Skylight or sun tunnel?

[CountingToThree]

We are currently having a first floor extension which means blocking the landing window up.

I asked our builder to install a sun tunnel to get some light on the landing but what he has actually put in is a skylight/ lightwell.

He is willing to change it to sun tunnel but before we go ahead is there any reason why we should stick with the skylight?

My main thoughts are the difficulty in keeping the lightwell clean (of spiders/ cobwebs) and being able to see directly to the window at the top and any leaves/ muck on the window which I won't be able to clean. (i am not particularly houseproud and like to keep things as low maintenance as possible) I would also need to paint the inside of the lightwell once it was plastered (i generally do the painting, we don't get decorators in)

But will a skylight let in more light (it and the sun tunnel would both be southfacing)

Interesting question OP given I'm currently making the decision of what to go for myself for exactly the same reason! Hopefully a bump will get you people with actual opinions!

We did exactly the same extension and put in a sun tunnel. It’s fab gives off a great amount of light our landing isn’t dark at all. Although ive never had a skylight window so I don’t know how they compare.
Get the biggest one and go for a rigid one rather than a flexible one.

Sorry I misread the post you already have it in

I have never had a sun tunnel, so I can only tell you about a skylight. Mine, however, is easy to clean - it's on a flat roof extension that I can access through a first floor door!

The thing I love the most about it is, well, being able to see the sky. It's like a James Turrell installation, but withouth the draughtiness I like watching aeroplanes cross it, I like watching cloud shapes. I like the lovely amount of light with which it floods the room, and the fact that this light has a lovely quality to it that makes everything look really clear.

Is yours a window that you can open? I thought most nowadays tilt inside so they be easier cleaned

I've got this on my landing and also in an ensuite. My DH preferred this option to a sun tunnel. I'm very happy with them. The ensuite particularly is very bright (south facing) and it's lovely being able to see the sky.

Where is the Skylight in roof? I would love this, but surely if you put a skylight on landing in it would just look into the loft?

Thanks everyone - the skylight is in the roof and has a tunnel through the loft to an opening on the landing

I think we are going to go ahead with changing it to a sun tunnel as there's no way that i can reach to clean it - even if it does tilt in it's too high up for me to reach and you can only see out of it by looking up as you walk downstairs.

I have never cleaned mine

We've got a skylight above our stairs. It would be impossible to clean but I've never noticed any dirt on it. I think it's too highup for leaves and moss etc and it's on a slope so bird poo will wash away. Would yours be sufficiently high up and on a slant? If so I would stick with it, it will give you a lot more light than a sun tunnel and a view of the sky which is lovely.

If it is already installed and you don't like looking at the sky/worried about cleaning - then just keep the same structure as all the expensive work is done and just install a horizontal frosted glass or plastic laminate panel across your ceiling so that you have you own home made sky light which you can reach to clean? I think the extra height a skylight gives over a sun tunnel feels and looks lovely and more natural - as well as being able to see outside!