Sun tubes/ tunnels

madmarch

Hi we bought a terraced town hose 3 years ago which we have been improving. We are not skilled DIY people. The house is terraced and has 5 bedrooms and on 3 floors. There is a stairwell running through the centre, with no natural light. There is a lot of light in every other room including the garage conversion, where we have a roof lantern. We want to decorate the stairs  and replace the carpet. I would like  sun tunnels installed. My husband thinks this will be costly, requiring scaffolding etc. There is a loft which is just about enough pitch to stand up in and a hatch to the landing. We live in west Sussex and trades people seem to be expensive here. Does anyone have  experience of this sort of work and how did you find reliable builders? Any idea of costs?

ProDave

They do work very well, though expect visitors to ask where the light switch is?

You will need a roofer up on the roof to remove a few tiles and fit the roof part and flashing kit.  It will be a lot cheaper if you can find a roofer happy to work off a pair of roof ladders.  Being 3 storey makes that less likely, in which case next best thing is a roofer with his own substantial scaffold tower to save having fixed scaffolding erected.

RAS

No idea of costs, but when work did them (mono-slope and multiple tunnels) it was expensive. In terms of outcome, the biggest problem was people ringing/going to reception to report that they were unable to turn the lights off.

It solved the complaints about sitting in a stuffy windowless room, though.

Woolsery

Friends installed them in their over-extended bungalow. They got rid of some direly dark corners, but the property was still hard to sell.

GDB2222

If it’s 3 storeys, will this light just be illuminating upstairs?

canaldumidi

Daylight tubes should be able to help bring daylight into this stairwell as could a roof light and light shaft.

The benefit of a daylight tube is that the light is contained within the tube so a "light shaft" does not have to be built between ceiling and roof but installation does require roof access.  A traditional roof light can be installed from inside the attic space (so no need for roof access), but a "light shaft" then needs to be built to deliver the light from the roof light down to ceiling which also then requires finishing and decorating.

The additional cost of a scaffolding tower (6/7m reach to gutter line) or normal scaffolding to gutter line to safely gain roof access would be similar to the additional work to build and decorate a light shaft under a roof light. The daylight tube would create less disruption overall.

The cost to supply and install a daylight tube with a scaffolding tower and roof ladder might be in the region of about £1,750 to £2,000 +..

Nearlyold

We had a "Solatube" fitted to the upstairs galleried landing some time ago and the importers (at the time based in Olney) were able to provide contact details of an experienced fitter in our area who offered an installation service. The price was quite reasonable circa £400  for the fitting.  We reckon that in terms of bang for buck, fitting the Solatube was the best home improvement we've ever made, it completely transformed the landing.

The Solatube importers have changed and are now based in Nuneaton, might be worth chatting to them to see if they have any contacts for fitters in Sussex.

Bendy_House

Stupid question time. In what ways are solar tubes better than artificial lights in such circumstances - ie, a passageway and not an actual living space?

I haven't seen many of these - can't recall the last time - but I have a vague memory of a bright, glowing convex dome which made me do a double-take wondering what kind of light it was, before realising it was a sun tube.

What are they like on overcast days? What about when the sun goes down?

If this is going to cost surely in excess of £1.5k, why not instead fit an LED light triggered by PIR switches, for example?

GDB2222

Thank you Bendy. That was my thought when I asked whether a light tube would just illuminate the top floor. 

If you fit a roof light that provides a view of the sky, that’s a new feature of the house. A sun tube is just a rather expensive lamp that will never recoup its cost. 

Nearlyold

Bendy_House said:

Stupid question time. In what ways are solar tubes better than artificial lights in such circumstances - ie, a passageway and not an actual living space?

I haven't seen many of these - can't recall the last time - but I have a vague memory of a bright, glowing convex dome which made me do a double-take wondering what kind of light it was, before realising it was a sun tube.

What are they like on overcast days? What about when the sun goes down?

If this is going to cost surely in excess of £1.5k, why not instead an LED light triggered by PIR switches, for example?

The light outlet is flat typically about 12-18 inches in diameter and contains multiple Fresnel lenses. The dome is on the roof and is the light collector.

In terms of overcast days and when the sun goes down the reduction in light from the solar tube is the same as the reduction in light coming through the windows.

We fitted one because the long upstairs landing, stairwell and to a lesser extent the downstairs hall were dark and dingy compared to the other rooms in the house, we prefer it light and airy and that's exactly what the solar light tube provides, it transformed the "feel" of the space.

We already had electric lighting to see where were going in the dark.

Bendy_House

It would appear to be very much an emotive issue, and I'm not diss'ing it for that. "Enjoy the changing light of day". Which will include, of course, night.

And this is what they look like:

A light.

That changes subtly with passing clouds.

As I said, I'm not diss'ing that - it's a bit like the difference between two timber surfaces, one real and one indistinguishable, but plastic. Or, a real flame as opposed to the most expensive electric replica. It 'matters' pretty much only inside your head. It's all about knowing that it's real light/wood/fire.

But, at what cost?