Install skylights with flared light shafts.
Skylights are eye-appealing functional architectural elements in home design because they allow overhead natural sunlight to enter a living space. Skylights don't require window treatments and generally make a room feel open and spacious. For most home construction plans and current home designs with vaulted ceilings, skylights are a viable option. However, there are a few important installation requirements to follow.
Light Shafts
Skylights with flared light shafts should be installed in vaulted or cathedral-style ceilings. According to AskTheBuilder.com, "Most skylight tunnels are straight and provide decent light, but flared light shafts allow abundant natural light to stream into your remodeled space." Install skylights at an angle to accommodate the slope of your roof. A skylight with a flared light shaft doesn't require a flat surface area, so it is a viable option for vaulted ceilings.
Roofing
Before installation, ensure that the exterior frame for a vaulted-ceiling skylight is level and square with the slope of the roof. Install the frame from the roof and make sure it is symmetrical with the internal opening in your ceiling. Bob Vila recommends installing a rubberized seal around the wood frame to protect it against moisture. Install the exterior skylight frame with metal flashing, so you don't have to drive any nails through the surface of the roof. Add flashing over the shingles and around the exterior vaulted-ceiling skylight frame, allowing rainwater to flow over the shingles to the gutters. Once the glass is installed, water cannot settle on the window pane or in creases around the exterior wooden frame.
Height Advantages
You may want to opt for vaulted-ceiling skylights because the added height between the floor and the ceiling makes the skylights readily visible. With low ceilings, a skylight often blends in with the normal flat design of the ceiling and goes unnoticed. The flared shaft of light and the angled installation design make a an architectural focal point, drawing your eye upward toward the ceiling.
Ventilation
Be sure to provide adequate ventilation for skylights installed on vaulted ceilings. Skylights in vaulted ceilings, particularly those in cathedral ceilings, can create unventilated areas that force the temperature to rise in your living space. CertainTeed.com recommends installing both high and low ventilation openings. Ventilation openings are small vents that allow hot air that has risen to your skylights to release to the outside. The vents are not exposed to weather elements and are not visible inside the house. Consult a professional skylight installer for approved ventilation methods.
Tags: flared light, vaulted ceilings, flared light shafts, vaulted-ceiling skylight, with flared, with flared light, around exterior