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May 2018 Featured Project – Commercial Skylights

When it comes to commercial projects, Heinsight Solutions does not shy away. This month, we completed three separate commercial jobs for local businesses in Fort Collins. The one featured below is an office building in Old Town with a large custom hip ridge skylight.

Before: The existing skylights featured heavy hail damage, and had developed a leak due to the damage. Acrylic skylights can become brittle over time, making them more susceptible to hail damage. The curb and surrounding roof were still in fine condition, however, so replacing the skylight itself ended up being the quick fix that the owner needed!

After: The owner decided to opt for a similar style, ordering a custom hip ridge skylight with bronze over clear glazing. Since we did not need to dig into the roof, this installation took only a couple of hours, and left the entire space looking transformed!

6 Ways a Skylight Can Improve Your Life

Installing a skylight can be an intimidating process, if you haven’t given it a lot of thought. Part of our job at Heinsight Solutions is to help you see the end result of the project before it has even begun! Below are several of our favorite ways that a skylight can improve your life!

Cut down on energy costs

Skylights and Sun Tunnels will reduce the number of times you need to turn on the lights during the day. Even on the cloudiest days, natural light will stream in through your skylight and reduce the need for electricity. Installing a skylight that opens will also cut down on air conditioning costs, by improving circulation and ventilation in the house!

Bring in fresh air

Speaking of ventilation, skylights that open ensure that even on the days when you simply cannot leave the house, you are breathing some fresh outdoor air. This doubles as a safety feature! If there is smoke inside of the home – just open the skylights up to help get the smoke out.

File for tax credits

Starting in May of 2018, there will be a tax credit option for almost every VELUX skylight or Sun Tunnel option. So, while your solar powered skylight is paying itself off with energy savings, you will be reaping the benefits of a credit on your federal taxes for 30% of the cost of the job! Whether it’s a solar powered skylight, blinds, or a night light for your Sun Tunnel, we can make sure that we save you every penny with tax credits!

Soak up the natural daylight

Ok, this one seems obvious. But did you know that natural daylight can help to eliminate depressive symptoms? We’re not doctors, but we think this is a pretty excellent unintended side effect of home improvement! This benefit extends to your adorable pets, who love to bask in the sunlight.

Open up those small rooms

Some rooms just never seem big enough. Modern home builders are adding extra windows to make the space appear larger, and we recommend this on your fifth wall (in other words, your ceiling) too! A skylight will make the ceiling seem higher and brighter, while a Sun Tunnel carry light into the corners of the room that are not reached by lamp light.

Increase the value of your home

Even if you’re not in your forever-home, yet, adding skylights to your current house is a wise design idea, for the simple fact that it raises the curb-appeal and value of your home. A skylight installed by a competent contractor can bring in modern home buyers that are looking for move-in ready homes.

April 2018 Featured Project – Skylights

With hail season right around the corner, we wanted to share one of our money-saving tips for skylight replacement. A full inspection from a trained skylight specialist will reveal the scope of the work necessary to bring the skylight up to warranty standards. Often times, a skylight can become damaged in a hail storm, even though the flashing, curb, and surrounding area are still in good condition. In these cases, we recommend a Pop-on replacement of the skylight only.

This homeowner experienced a hail storm which cracked the out layer of their bubble skylights. opted for the sleeker look of the VELUX flat laminated glass skylights, and added solar powered blackout blinds.

Prior to replacement, the older bubbles cast a more yellowish light, due to the glazing on the double dome. The outer layer of the dome became cracked during a hail storm. Though the crack did not cause a leak, the integrity of the skylight was compromised, and the pattern of light became distorted in the area where the skylight was cracked.

The new skylights are far more durable against hail, offering a 10 year hail warranty for the glass. The LoE 3 glass has a 98% UV block, which helps reduce the need to squint when looking up at them. This means that light shining through can be clear as day! The blinds help with daylight control and insulation, and when they come factory installed in the skylights, they qualify the whole project for a 30% federal tax credit!

March 2018 Featured Project – Skylights During Re-roof

A local roofing company contacted us to assist with the replacement of 6 skylights during re-roof. The homeowner had a mixture of fixed and opening models, and wanted to stick with the same style, and have coinciding warranties with their roof. Replacing skylights when there are no shingles on the roof cuts down on our set up and installation time. Coordinating replacement during re-roof means that we can pass the extra savings on to the homeowner! In all, this installation took only 6 hours from start to finish!

The roofing material around the skylight must be removed and replaced to ensure a proper seal.

These removable crank handles ensure that the skylight can be opened from a safe distance.

What a beautiful view!

February 2018 Featured Project – Sun Tunnels

This homeowner was looking to add some natural light into a long hallway, where the light always seemed to be on. After a simple four hour installation, the hallway is completely transformed! Each Sun Tunnel features a light kit, which operates on the same switch the existing overhead lights worked on. This way, the homeowners are able to light their hallway during the evening hours as well!

January 2018 Featured Project – Skylights

This homeowner purchased a home with 6 older-model skylights, and was looking to upgrade them to be more energy efficient. We installed several fixed skylights with blackout blinds, which help to insulate the home against heat loss in the Winter and heat gain in the Summer, and a solar powered opening skylight in a bathroom to help with condensation issues. For all six skylights, installation took only two days from start to finish!

All of the skylights featured heavy hail damage.

Each new skylight featured solar powered blinds. The skylight in the center is a solar powered opening model.

We used a special combi-flashing option, which provides a better seal for skylights that are installed close together.