Why skylight?
- Natural light: Daylighting
- Aesthetically pleasing: It is in keeping with the house design. Let more light in!
- Looks spacious: It would help to ‘open up the space’ for my small kitchen.
- Alternative to a window: There is no wall space for a window
Why not skylight?
- Heat: The fixed glass skylight would function like a ‘green house’ trapping heat inside the room.
- Leaking issues: Leaking is the most common problem and would require long term maintenance.
- UV damage: UV from the sunlight could cause damage and discolouration to furniture or structure exposed.
Piglet and I took about 1 month to choose the design and the skylight manufacturer/ installer and the design.
Quotes for Kitchen Skylight
| SKYLIGHT CO | A | B | C |
| KITCHEN 10’X5’ | |||
| Description | Skylight specialist | Skylight specialist | Factory |
| Glass type | Laminated glass | Laminated glass | Laminated glass |
| Glass thickness | 12.38mm | 12.38mm | 12.38mm |
| No of glass panels | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Colour availability | Yes | Yes | Yes. Pricing differs |
| Metal frame size | 10cm X 5cm | 10cm X 5cm | 5cm X 2.5cm |
| Include gutter & PVC pipe | Yes | Yes | No |
| Include polycarbonate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Design | Shed roof | Shed roof | Butterfly roof |
| Price (RM) | 2750 | 3210 | 4100 |
We opted for A.
Skylight Installation Timeline
Day 1 Paid deposit
- 1st Site visit (lasting 30 min) a few weeks prior for measurements and quotations.
Day 7 Design & colour confirmed
- Clear-opaque-opaque glass for the kitchen skylight
- Black metal frame, grey gutter, white PVC pipe, white polycarbonate
Day 11 Metal frame Installation
- 2nd Visit*- 10.15am- 3.30pm
- Metal frame installed
Between Day 11 & Day 26- Electrical 1st fix, DIY minor painting, Plumbing 1st fix
Day 26 – Gutter & glass Installation
- 3rd Visit* 11.30am- 3pm
- Gutter installed & painted
- Mix up of glass colour- opaque-opaque-clear glass instead
- Final installation postponed as need to reorder an opaque glass and cut the clear glass- 2 weeks wait
Between Day 26 & 39- Purchased tiles
Day 39 Final Installation
- 4th Visit* 10.30am- 12.30pm 2.30pm-6.30pm
- Glass installed
- Gutter 6 inch short. Another trip made to factory to collect materials. Gutter lengthened.
- PVC pipe installed & painted.
- Polycarbonate drilled/ silicon-ed.
Day 41 Problems discovered
Problems discussed with skylight co owner and contractor the following day.
Day 45
- 5th Visit*- 11.30am- 1pm
- Now its time to wait for the rain test! Crossing my fingers….
*Visit duration includes works done for porch skylight