Canterbury Skylights

The south-facing room dilemma: how to brighten a space that rarely gets direct sun

Skylight Auckland, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Fixed Skylights, Skylight in Home, Skylights, Skylights Wellington, Southland Skylights, Tauranga Skylights, Tubular Skylights, Vented Skylights

Some rooms never seem to catch the day properly.The rest of the home may feel bright enough, but one room always feels cooler, flatter or more withdrawn. It might be a spare bedroom, a home office, a bathroom, a hallway, a kitchen corner or a living area on the shaded side of the house. The room may have a window, but the daylight feels weak. It may never receive direct sun, especially through winter.This is the south-facing room dilemma.In New Zealand, south-facing rooms can be useful, private and comfortable when planned well. But when natural light is poor, they can […]

Winter power bills and daylight: where natural light can reduce daytime lighting dependence

Vented Skylights, Bay of Plenty Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Fixed Skylights, Northland Skylights, Skylight Auckland, Southland Skylights, Tubular Skylights

Winter power bills have a way of making every switch feel more noticeable. The heater is on more often. The dryer may run when the weather will not cooperate.

The 7.30am winter kitchen test: can you make breakfast without switching every light on?

Skylights Wellington, Bay of Plenty Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Skylight in Home, Skylights, Skylights Waikato

A kitchen can tell you a lot about a home at 7.30am in winter. The jug is boiling. Lunchboxes are open. Someone is looking for a clean mug. The day has started, but the room still feels half asleep. If every ceiling light has to go on before breakfast can happen, the kitchen may not be working as well as it should. Many New Zealand homes have kitchens that perform well in summer but feel dull through winter. The issue is not always size or age. Sometimes the kitchen has windows, but the daylight does not reach the parts of […]

Maintenance, cleaning and lifespan of circular skylights in NZ climates

Canterbury Skylights, Circular Skylights

1. Why a skylight care plan matters more than a “set and forget” mindsetCircular skylights are designed to work quietly in the background.Most of the time they:brighten rooms without you thinking about themmake stairs and internal spaces saferconnect daily life to the sky and weather.They are, however, still building elements exposed to New Zealand weather. A simple, realistic view of circular skylight maintenance NZ can:keep performance consistent over many yearshelp you budget for periodic careprevent small issues from becoming larger ones.This article focuses on:what “normal” wear and ageing looks likehow coastal, inland and alpine climates differpractical cleaning and inspection rhythmswhen […]

Circular skylights for coastal NZ homes: salt, wind and big skies

Circular Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Kapiti Coast Skylights

1. Coastal light feels different – and your skylight noticesOn a clear morning in Northland or the Coromandel, light arrives quickly.Sea and sky meet in a wide band of blue. Roofs take the first blast of weather. Inside, rooms that face the water can be:dazzlingly bright one momentflat and grey the next, as clouds and sea mist roll throughpushed by wind that seems to come from several directions at once.Circular skylights in these coastal New Zealand homes do a different job to those on calm inland sites. They need to:handle salt-laden air and wind exposuremanage glare off water, sand and […]

Circular dome on square base vs circular base: which is better for your NZ roof?

Skylights Wellington, Canterbury Skylights, Circular Skylights, Dunedin Skylights, Hamilton Skylights, Skylight Auckland, Skylights Waikato

A homeowner in Hamilton and an installer stand on a scaffold, looking at the roof.The homeowner points to the marked opening.“We know we want a circular dome. But I’ve been told it can sit on a square base or a circular base. Does that really make a difference?”From the street, both options can look like “a round skylight”. Up close, the base is where the skylight and the roof learn to work together.For New Zealand homes, choosing a circular dome skylight square base NZ configuration, or a circular dome with a circular base, affects:how easily the skylight can be flashed […]

3 mm vs 4.5 mm acrylic circular skylight domes in NZ: what really matters?

Circular Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Nelson skylights, Queenstown Skylights, Skylight Auckland, Skylights Wellington, Tauranga Skylights

Many New Zealand homeowners reach a familiar point in their circular skylight journey.They have:decided on a circular dome rather than a tubepicked a general size rangetalked through where it will sit in the room.Then the installer or supplier asks a short question that can feel surprisingly technical:”Do you want 3 mm or 4.5 mm acrylic for the dome?”On paper, it sounds like a small change. In reality, thickness touches on:how robust the skylight feelswhat wind and exposure conditions it is suited tohow practical larger diameters becomehow the cost line moves.This guide looks at 3mm vs 4.5mm acrylic skylight NZ decisions […]

When a circular skylight becomes the hero: designing 2 m+ feature domes in NZ

Circular Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Christchurch Skylights, Kapiti Coast Skylights, Queenstown Skylights, Wanaka Skylights

1. The moment a skylight stops being “just practical”Most skylights begin as problem-solvers: a dark hallway, a gloomy kitchen, an internal bathroom.Every so often, the brief sounds different:“We’re thinking about a 2.4 metre circular skylight over the main living space. We want it to be a masterpiece.”At that size, it is no longer simply a way to bring in light. It is a large circular skylight that will define the room, shape the roofline, and change how the space feels in every season.In New Zealand, where homes sit in coastal, alpine and windy landscapes, these feature domes need to balance:visual […]

The complete guide to circular skylights in New Zealand homes

Circular Skylights, Canterbury Skylights, Central Otago Skylights, Northland Skylights, Queenstown Skylights, Wanaka Skylights

Rectangular plans, square corners, longrun roofs running in neat ribs. Then someone stands in the middle of a room and says, “What if the light came from a circle?

From idea to installation: a practical skylight planning guide for NZ homes

Skylights Wellington, Canterbury Skylights, Skylight Auckland, Skylight in Home, Skylights, Southland Skylights

For many New Zealand homeowners, skylights sit on a quiet wish list for years.You might:notice how dark the middle of the living room feels on winter afternoonsuse hallway lights almost all daykeep thinking an internal bathroom would feel better with natural light.At some point, the thought becomes more concrete:“We should do something about this. Maybe a skylight?”Then the questions arrive just as quickly:Where should it go?What type do we need?Is it better to wait until we renovate or re-roof?Illustrative Example Only: “In our Lower Hutt home we knew the living area was dark, but we didn’t know where to start. […]