Skylight over staircase in loft conversion

[bodgerthebadger]

Hi, we're getting our loft converted and we definitely want a skylight over the staircase to maximise light. We're not keen on the dome skylights, which have been suggested by the builders as we prefer the look of flat skylights. A couple of questions though for anyone with experience:

1. Are the dome windows more practical in the sense that dirt and debris are less likely to stick?
   
   
2. How is the issue of cleaning dealt with? The builders have all said rain will wash the glass but I know it will drive me nuts if there's bird poo encrusted on or other debris and I have to look at this everyday. The location of the skylight means it will be v difficult for our window cleaner to access and self cleaning glass is expensive and not 100% effective anyway. Is the option to go for a Velux window that can be manually opened? Is this what others have done?
   
   Thanks for any tips you can share!

[livingthegoodlife]

we have a velux window over our staircase and the amount of light it shines into the whole house down the staircase is amazing. we have only had it a few weeks but we have the windows where you can tilt them in to clean them from the inside. i think we will just about be able to reach ours from the top step if we stand on a stool/ladder.

[bodgerthebadger]

Oh that's good to hear! We desparately need more light in our house and the hallway seems to be bathed in darkness so we need to maximise the light. If you don't mind me asking, what size Velux did you go for? Do you know? And is this is the one that centre pivots? I think we may have been told you can't have these on a flat roof or I could have been imagining this. Thanks for the advice!

[Hooliesmoolies]

I was told that you couldn't open the dome ones - so we are going for a velux over the stairs. It is going to be really hard to access to be honest, but we are getting easy clean glass too. So fingers crossed!!!!

[SonT]

we had a solatube at a previous house; they can't open and are smaller than a velux, but let in more light (due to all the aluminium sides).

They keep clean with the rain; and you can put a light in it, rather than next to it, to help keep things clean on the ceiling

[bodgerthebadger]

Thanks everyone for the advice! We think we will now go for a Velux manually open with easy clean glass to minimize the need to get the ladder out and climb up there! x

[minipie]

We have a Velux over our staircase with a remote controlled motor as it would be near impossible to reach any other way.

Haven't noticed bird poo on it (but I may just never have really looked!) It's so high up it's not very noticeable.

[Pinkfizzy]

We're going down the same path and I have had roofers tell me that you can't get opening domes and others sure that you can. We'll need access for aircon maintenance. (lots if roofers because many quotes)

Any thoughts on flat roof material-most roofers have suggested fibreglass but one told me that they'd ditched it in favour of rubber as laying and pouring the resin was so tricky and prone to problems eg rain the day before or the day after would ruin it and it couldn't be poured on too hot a day or it wouldn't set properly etc... British weather makes me wonder how many fibreglass roofs are a bit iffy...

[livingthegoodlife]

sorry im not sure what size velux we have over the stairs we have a 90x96 in the bedroom and this one is slightly smaller but not much.

i don't plan on opening my velux to be honest because i have other conventional windows only a little further down the hallway. i cant really reach the window safely but hubby can ok.

[HeyN0nny]

You can get extendable window-cleaning pole things. We have a Velux over the staircase, can't reach it, but the pole can (Velux pole to open and tilt, extendable window-cleaning pole to clean, job done).

[MillyMollyMama]

We have a large Heritage rooflight over our stairs made by the Rooflight Company. These are less obvious than Velux and they blend very well into the roof. It weighed a ton and the builders grunted like hell to install it! It is wonderful though and needs no cleaning. It just stays clean and we are near trees. It opens with a winding handle though as the electric motor was absolutely awful. Large and obtrusive. We had Velux windows at our old house but the Rooflight Company range suits older houses.

[bodgerthebadger]

Thanks for the tips. HeyN0nny had no idea you could get poles like that! What a good thing to know :-)

[planestrainsautomobiles]

We have two velux domes in our kitchen / family room and you can pay extra to get electric version which you open with a remote control. They are quite a bit more expensive so we have one which is fixed shut and one electric version which we are able to pen.

[Beakford]

We have lots of flat non opening skylights. They are lovely and definitely worth it but ... if you live in a city- be warned! Every night, foxes sit on my daughter's skylight and do their business whilst my daughter looks on. Very unnerving and very messy. I keep worrying one might fall through. Anyone else experiencing this?

[Iwantedtrianglesnotsquares]

We have a dome and after 5 yrs it’s a bit dirty. But the noise from the rain is not what we expected- there was no way we could put the children up there as it can be incredibly loud. We can not open it to clean it... but we would not be without it for the amount of light it lets in.