Crofton's Guide to Rooflights:

Open plan living spaces have become wildly popular in the 21st century, usually featuring kitchens with islands, cosy snugs and vast dining layouts. This has been met with difficult lighting situations, where sunlight cant penetrate through the depth of the whole space. Rooflights solve this by providing sunlight at all times, even on the cloudiest of days. This guide shows the different types of rooflight available, so you can make informed choices for your next project.

We usually specify VELUX rooflights due to there wide range of sizes and products, but there are many companies who can make them bespoke also.

FLAT ROOFLIGHT:

For your low pitch roof types (0-15 degrees), there are several options available for a selection of sizes. These will either be a flat glazing window or a curved/dome shape, however a flat rooflight does have a minimum angle of 2 degrees to account for rainfall. These are all available with solar, electric & fixed variants which provide you with diversity based on your space.

PITCHED ROOFLIGHT:

Pitched rooflights have the most variations available making them versatile for all sorts of projects and roof types. Since they are suitable for 15 degrees to completely vertical, with doubled and tripled up options, they are the most common rooflights you see. Also, these come with top hung and central pivot for opening options, as well as the manual, solar and electric preferences too.

CONSERVATION/HERITAGE ROOFLIGHT:

The UK contains hundreds of conservation areas and ASRC’s, meaning strict planning rules may significantly alter the chances of gaining planning permission with regular rooflights. These conservation windows aim to improve those chances by sitting flush with roof tiles to maintain a historic look and prevent detracting from the natural beauty of the original architecture.

BALCONY ROOFLIGHT:

This innovative design combines a balcony into the rooflight design, fully opening up to provide space, light and fresh air all in one. It consists of a top hung regular rooflight and bottom hung balcony rooflight with side railings, to provide extra safety. These are particularly useful in areas where a dormer isn't feasible, but the head height can be difficult.

ROOF LANTERNS:

Roof Lanterns differ from rooflights so will sometimes be misnamed, however the main contrast is the aesthetic and feel. A Roof Lantern is much grander and will add a lot more in terms of look, however they both will provide the same effect in a given space. They tend to be designed bespoke and can be placed anywhere from 5-15 degrees so are only suitable for flat roof’s.