What are the benefits of a glass roof in an extension?

A stunning architectural feature designed to flood your home with natural light whilst making a style statement at the same time – a glass roof in an extension makes all the difference to your new space! Discover the benefits of having a glass roof lantern in your home in our latest blog post…

Throughout history, humans have always considered glass one of the most useful and progressive materials we can use when it comes to architecture. We have constructed some of the most iconic buildings of all-time using glass. From London’s imposing Shard skyscraper to the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, any building made from glass commands attention. We have brought this appreciation for glass into our homes, too – especially in extensions. 

While there are plenty of homeowners who opt for flat glass skylights, a roof lantern brings a wide range of benefits to your home. It extends ceilings and gives you breath-taking views of the sky above. Timeless and beautiful, a glass roof lantern is a stepped glass skylight that rises up from a flat roof and will add a sense of gravitas to new single-storey extensions. 

A well-designed roof lantern should be a delicate balance of glass and neat, symmetrical rafters, which is in proportion to the scale of the room it sits upon. It should have an elegant aesthetic and avoid an overly detailed or irregular style. Regarded as the ultimate way to brighten up a room, we construct bespoke roof lanterns into any size and shape to suit the style of your home; including square, octagonal and rectangular. 

Each roof lantern we design consists of high quality; sustainable timber called Accoya. You can find out more about this revolutionary material in our previous article, The Sustainable Lifecycle of a Timber Roof Lantern. Using a combination of innovative machines and traditional carpentry techniques, we create glass roof lanterns that perform flawlessly for the modern home. The addition of a roof lantern can considerably increase the value of your property, and there are several reasons for this. It makes your room look bigger and brighter, making your home seem more attractive to prospective buyers. In this article, we explore all the benefits of using this spectacular material in extensions…

The ideal solution for a flat roof

Because of today’s planning regulations, most homeowners opt for a single-story extension to avoid the lengthy and troublesome process of applying for planning permission. This usually results in a flat roof, which can sometimes feel like a rather ordinary and uninspiring part of the home. A glass roof lantern is an ideal solution, as it will add height and create a sense of space in the room. It is hard to put into words how a roof lantern can dramatically transform the look and feel of a room. Still, you only need to look at some ‘before and after’ images to see the difference it can make. 

Let the sunshine in

When we spend a lot of our time indoors, we do not always give our bodies enough exposure to sunshine, especially when the weather outside is a little gloomy. We have always required regular exposure to natural light in our homes; it improves our health, focus, blood pressure, sleeping patterns and general wellbeing. Sunshine reduces our stress and anxiety levels, and it even boosts our immune systems. 

Glass roof lanterns can transform even the gloomiest of rooms into a resplendent living space drenched in sunlight. Roof lanterns rise up above a flat roof, so they can catch the sunlight at any time of the day, even if your room is north facing or sits under the shadow of larger buildings. 

A stylish addition to your home

A roof lantern’s simple lines and balanced symmetry result in an extraordinary architectural impact, from both the inside and outside of your property. Created with the correct proportions, a glass roof lantern’s design should consider depth of the shelf, beam dimension and hip shape. The result is an impressive design that harmonises with the rest of your property. The roof lantern’s shelf depth, beam dimension and hip shape will all have an impact on how your room will look from the inside. In addition to this, we also offer a variety of decorative cornices to the internal aperture and optional curved hips with cock bead.

Saving energy

Many people do not realise, but glass is more energy-efficient than many other construction materials, including timber. A glass roof can make it easier to heat up your home, use less energy and save on heating bills. In all our roof lanterns, we use 4-16-4 toughened, clear, argon-filled sealed glazing units with Low E coating and warm edge spacer bar as standard. 

Bear in mind, energy efficiency does not just look at the heat being lost from your home. A roof lantern’s performance should be based on its solar gains versus heat losses. Solar gains depend on the share of solar radiation passing through the window. In colder temperatures, you will want your glass roof to maximise on this effect. During the summer, lower solar gains and ventilated cooling are more appropriate. Heat losses are dependent on the outdoor temperature, and the window’s ability to retain heat. Solar irradiation is also affected by the window’s position to the sun. A roof lantern’s purpose is to maximise on as much natural light as possible. However, if the incorrect glazing is used, your extension could feel hot and stuffy in warmer temperatures. 

Solar reflective glass is a popular option for our roof lanterns and helps to tackle overheating. The glass is called SN70/35 – the 70 represents the 70% light transmission, and the 35 represents the low solar factor of just 35%. This glass keeps heat out during summer months, reduces glare and reduces UV.

Connection with the outdoors

With such a high proportion of glazing, a roof lantern will make your extension feel highly connected to the great outdoors. You will be able to sit and watch the clouds pass over the sky above and see how the colour of the light changes at different times of the day. Even when the weather is stormy, it can be relaxing to sit under the glass and listen to the sound of the rain hitting the roof lantern. 

With a strong link to the outdoors, your extension will change your way of life and become the heart of the home. Your family can come together to sit under the glass, and what could be more idyllic than to enjoy breakfast together in the morning sunshine, for example? If you have visitors, they will appreciate spending time in your bright and airy room, and you are sure to get a few admiring comments! 

A glass roof lantern can heighten flat extension ceilings while offering beautiful and expansive views of the sky above. If you would like to invite natural light into your home with a stunning roof lantern, get in touch with our team today, and we will be happy to offer our expert advice.