Things to Consider Before Hiring A Skylight Installation Company

Especially in the winter months, when exterior home improvement projects are slow, you may find many companies offering skylight services, whether it be installation, replacement or repair. Contractors, roofers and handyman may, in fact, have adequate experience with skylights to do the job right every time. But, please do not make the mistake of assuming that. Take your time to determine if the skylight installation company in Toronto you are hiring is proficient in every aspect of skylights, so that nothing about your project is guesswork.

There are literally hundreds of skylight options, fixed units, venting units, electric units, solar units, and types of glass - not to mention hundreds of blind and shade options.

Here are a few questions you should ask to determine if you are working with an expert:

1) What type of skylight is suitable for this project? Deck-mount? Curb-mount? And why?

2) What types of glass is available?

3) Do the skylight installation company in Toronto any warranty on skylights? What is your labor warranty?

5) Ask about all the options, styles, colors and shades of blinds available.

6) What professional credentials do you have? Are you a certified skylight dealer or installer? What training did that require? Do you have a Contractor’s license? Are you insured?

10) Where can I read customer reviews of your skylight work besides your website? Angie’s List? Home Advisor? Others?

Please remember, if your potential contractor is not able to answer all of your questions during your consultation, find someone who can. “I don’t know” or “I will look into that” are warning signs for you. The main reason homeowners have issues with skylights is because of improper installation or workmanship, not a physical defect in the unit.

Prefer the right efficient Skylight Contractor for a brighter home

To bring a new and brighter light to our home with the latest techniques and designs of aperture, skylights have been in trend helping in removing the darkness and lighting up the houses. These skylights have a natural secret hidden in it, as they provide natural lighting, which has many benefits. Skylights reduce the negativity from the homes by making them Brighter both with good light and with fresh air. Skylight brings the nature into the home.

Benefits of Skylights-

• They provide with the natural light from above that fills the every corner of the room.
• Creates a natural environment
• Helps in saving energy, as it reduces the consumption on lights and air conditioners
• Skylight with blinds helps in controlling the light during the different times of the day.

As Skylights are of different types depending on the requirements of the home improvement, they vary from deck mounted; curb mounted and sun tunnels to commercial skylights. Therefore, it’s important to determine the right skylight contractor, whether it is appointed for installation, repair or repair of skylights.

• Sufficient experience with skylights- The best way to make a choice from the dealer is to check the contractors, roofers, and remodelers experience. An experienced person or company will guide in the right direction, avoiding leakage and other faults. The company chosen should be well equipped and versed with different types of skylights.
• VELUX Dealer- VELUX group that is one of the great brands in building industry makes different skylight products that are prefabricated and offers their elegant designs with excellent energy performance. Before choosing the Skylight contractor, the professional credentials i.e. the VELUX certification must be checked.
• Warranty- The products offered i.e. the skylight and roof windows fixed by the dealers must be standardized which add flawless beauty to the home and commercial sites. The products offered should be warranted.
• After Contract services- If there are any changes required in the skylights, the dealer must be ready to provide prompt and non- delayed services to the homemakers.
• Uniqueness- Electing the dealer providing with a unique and well designed product can be the best option making the task more challenging.
• Customer satisfaction- The main goal of the skylight contractors must be aimed at providing better customer satisfaction. Working according to the requirements of the customers makes them happy.
• Budget- As there are a number of skylight vendors that are operating in the market, they misguide the customers, hiking their prices of fitting and choosing the skylight. The professional consultants of the companies must assist in their clients to curb their costs meeting their budget needs.

Choosing the potential dealer is a hectic task, but any wrong decision might lead to improper installation, defective fittings which may cause great inconvenience.

Get your roof leaks repaired before it’s too late

Roof leaks in Canadian houses can happen due many unwanted factors like defective installation, adulterated use of roofing materials, roof windows installed improperly and many other factors. The challenge to repair a roof leak is to find the source of leakage. In order to understand the source, we need to know the difference what’s a simple or small leak and a major in the roof. In case of roof leaks, it is always recommended to hire a contractor or a company that specializes in roof window installation in Toronto and also deals in repairing the skylights.

