Curb-Mount Skylight

Means the retainer ring and lenses are mounted on a 2x wood box frame which is installed and tied into the existing roof system.

Diffused Light

Indirect light that has been passed through a filter to reduce glare. Solar Tubes or Sun Tunnels use a light diffuser to spread the light evenly around the room, as well as white acrylic domes and frosted glass.

Flashing

Thin sheet metal or aluminum that has been fabricated into a waterproofing system that covers and protects the transition between the skylight and the roof. Different roofs require different flashing systems; ie…A tile roof requires a special tile-pan flashing. A shingle roof requires a step flashing system.

Frame

The skeletal structure of a skylight that mounts to the roof and encases the glass or acrylic. Skylight frames are usually made of aluminum because of it’s light weight and ease for transporting on top of a roof.

Laminated Glass

A type of glass that is actually two pieces of glass that goes through a heat treating process that sandwiches the glass together in between a thin layer of vinyl. This makes the glass shatterproof, like a car windshield.

LoE3

A glass coating that blocks UV light from penetrating the glass. This metallic coating is perfect for skylights because it also helps energy efficiency and reduce fading to fabrics from sun damage.

Pitch

The pitch of a roof refers to it’s angle. Some roofs like a flat roof have no pitch

Rafter

Roof rafters are the parallel wood studs that support the roof of a home. Sometimes rafters have to be cut, doubled up, and mechanical connected with Simpson ties in order to install a new skylight. This is why it’s so important to work with a skylight contractor with hands on experience.

Roof Deck

Homes roof decks are typically constructed of wood, tongue and groove lumber, or plywood. They are the structure that the roofing material sits on.

Rough Opening

The dimensions referred to the actual size of the cut out of the hole into the roof deck.  It’s measurement is between the structural lumber and does not include the finishing materials like drywall or wood paneling. 

Self-Flashing Skylight

means the skylight and frame which mounts to the roof surface is one piece. 

Tempered Glass

Is another type of safety glass that shatters on impact, breaking into thousands of little shards rather than large dangerous pieces. The outer layer of glazing on a skylight system is typically made from tempered glass, because it is super hard due to the heat treating process it undergoes during manufacturing.

Truss

These structural bearing, rigid frameworks support the load of your structure or home.  

Underlayment

A layer of paper under the visible roofing material

UV Light

Ultraviolet light is an electromagnetic radiation wavelength that is invisible in the sun's rays. It’s responsible for causing sun damage like sunburn to your skin or fade damage to your furniture from light coming through a skylight without UV protection. Glass skylights offer far better protection from UV light than plastic dome skylights.

Acrylic Skylight

Skylights that are glazed with a plastic lens, most often dome or pyramid shaped.  The lenses can come in clear, white, or bronze and are most often combined with 2 layers to make a double dome.

Venting Skylight

A skylight that is hinged on one side and the top opens up to provide fresh air to the inside.  They can be manually operated or solar powered.

Light Diffusion

The scattering of light caused by passing through a non-transparent material or by bouncing off semi-reflective surfaces. Diffusivity of a glazing material is represented by measurement of its “haze factor.”

Prismatic Sheet

Thermoplastic sheets with embossed pyramidal patterns that refract and diffuse light. Commonly used in skylights and other light diffusing applications.

U-Factor (U-Value)

U-Factor measures the rate of heat transfer and tells you how well the skylight insulates. The lower the U-Factor, the better the skylight insulates. 1 / U-Factor = R-Value

Weep Hole

A hole placed in a framing member to allow condensed or infiltrated water to drain to the exterior of the structure.