The perfect addition to any room or conservatory, roof lanterns provide the best natural lighting solution for your home or office building.
Before deciding on a new roof lantern it is important to understand exactly what you can get for your money. Whether you need a roof lantern for your attic, extension, conservatory, or even as a vertical installation at the side of your house, these expertly designed lanterns will add extra depth and a stunning conversation piece to your building.
Roof lanterns are typically used on flat roofs, allowing them to catch sunlight throughout the day to brighten your room, and these rooflights can come in a range of shapes such as flat rooflights, domes, and pyramids, each with their own natural lighting benefits and aesthetic qualities. Your first consideration when purchasing a roof lantern may be to increase the natural lighting in your home, but a bespoke lantern installation will also add an excellent focal point to the design of your room.
The natural light that a roof lantern provides can also greatly benefit your mental wellbeing, happiness, and productivity for those that work from home. You can read more about the benefits of natural lighting in our blog, Benefits of Natural Light.
Toughened Glass provides a stunning range of rooflights and skylights, including roof lanterns; pyramid skylights, fixed rooflights, and conservation rooflights at unbeatable prices, all expertly designed and installed by our dedicated team.
What is a Roof Lantern?
As detailed in our blog, ‘What is a Roof Lantern?’, a roof lantern can be defined as a type of skylight that is installed on a flat roof, however, roof lanterns are synonymous with a sloped or pyramid shape, whereas skylights typically feature a flat design.
The pyramid design of a roof lantern will benefit the overall natural lighting potential in a room by refracting sunlight and distributing it better across the room. This means that during the day, as the sun moves around your house or building, the angular windows will capture sunlight better and direct it into your room. This is a particularly important design feature if the roof does not benefit from direct sunlight all day.
How Much Do Roof Lanterns Cost?
Toughened Glass roof lanterns can be ordered in a range of design specifications, such as different sizes, glazing options, shapes, and glass types. The price of your new roof lantern will change depending on your preferred specifications, for instance, you may wish to order a roof lantern with a higher U value for better thermal efficiency.
You can also order roof lanterns in a variety of sizes to suit any roof space, with larder roof lanterns naturally costing more than smaller ones.
Our roof lanterns can range from £458.33 for a 500mm x 500mm neutral glass Wendland roof lantern, up to £4453.77 for a 6000mm x 2500mm Ambi Aqua model Korniche roof lantern.
Do You Need Planning Permission to Install a Roof Lantern?
New rooflight installations will not generally require planning permission from a local authority, provided that the roof lantern meets particular energy efficiency and safety standards. These include:
- Any alterations cannot project more than 150mm from the existing roof plane
- Alterations cannot be higher than the highest part of the roof
- Side-facing windows must be obscure-glazed, and if a side-facing window has an opening then it must be 1.7 metres above the floor level.
You should also be aware that you may not be permitted to make changes to certain types of buildings, such as listed buildings or buildings of historic value, but this will require specific research depending on the building you plan to alter. You may be able to have a new conservation rooflight fitted on a building of historic value, but you must consult your local authority before arranging such an installation.
For more information on rooflight planning permission you can explore our full guide, Building Regulations and Planning Permission for Rooflights: Complete Guide.
How Are Roof Lanterns Installed?
Roof lanterns are installed by first having carpenters create an opening, which will take into account the roof lantern size, the size of the upstand the lantern will be fitted onto, and insulation requirements for the sides of the opening to avoid cold bridging and condensation.
Once an opening has been created, the upstand for your roof lantern will usually be installed and a temporary cover may be fitted to protect the inside of your home from rainfall and debris, until the roof lantern is ready for installation. This work will usually be supervised by a building inspector, who will assess the structural integrity of the roof opening and compliance with building regulations.
Builders will then install your new roof lantern on top of the upstand, ensuring that all fittings, sealants, and thermal breaks have been installed correctly and work as intended.
Best Position for Roof Lanterns
When deciding a placement for your rooflight, you should first consider the position of your house in relation to the sun, and how long direct sunlight will reach the roof area throughout the day. Take into consideration that most roofs will not benefit from direct sunlight all day, so the best position for your roof lantern should be wherever the sun hits your roof for the longest amount of time. You should also think about the time of day you would benefit most from natural light, for instance, if your roof lantern is being installed in a kitchen or dining area so that your family can enjoy breakfast together, you will need to assess which part of the roof gets the most morning sun.
North-Facing Roof Lanterns
North facing rooms will benefit from neutral light throughout the day, rather than direct sunlight. This type of lighting is perfect for artist studios for instance, as neutral light provides a better representation of colour, without being affected by the golden hues of direct sunlight.
East-Facing Roof Lanterns
East-facing rooms will benefit from a tremendous amount of sunlight in the morning, but the amount of light reaching this room will gradually decline throughout the day. A roof lantern placed in an easterly position is best suited if you or your family start your day in the kitchen area.
South-Facing Roof Lanterns
With a south-facing roof lantern, you will benefit from warm light most of the day, with this type of roof lantern being particularly bright in the summer. Any rooms connected to the south facing room will also likely benefit from the light coming through from your roof lantern.
West-Facing Roof Lanterns
West-facing roof space will receive warm light and longer shadows into the late afternoons, creating a relaxing atmosphere with gentle yellow light. Roofs facing west will also benefit from natural light for the longest amount of time.
How Big Should My Roof Lantern Be?
A roof lantern should generally cover around 25-30% of the floor area to provide optimal natural lighting to your room. Your new roof lantern can be ordered in a range of sizes, depending on the size of your roof space.
You can view more detailed information on roof lantern sizes on our blog, Rooflight Sizes: a Complete Guide.
More helpful blogs
- Flies in Your Roof Lantern: Causes and Solutions
- Rooflights vs Roof Lanterns
- Are Rooflights Energy Efficient?
What Roof Lanterns do We Sell?
We sell a range of roof lanterns, including:
We also stock an impressive range of rooflights and skylights, including:
