Solar pipes

[TicklyT]

Not sure if this is a roofing or window question, but here goes.....

Has anyone any experiences of using solar pipes / light pipes / whatever to get some natural light into a stairwell?

It's for a 1960s house that was originally built with a flat roof, and skylight over the central stairwell. After many problems with the flat roofing system, it was re-roofed with a concrete tiled pitched roof in the 70s, and the skylight became a loft hatch. The stairwell is very dark and dingy, the only natural light is borrowed light from small fanlights above two bedroom doors, which is something I would like to improve.

The floor area is only about 6 square metres, and, of course, 2 floors high at one end. The volume would be about 20 cubic metres.

Would a velux in the roof, a stud walled light well through the loft and a translucent panel in the ceiling offer a better solution?

 

[masona]

Has anyone any experiences of using solar pipes / light pipes / whatever to get some natural light into a stairwell?

I've fitted velux sun tunnel pipe, it's very good and this was on a bright cloudy day!

sunpipe

• masona
• 25 Feb 2009
• 2

Would a velux in the roof, a stud walled light well through the loft and a translucent panel in the ceiling offer a better solution?

Done this twice in my property but not with a translucent panel, used timber studding from the ceiling level to the roof rafters plus electric velux window which is handy for fresh ventilation and natural light, depends what you want, don't know if they do a ventilating sun pipe if you need it.
This is the bathroom

And this is above the shower room, got fed up with the old fan + light and lack of ventilation and was difficult to do as the roof is bowed

Wasn't easy to do this one! The small velux window is above the shower room and the sunpipe panel is for the utility room, the big velux is the loft conversion!

 

[Nige F]

sun tunnel like masona it`s a good `un.

 

[TicklyT]

Thanks for the thoughts. If the sun tunnels really do what it says on the tin, I'll take that route.

I didn't fancy extending the landing ceiling upwards within the loft, as ceiling over the stairwell already looks a bit too tall and narrow to my eye, hence the translucent panel idea.