Victorian terrace. Did loft conversion add light?

[sellotape12]

Our Victorian terrace is so dark. Just came back from our friends’ house bathed in sunlight to a gloomy hallway at ours. We are having the loft done soon and I wonder if the roof light at the top of the stairs will make a difference? Did you do this, and did it add more light to your hallway/ landing?

We did and yes it did a bit. I don't know if one exists that you can clean without going on the roof but if there is I suggest you get that. We didn't and it's gross! Also being able to open it might cool things down on summer nights.

Light paint and big mirrors near windows will help.

You can get a "light pipe" which is a big reflective tube with a window in the roof to let the sun in, and a panel in the ceiling that gives the impression of a skylight.

Now that you can get LEDs that simulate daylight, cold white,and warm white, you could have an obscure panel on the ceiling that gives the impression of light coming in through a skylight.

I have used the type with a long cranked handle that turns a screw to open and close. They are quite heavy, and unmanageable if more than about a metre long.

Holes in roofs tend to leak unless they are done by a skilled roofer who follows the manufacturer's instructions in detail. Companies like Velux have designed edges and frames to throw rain off and make it drain away. Double glazing cuts condensation and heat loss. You can get remote-controlled blackout blinds for them. It can be done with cords but they do not look good unless the roof window is next to a wall you can run the cord down.

Yes get a rooflight and one that opens also. Our dark and dingy mid terraced hallway was transformed.

@roses2 Ah wow you! We already have a small sun tunnel which was put in when the roof was done 8 years ago. It has been better than most terraces but I was hoping that yes, when a big, proper roof light goes in on the new floor that it might let light go down to the entire landing and hallway

Ok work has now stated and it's so dingy in our house temporarily! The sun tunnel that was in our roof is covered up by scaffolding, and our existing bedroom at the back is out of use as they had to put steel in it. So our hallway is now so dark we have to have the light on all the time. The new roof light is due in 6 weeks so hoping its light will extend down to the ground floor.

When we did our loft, the light above the stairs made the landing lovely and bright but it did not extend to the ground floor. Our front door also needed replacing, so we went for one with glass in the door and that did make a bigger difference to the hallway. (Our house is 1910 rather than Victorian though).

Our skylight makes upstairs lovely and bright but not much difference to downstairs. If I did it again I’d get a much larger one installed and one that opens. We have a solar powered Velux in the kitchen extension and that’s great - it also automatically shuts when it detects rain.