Even though language has infinite combinatorial possibilities, most sentences have already been said. However, it seems unlikely that many people have ever said “Ugh, I hate having a skylight in this room!” You rarely hear complaints about a warm suffusion of natural light throughout the day, a skylight’s energy-saving capabilities, or just the sheer beauty it can bring to a room. Despite that, skylights aren’t always the first thing considered after purchasing a house to fix and flip. The benefits they bring are great, and they help sell a house both for functional and aesthetic reasons. If you have acquired an equity-based hard-money loan from Socotra in order to bring your fix-and-flip to market, consider the benefits of skylight installation. It can really brighten up your possibilities! (There’s a sentence that shouldn’t ever be used again.)
The Benefits of A Skylight
If you aren’t convinced that a skylight can help you sell your house once it is on the market, consider these benefits.
Increased Natural Light
This is probably the most important one. Skylights, if installed correctly (see below) and in the right amount, bring incredible amounts of natural light into a building. In a house, this automatically cuts down on the energy costs associated with artificial lighting. With skylights, you can go without turning on the lights until nightfall. This will save homeowners a lot of money, which is a great promotional tool for potential buyers.
Lower Heating Bills
In cooler climates, particularly up in Northern California, heating bills are an increasing concern. The proper skylights can lower bills by letting in natural heat and light. Like with window replacement, you are going to want to instal skylight panes with a low U-Factor (the amount of heat that can be lost from the inside). Bringing in natural heat without losing artificial heat can lower bills.
Better Light Than Windows
The energy-efficiency of natural lighting is one of the most eco-friendly reasons to have a skylight, but there are also the immediate aesthetic reasons. Natural light is extremely pretty and relaxing, and skylights allow it to suffuse evenly throughout a room without the glare you get from windows.
Beauty
Let’s face it, skylights look great, especially from the inside. They are a peak at a world we rarely see, the one above our heads. There is nothing quite like them during a storm, either. People just love curling up under a skylight with a blanket and a mug of something and a good book. They are just naturally relaxing. Homebuyers will look at them and see a place for meditation and comfort, and will be more likely to buy. There is something about skylights that appeals to our sense of nature in a way even windows don’t.
Tips For Skylight Installation
Of course, we don’t recommend you install them all willy-nilly (we never recommend that). There are a few things to keep in mind during skylight installation.
- Understand the sun. You don’t have to be an expert in nuclear fusion to understand that the sun behaves differently at different angles. Skylights on south-facing ceilings can overheat a room during the summers. Skylights in western ceilings can lose some of the morning light. If the room provides options, consider what will work best to capture the most light (while understanding that a skylight might not work in every room).
- Blinds help. It might seem paradoxical, but you want to give homeowners a chance to limit the amount of sunlight. Built-in blinds can lower the light on the hottest part of the day, giving buyers much-appreciated options. Comfort glazing, which reduces the amount of heat that comes in, is also optional, and something you may want to consider depending on your climate.
- Pick the right glass. Along with glazing, make sure that the U-Factor, Heat Gain Coefficient, and emissivity rankings are right for your area.
- Pick the right sizes. Small skylights may work for bathrooms or smaller rooms, but a skylight that is too small isn’t worth the work. The costs of skylights lies largely in their installation (they are about $100 a square foot), so a skylight that bring little tangible benefit isn’t worth your time and money.
- Plan ahead and read our next article. Installing a skylight is a complicated procedure, in which you’ll want to make sure that you have everything planned out in terms of rafters, insulation, waterproofing, and more. Next week, we’ll go step-by-step in installation.
At Socotra, we want your fix-and-flips to be a success and get you the highest return on investment. Skylight installation, with its promise of beauty and efficiency, can help them do that. They are a great way for you to use your equity-based hard-money loan from California’s leading lender. It’s a really bright idea.