External factors are mainly the reason why a small leak in the roof happens. These situations can arise anytime. The nails weren’t fixed properly that resulted in a leak, chimney flashing wasn’t installed properly, or the shingles blew off due to strong winds. In these cases, the repairs can be done easily, you just to bolt in some screws, maybe add some shingles to cover the crack. The moment you see these smaller leaks, it is advisable to repair them immediately.

However, roof leaks can be also be caused by major problems. Lack of adequate roof space or loft ventilation is the classic example. Even when it has been sunny throughout, there are chances of moisture depositions which later turn into water and drips in. So, if the water is trapping in your loft, the roof deck will eventually get damaged and cause the shingles to come off.

If you hire a company, which is actually unaware of the whole situation, may just fix some shingles but that will be temporary and the problem will persist. You will be paying only repairs and may end up setting up a new roof. Here’s the solution, before you hire a local contractor or a company to fix the leakage problem, you need to ask them, what the problem that caused the leakage was, if they refuse to do so; it is better to hire some other company who would be willing to help you out and fixing the problem permanently.

In order to know if the company is being true or not, ask them what kind of problems have they handled before. A better way would be asking for references and call them personally to know what kind of service the company did when they faced a leakage problem.

Normally, pro companies that expertise in roof window installation in Toronto and running their business for a longer period can definitely be a safer bet. But, taking into account their credibility and how do they handle customer problems is always better than just blindly calling them to repair.

Smaller companies or local contractors may not have acute knowledge of the solving these leakage problems, so it is better to be careful in choosing the right company and invest some more time to get information that will keep you at ease. More importantly, check a proof of liability insurance of every roof leak repair company.

What You Need To Know About Skylight Glazing

When you are selecting a skylight to install on your roof, you should determine the type of glazing you use. When you choose a skylight glazing, ensure you consult with a professional skylight installation company Toronto in order to understand which choices you can go for. Skylights come in form of plastic and glass, but there are also other glazing technologies that may be applied to help in controlling the solar heat.

Plastic glazing is a type of skylight that is made of plastic. This is a cheaper option but with time, it may scratch and become brittle often discoloring and breaking over time. Most plastics also let in most of the UV light unless they are coated, and this increases fading of items and furnishes in your home.

Glass glazing material is considered durable for your skylight and does not discolor. The glass, which is used in fitting skylights, should be safe glazing, which typically implies laminated and tempered glass. Laminated glass is designed using a fabricated thin layer of plastic that is embedded near the core or center of the glass while the tempered glass offers a high impact resistance.

Laminated glass prevents it from breaking into sharp pieces, which may cause injury. The interlayer of plastic or resin sandwiched between the glass panes helps hold the broken pieces of glass together so that they don’t fall and injury people. Considering that skylights are located on roof surfaces, they tend to receive larger amounts of unwanted heat in summer or too much heat loss in winter. With this in mind, manufacturers of the skylight glazing materials help reduce these kinds of effects.

Different technologies are applied such as heat absorbing tints and insulated glazing such as double or triple glazed skylight glasses. There are also choices for low emissivity coating. A more thermal efficient assembly of skylight can save you money when you reduce the heating and cooling cost.

The kind of skylight glazing you use depends on the location of your building and how efficient you want to skylight to be. Also, you need to consider how the material will last. You don’t want to start dealing with repairs and replacement only a couple of years after installing your skylight. While you may want to save money by installing plastic skylight, you also need to know that this material is likely to warp, discolor, and get damaged over time.

The warping can cause weak zones or create cracks on the flashing material resulting in leaks. Discoloration will make the skylight to look unsightly and if it is installed in full view, you may reduce the aesthetic value of your home. Plastics tend to allow UV light to reach the interior meaning that you may have increased damage on surfaces and items from the destructive rays. A special film may be used to coat the plastic to prevent the UV light from directly reaching the inside surfaces.

