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Original poster

Is it worth having velux windows with no view?

26 replies

Palomb · 03/04/2018 12:53

We’re in the early stages of planning our garage/outhouse conversion to a bigger kitchen & utility room. We’re looking at having a pitched roof with skylights but they will just look out on the side of our neighbours house which is set up from ours as we live on a hill.

Do those of you with skylights use them for the view or just for the light?

This is the kind of thing I’m hoping to do

Link removed at the request of the OP by MNHQ

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 03/04/2018 12:55

Just for the light I'd say, and ventilation.

Just as an aside, I think your RL name and picture is on that link...

Lindy2 · 03/04/2018 12:55

I think velux in the ceiling are generally for light. If you want to achieve light from them then a view doesn't really matter.
They look great but be aware they can be ridiculously loud when it rains on them!

BarbaraOcumbungles · 03/04/2018 13:02

Eeek, thanks I’ll remove the link.

BarbaraOcumbungles · 03/04/2018 13:05

This name change this is bizarre GrinConfused

I quite like the sound of the rain tbh.

Lucisky · 03/04/2018 13:13

Funnily enough I was thinking about the noise of the rain/hail just now, as I was sitting under our kitchen veluxes being deafened by a sudden shower. Op, they are brilliant for light. I can't say I look up at them all that much, but it is lovely when the sun is streaming through.

BitOutOfPractice · 03/04/2018 13:19

You're having a bit of an identity nightmare OP Grin

BarbaraOcumbungles · 03/04/2018 16:19

Phew, link removed. I thought my cover was blown Grin

BitOutOfPractice · 03/04/2018 16:21

Your secret is safe with me, so if you see an eager little face peering in through your new Velux window, it won't be me, honest Wink

BarbaraOcumbungles · 03/04/2018 18:36
Grin
Eolian · 03/04/2018 18:42

We have velux windows in our house, but I'd assumed that most (like ours) look at the sky rather than a view. I love the light but they are REALLY noisy when it rains and especially when it hails!

BarbaraOcumbungles · 03/04/2018 19:14

We’ll be able to see be sky if we stand under them and look up but from the rest of the room it’ll just be a view of a white rendered wall.

It’s interesting that the noise has been mentioned a lot. I hadn’t consider that they might be noisy at all so that’s something to think about.

whitemarble · 04/04/2018 00:30

I didn't even think about the view when I put mine in the kitchen, they're for light. I was sat in the kitchen when it was hailing the other day (this lovely spring weather we're having Hmm) and the noise wasn't too bad at all. I'm pretty sure mine are the triple glazed ones so maybe that makes a difference.

The amount of light they let in is wonderful Grin

FireworksBaby · 04/04/2018 00:35

Definitely about light rather than view, you'd need to be about 8ft tall to see out of mine! I found it amazing the difference it made when it snowed and they were obscured, without the skylights my kitchen is no longer the gorgeous, light room I love.

BitOutOfPractice · 04/04/2018 07:46

Surely a conservatory is louder. I have one and it's very rarely a problem. Oh can't imagine a couple of velux windows would be that bad

Wellthisunexpected · 04/04/2018 09:35

Velux windows are great for light.The noise isn't an issue really, unless very heavy rain.

Eolian · 04/04/2018 12:21

It depends where the windows are. I have a velux in my bedroom and if it rains heavily or hails in the night it wakes me up (and I'm not a particularly light sleeper)!

BarbaraOcumbungles · 05/04/2018 08:51

Thanks all. Now to decide how big to have them! Have any of you had problems with them leaking?

lou1221 · 05/04/2018 08:58

we had a single storey extension, had two large veluxes, which have no view but let in a lot of light. We had two small ones in bathroom/utility again purely for light. Works really well, never had any leaks from rain, only from dh when he thought it was a good idea to clean them with a hosepipe!

Had a problem with the weights in one of the large windows, it wouldn't stay open, it was to do with the slope of roof, it seems to have sorted itself out now though.

RatOnnaStick · 05/04/2018 10:06

We have Fakro windows, (bit cheaper than velux at the time), and never had a single leak or issue at all so look around at different manufacturers.

BothersomeCrow · 05/04/2018 10:23

For the light, and as big as you can afford. One large Velux looks so much better than two piddly small ones.

BarbaraOcumbungles · 05/04/2018 17:02

I was thinking of having two large ones side by side in the kitchen and then a small one in the utility and what’s left of the garage but it’ll depend on costing.

I’ll have a look at Fakro, thank you for the recommendation. Do your skylights open? We’ve got high ceilings anyway so I don’t think we’d be able to open ours unless they are opened with a pole.

BestBeforeYesterday · 05/04/2018 17:27

Velux windows are fabulous for light, they let in much more light than same-size vertical windows. Definitely worth it. We have two that are very high up and need to be opened with a pole which isn't as bad as it sounds. I've got used to it.
I'd get one big window instead of two small ones because you need to factor in the thickness of the ceiling. Small windows can look a bit like a hole in the roof seeing as ceilings are usually about 30cm thick.

BestBeforeYesterday · 05/04/2018 17:29

Btw, it's definitely worth fitting sunshades on the windows as the sun heats them up very quickly.

Thistlebelle · 05/04/2018 17:31

We have Velux windows, having natural light is always worthwhile.

Get ones with child locks for safety (even if you don’t have children) and definitely get blinds.

RatOnnaStick · 05/04/2018 17:39

Yes they open quite wide, we use a pole to do it. Second the comment about sunshades if it's likely the sun will beam in.

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