- If you like natural light,
you're gonna wanna stick around
because today we're talking about
how you can get a skylight installed in your home.
(upbeat music)
Hi, I'm Bill Ragan with Bill Ragan Roofing Company.
I've been in the construction industry for over 40 years
and started Bill Ragan Roofing Company over 30 years ago.
At Bill Ragan Roofing Company,
we wanna make sure that you are well-informed
before making that important buying decision.
Today, we're talking skylights
and we're gonna be covering four topics:
What is a skylight?
What are the different types of skylights?
How much does a skylight cost?
And, how do you go about purchasing a skylight?
What is a skylight?
A skylight is a window-like structure
that's installed on your roof
and shows through your ceiling.
It comes with several options for upgrades,
and it turns any dark room from looking like this
into looking like this.
What are the types of skylights?
There's several different types of skylights
that we normally install.
Probably the most common one
is a skylight that actually opens,
and it has a solar motor on it.
So, it's powered by the sun, charges a battery,
you push a button and the skylight opens up.
And it has a sensor on it that,
if it rains and you're not home to close it,
then that sensor actually closes the skylight for you.
Now, if it's in a room
where you don't want the skylight to open,
there's two types of skylights that we install
that are fixed skylights.
One is just a fixed skylight unit.
And another one is what they call a curb mount skylight,
where it's, you build the curb
and then a skylight is just installed over that box,
or what they call a curb.
A sun tunnel is where you put
a round dome on your roof
and a shaft fades down to a diffuser in a room
and all that light reflects through that tube.
And it gives the appearance of natural light.
They're perfect for utility rooms and bathrooms
that are in the middle of the home
that there's no way to get any natural light to them
through a window.
The main manufacturer of skylights
purchased in the United States is VELUX.
You can always go to VELUX's website
and navigate through there to see
all the different types of skylights
and all the different components and options
that you can get to go with your skylight.
How much does a skylight cost?
For a sun tunnel, they're gonna start at around $1,300
and that's for the unit and the labor.
Installing a fixed skylight
or a curb mount skylight from scratch,
and that includes the carpentry, the insulation,
drywall, and paint,
you're gonna be looking at a starting price
of around $5,000 for a fixed skylight.
And if you go with, let's say a solar powered skylight,
that's an opening type skylight,
then that's gonna add
maybe somewhere around a thousand dollars to the cost of it.
Through 2021, if you use
any solar type skylight or solar blinds,
then you get a 26% tax credit
off the cost of the entire job.
So, that 26% normally equates to getting the blind
for little or no cost at all.
For a deeper dive into skylights and the accessories,
go to VELUX's website
and do a deep dive into their website.
How do you purchase a skylight?
To purchase a skylight,
you wanna look for a local roofing contractor,
preferably that's certified by VELUX.
If you're in the Nashville area,
call Bill Ragan Roofing Company and set up a consultation
for a new skylight.
I'm Bill Ragan. And if a customer of mine has a problem,
then I have a problem.