When choosing glass glazing, consider having double-glazed because it will help in energy efficiency. Heat can get in and out through the skylight surface, and if it is not designed to offer good insulation and prevention of heat loss, then you may have issues with energy efficiency in your home. Consult with a skylight installation company Toronto to know which materials you can use.

Sun Tunnel: A Perfect Choice for Skylight installation

The concept of tubular skylights has been ruling for almost 2 decades, but every so often you may come across many folks that don’t know what they are and have certainly never seen one. So, here goes, in case you aren’t familiar with this thing.

A Sun Tunnel is a tubular skylight and a big departure from traditional skylights for several crucial reasons:

1. The tube runs from your ceiling to your roof through the attic space and can be installed at positions throughout your home that traditional skylights may not be functional. Sun Tunnels can either be rigid or flexible tubes that comes in different diameters. Larger diameters are suitable for larger rooms. Rigid tubes are appropriate for shorter runs and straight runs make for an easier skylight installation in Toronto.

2. One of the common questions people have about Sun Tunnels concerns what they actually look like in the ceiling and on the roof. Skylight installation Toronto work well in so many other places, including kitchens, great rooms, walk in closets, laundry rooms, hallways, garages and so on.

3. Yes, there are several brands of tubular skylights. You definitely get what you pay for as far as the least expensive brands are available at online stores. However, you can pay more than you need to with trusted brands that tend to charge for the extras.

Speaking of the roof, Sun Tunnels can also be installed on tile roof with the help of specialists that ensures quality installation.

Hopefully, this has been a good introduction to Sun Tunnels.

Use Skylights to Lower Your Electricity Bills

Proper lighting and ventilation are the two main factors that can instantly brighten up the environment of a house. Whether it is your store, garage or the attic, the stale air and the moldy smell combined with the dark and dingy appearance can make it look like a set straight out of a horror movie. To save yourself the scare, get these places lighted up and ventilated. While electric lights provide an instant solution, the best option still remains the natural light that brightens up the place and also brings in the warmth of the sunrays.

To welcome more of the sunlight in your home or office, get the skylight installed. The skylight services are categorized as commercial and residential. The services include skylight installation and skylight repair in Toronto. The services are also extended to the old and faulty, leaky skylight replacement.

These lights are available in a variety of models and price ranges. These help to minimize your electricity bills along with the heating and cooling needs. You can select the ones suited to your requirements and budget. The commonly available models include roof windows, unit skylights, sun tunnels and custom skylights. The residential options mainly include curb mounted skylights, deck mounted skylights and sun tunnel.

So, assess your sky lighting needs and find a proper one to light up your place.

4 Vital Things You Should Know Before Skylight Installation

Skylights are the most popular option for bringing natural light into a home. Even a single skylight can transform a room, thus adding more light than bathing and window interiors with balanced and energy-saving light. Here are some points you should keep in mind before installing a skylight.

1.    Don't Compromise on Quality

Energy efficiency, sound reduction, water tightness, and other aspects such as wind and load resistance are significant considerations. Try to discover additional options such as UV coatings, shading, and ventilation. There are many manufacturers who offer high-quality products made from sustainable materials in an effort to protect the environment. Skylight installation in Toronto is a serious undertaking, and you want to ensure that you'll be satisfied with your decision later on.

2.    Be Cautious When Choosing Placement

Skylight placement is identified especially by the placement of your home's rafters. So, plan accordingly and keep a space plan or blueprint in place before you start cutting out sections of your roof.

3.    Determine the Slope Before You Buy Flashing

There are numerous flashing kits available that are specific to a particular pitch, hence make sure you have the right information and the best solution for a skylight installation in Toronto so that you are able to make an informed decision.

4.    Consider a Self-Ventilating Skylight

There are many quality brands of skylights. Thereby, have an option that allows proper venting in your room as well as illuminate it.