How to get the best natural sunlight with Flat Roof Windows

Date: 16/01/20

If you’re planning to add an extension or orangery to your home with flat roof windows, then it’s likely that as well as adding additional living space, you’re also keen to flood your home with plenty of natural light. It’s a well-documented fact that natural light is good for us. It makes us feel happier, more energised, improves our sleep and wards off seasonal depression. All of this, and it also makes any living space feel bigger and more inviting to spend time in – it’s no wonder that so many people planning extensions or orangeries wonder about how to get the best natural sunlight with flat roof windows.

Here are the top 5 tips for how to get the best natural sunlight with flat roof windows

1. Choose the right flat roof window. Choosing the right flat roof window is critical if you want to get the best natural light with your flat roof windows. Many people think that flat roof windows are quite a simplistic product and that they are all the same, but this is not the case. Take the Ultraframe Ultrasky flat roof window – it boasts a unique feature known as edge to edge glass. What this means is that when you look up into the flat roof window from indoors, there is no frame visible, you simply see glass and the sky above. If your aim is to get the best natural light with your flat roof windows, then the Ultrasky flat roof window is the one for you. On other systems, you would see a frame around the edge of the glass, which would reduce the amount of natural light able to enter your extension or orangery.
2. Choose the right glazing for your flat roof window. To maximise the amount of natural light in the room below, it’s very important that you choose the right glazing for your flat roof windows. These days there are many options and specifications of glazing which are designed to retain heat from the inside and deflect the cold from the outside. These high-tech glazing options are also available in a range of colours and it’s crucial that you choose your glazing colour carefully if you’re focused on how to get the best natural light with your flat roof windows. The main advice is not to choose any of the darker colours of glazing such as browns or greys as these will add a dark filter to the natural light entering your extension through your flat roof windows and could make it feel darker – the exact opposite of the light, airy feel you are trying to create by bringing natural light into your home. The Ultrasky flat roof window is available with either clear or blue glass and either of these are fantastic choices for getting the best natural light with your flat roof windows.
3. Choose the biggest size flat roof window you can. This one is somewhat obvious but still worth pointing out – the bigger your flat roof windows, the more chance you have of getting the best natural light with your flat roof windows. Depending on where you want/need natural light in the room/s below, you could go for one very large flat roof window, or several large flat roof windows if your design and budget will allow.
4. Choose the position of your flat roof windows carefully. Choosing the position of your flat roof windows carefully is critical to getting the best natural light and is something you need to think about carefully. Many people simply think of the interior layout of the room, e.g. thinking they will position a flat roof window over their cooking hob or over a favourite reading chair, but only considering the positioning of your flat roof windows from the inside can cause problems and mean that you don’t get the best natural light with your flat roof windows. For instance, you may choose what you think from the inside is the perfect position for your flat roof window, but from the outside, this area of the roof may be overshadowed by a huge tree or another building – meaning that for much of the day it is in the shade. To avoid this, look out of your upstairs windows at various times throughout the day and see which areas of your planned extension roof are in direct sunlight and avoid those which are largely in the shade – this is not the place to position your flat roof windows!
5. Ask your installer’s advice about flat roof windows. While the first tips in this list will hopefully be a big help in choosing the best flat roof windows to get the best natural light, make sure you ask your builder or installer too for their advice. They will have a huge amount of experience in getting the best natural light with your flat roof windows and will be able to offer plenty of useful advice.

Summary
As you’ll hopefully now see, the key to getting the best natural sunlight with flat roof windows is to carefully research the right product and think very carefully about the size, glazing colour and position of your flat roof windows, as well as asking your builder or installer for their expert advice. If you do all of this, you should be able to create a beautiful extension or orangery that is flooded with natural light through your flat roof windows. Remember too that it’s not only the room with the flat roof windows that will benefit from all the additional natural light – any adjoining rooms will also receive additional natural light and feel lighter, brighter, larger and more enjoyable to spend time in.

Remember that the Ultrasky flat roof window from Ultraframe is the only flat roof window on the market to feature edge to edge glazing, for maximum natural light. 

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