Canadian Home Workshop Magazine - July/August 1998 Issue A Drop of Golden Sun Few home renovations rival a new skylight for impact. Here’s how to let in the rays By Allan Britnell Take one dark kitchen, put holes in the roof and ceiling, add a couple of skylights and volia-it’s a bright new world in Barb Hourtovenko’s home. And the Lord said, “Let there be light.” Or was that your spouse? For Barb and George Hourtovenko of Hamilton, Ont., the question came from within. They wanted a skylight to help brighten up their kitchen, which received little natural light from a window facing east into a neighbour’s exterior wall.
For this job, we spent two days at their home while Denis Charron and Ed Milloy of Toronto-based Skylights Unlimited installed a double skylight over the kitchen. Their tips and the accompanying photos will help you in your DIY installation, but you should always use the instructions that come with the skylight you buy as your main reference guide. You can also ask the skylight dealer for an installation video; some manufacturers make them available for DIYers. Skylight installation is a two-person job.
A lot of the work requires two sets of hands and it’s safer to work with a helper. The job calls for many standard tools, but you’ll also need a few specialty tools. A reciprocating saw is ideal for cutting rafters and drywall. A scaffold will make life easier, not to mention safer. Gloves, dust-mask and goggles will make working in the attic more bearable.
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You’ll also need a bevel, chalk line and a prybar. Your first step in a skylight installation is to determine where you want to - and more importantly, where you can - install the skylight.
It’s not an exact science. Factors like the placement of beams and rafters, wiring and plumbing and the location of roof vents will influence where your skylight goes. Pinnacle Studio 16 Ultimate Crack. You should also consider installing the skylight on a north or east-facing slope to avoid direct sunlight into the house, which will make it hot in the summer and fade carpets and furniture. For an overview of the types of skylights and accessories you can buy, see page 38.
Elna Lock T34 Serger Manuals. Determine your Layout. You need to start by getting into your attic. After assessing physical limitations around your preferred site, consider interior and exterior esthetics.
Once you think you’ve found a good spot, start clearing insulation and laying things out. You may find it easier to work from a piece of plywood laid securely across several joists. Start by laying out the exterior roof opening.
You can cut an observation hole in the roof to help you with the layout. Try to place the skylight between existing rafters if you can. Any that are cut will have to be supported while you work. Never cut trusses or more than two rafters without consulting a building engineer first. Once you’ve determined your spot on the exterior roof, do the same on the ceiling. You’ll want to flare the tunnel walls to allow for as much light as possible.
“The size of the opening will really depend on what the framing will allow, how deep the tunnel will be and also a bit of common sense,” says Charron. A 2’ x 2’ skylight would be dwarfed in a 8’ x 8’ opening. Two to three times the skylight size is a good standard for the opening. Use a level held against the inside of each end rafter to mark a point on top of the ceiling. Drive a nail in each corner – these will show where the tunnel edges will be on the inside of the house.
Run a Chalk Line. Use the nails as guides to run a chalk line along the ceiling. Build a Scaffold. You can work from ladders but it’s much safer and easier to work from a scaffolding – you can make your own like Charron and Milloy did, or you can rent one. Setting up a tarp to keep the insulation and sawdust contained is a good idea. Here Milloy tacks up a tarp from the ceiling to the base of the scaffold.