When Jeff and Lori Swick were house hunting for a new home with more space for their young family back in 2005, they fell in love with a two-story, wood-frame home located on a street that dead-ends into rural pastures.
They loved the bigger kitchen, larger overall house and a more open floor plan, but one thing had them shaking their heads in wonder.
“Someone painted over the skylights in the living room,” Jeff said. “You have skylights for a purpose – to bring in natural light – and when you paint them, you totally void that purpose.”
Photo caption: The previous homeowner had painted over the bubble skylights.
The acrylic bubble skylights had been painted over on the outside with brown paint, so that the brush strokes could be seen from the inside. The effect was to have two skylights that looked very dirty from the inside and hardly brought in any natural light.
Acrylic bubble skylights are notoriously energy inefficient, so very likely the previous owner was trying to cut down on heat generated by sunlight coming through the uninsulated acrylic.
Jeff had been researching skylight replacement when he noticed an advertisement promoting the 2018 VELUX Daylight Renovation Sweepstakes. He entered immediately.
And won.
Now the couple has a much brighter living room and the latest skylight technology. VELUX 5-Star Skylight Specialist Sun4Light replaced the old acrylic bubble skylights with two VELUX No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” skylights with solar powered blinds.
“I was amazed, first, at all of the extra natural light that came into the room,” Lori said. “Plus, it’s so bizarre looking out your roof and seeing trees. I’m still getting used to that.”
Photo caption: The new skylights provide a view of the treetops, in addition to natural light and fresh air.
The new skylights feature energy efficient glass that also blocks ultraviolet light that can cause fading. And they can be opened to create airflow in the room.
“Every time someone comes over now, he (Jeff) has to demonstrate the skylights,” she said.
“I think it’s cool that they’re remote controlled,” he said.
There’s so much more natural light in the room now, and, if it gets too bright, I can close the blinds halfway, he said.
“It definitely improves the functionality of this room to where I don’t have to use the lights in there during the day,” he added. “Before it was a room where we just watched TV. Now you can sit in there and actually have conversations.”
Do you have old bubble skylights on your home? Upgrade to VELUX No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” skylights for immediate gains in energy efficiency and natural light quality. Find an installer in your area.
