaning option for all of our skylights. This uses a chemical formula on the outer layer of the glass that reacts with rain water to makes it viscous. Any dirt is then carried away when it rains.
4) Getting creative with natural light
For a skylight that’s a little more special, speak to our team.
For those aesthetic extensions that are designed for that ‘wow’ factor, we can create custom skylights for any space. Picture a skylight designed like a porthole for a nautical theme or an octagonal shape that creates patterns of light on a tiled floor.
If your extension is a basement room, it doesn’t have to be dark or dim. Our skylights are reinforced so you can walk on them – allowing you to let light filter down from the floors above.
Don’t hold back on your creativity – just let us know your vision and we’ll do the rest.
5) Decorating to maximise brightness
Skylights can bring a certain amount of natural light into your extension, but to really bring brightness to every corner, you need to enhance your colour scheme. Rather than diving straight into a palette of strong hues, pale shades can give you a more subtle warmth. Primrose, honey gold or apricot spread light around the space, tricking the you into thinking the room is brighter and warmer. If your extension is tiled, you can try the opposite end of the colour spectrum. Cool crisp hues, such as mint or rich teal, can help spaces feel lighter and airier.
And don’t forget about accessories. A pop of colour from a cushion or a throw will have an instant brightening effect. Invest in vibrant shades of purple, rich reds or electric blues to really catch the eye.
Speak to us: We have over 15 years of experience in ordering and installing the highest quality skylights. Whether this is a new venture or you’ve already added a skylight to your home, we’re on hand to answer any questions you may have.
*Than traditional windows.
