anybody install skylights in their home?

[Chuckman]

anybody ever personally install skylights in their home? I looking to put in 3 of them when I redo my roof. In this room, its a flat ceiling so Im trying to see the pitfalls involved in making the framework. any ideas, suggestions, tricks etc?

 

[kaiser715]

I've never installed them new, but have reworked a couple of leaking ones. Everybody I've talked to (including a conversation up on a roof just this past Saturday) says that there are two kinds of skylights: those with leaking and condensation problems, and those that haven't been installed yet.

Seriously, I believe any excess penetrations or anomalies in a roof just greatly increase the chances of a problem you'll later have to deal with. My house for example, I designed it to be simple. No returns, no dormers, valleys, nothing...only one penetration for the whole house, a sewer vent. Less chance for trouble, and cheap to re-roof in the future.

Disclaimer, I'm just a computer guy that likes to work, not a contractor.

 

[foreman1063]

If you spend the money and get a good skylight and install it correctly you shouldn't have any problems. It's just like good quality windows, you get what you pay for. Velux makes very good quality sky lights and come with there own flashing kit that is virtually fool proof is done correctly.
If your house has a truss roof you'll need to get sky lights that fit in a truss bay (22-1/2") or you'll have to cut trusses. This is probably not what you want to do as it usually involves design work by an engineer and some pretty involved structural work.
If you have a stick framed roof you can double or triple up the rafters/joists on either side of the opening and header off the rafter you have to cut for the opening.
You'll also have to do some framing for the light well between the roof framing and the ceiling joists. Can get pretty involved but it's not rocket science, just make sure that you are transferring the loads around the opening that you cut if in a stick framed roof.

 

[retroedaddy]

I have been doing construction for most of my life and although I have never installed a Skylight,I have taken 100's out,replaced the rotten wood and Installed roofing back over them.Once I ever had to go back twice to fix the leaks caused by the repair.It's not that I think they are a bad product,but I think that most people who install them don't view them as a part of a Roof.Roof's have to be replaced,Shingles eventually leak,and fail to seal out moisture,so do Sky Lights.