Skylight glass
We’re putting in new skylights – one over the stairwell and one over a shower. The question is clear glass or frosted. Any opinions?
We’re putting in new skylights – one over the stairwell and one over a shower.
The question is clear glass or frosted.
Any opinions?
My home is 100 yrs old and both my skylights, one in the hallway, one in the bathroom both have tempered frosted glass with wire mesh throughout. I get great light and can tell if its cloudy or sunny. I’m just grateful that they stood up to the strong storms that we had this year. For safety’s sake just make sure that its tempered glass so if it shatters no one will get hurt.
It it is an old brownstone, consider stained glass. (You can find old ones for sale that with the lead in good shape that are gorgeous.) You can further protect and insulate with plexiglass on top – just be sure you can remove it for cleaning the glass now and then (making sure it is somehow still secure from burglars.)
I once rented a top floor brownstone apartment with an original flat stained glass window in the bathroom (not in the shower) – it was one of my favorite things about the apartment – beautiful reds and blues filtered the light. But it was covered with dirt that had gotten in between the fixed external glass over it, and I couldn’t clean it – even when I went up on the roof to check it out – it would have been so much more beautiful if cleaned.
Ditto for hall – colored glass filters light beautifully.
Otherwise, I’d go for frosted for both. I don’t want the folks that prowl roofs looking for ways in to be able to see in.
Bear in mind that skylights on flat roofs get very dirty very quickly.
If you’re using only single pane glass, you’ll get a lot of heat loss in the winter. I put up a plexiglass panel at the top as an insulation barrier but it is against fire code.
I seeing clouds…
I’d do clear over the stairs and frosted over the bath, so in case someone is on the roof wifey’s not putting on a show…