There are many things you have to consider when your house has a flat roof. For instance, you to invest in a specialised drainage system, you can’t used the ordinary weight distribution techniques relied upon with other roofs and it needs a suitable level of protection against strong up draughts, winds and other weather conditions. That is not all however, as you also need to make special considerations when looking for a flat roof skylight.
Special Flat Roof Requirements
It makes sense that a roof should have a certain degree of pitch (or steepness) to ensure that draining occurs naturally. However, special considerations have to be made for flat roofs that are not pitched. If you are planning to have a skylight installed into a flat roof, there needs to be specialised protection to prevent any water that collects on the roof does not leak into your house. This protection is normally in the form of curbs around a skylight, which are discussed at greater length in the following paragraph. Skylights on flat roofs also need protection from the collected water to prevent erosion from occurring.
Skylight Curbs
Curbs are a necessary feature of any flat roof skylight to stop water leaking through into your home. These feature pieces of material (or cant strips) used to fill out around the skylight at the 90 degree angle the roof and skylight intersect. The cant strip acts as a barrier on the juncture of the skylight and roof that keeps water away. It is important to note that curbs should always stand taller than the highest level of water that could collect on the roof. As a general rule of thumb, a curb of around 8 inches will provide effective protection.
Designs
Flat roof skylight manufacturers normally design them so that any water that lands drains off quickly and away from the material’s surface. Two of the most common skylight designs for flat roofs that include the above are architectural skylights and domed skylights. The term architectural is used when describing skylights to mean any non-flat, non-rounded skylight design. While domes, as you may have guessed, are any rounded skylights. Architectural skylights can range from very simplistic and small pitched skylight structures to more elaborate boxes and pyramids.
How To Find the Right Skylight for a Flat Roof
There are a number of companies who design and manufacture skylights for flat roofs and these can be ordered online or over the phone directly. Before you decide to purchase one however, you should speak to a reputable and qualified builder for some advice on the design that is most likely to work best with your own home. While this is often affected by visual considerations, it may include other crucial factors such as the skylight structure, shape, size and weight.
Only Use A Qualified And Reliable Skylight Installation Expert
Above all else, once you have decided on the style of skylight you want to have on your home, the most important thing you need to do is find someone to install it for you. As with anything, you should make sure you take the time to research and evaluate the options available to you locally and never order from the first company you come across. Look for testimonials, ask them how long they have been working in the industry and read customer reviews.