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A GUIDE TO CONSERVATION ROOFLIGHTS
There ’ s a huge variety of choices in the conservation rooflight market and selecting the right product can be confusing . Paul Trace from Stella Rooflight offers some advice on things to consider when planning your own project .
What is a conservation rooflight ?
If you know that you need conservation rooflights for your project , the chances are that you have searched online and found plenty of choice . But , what is a conservation rooflight and are they all the same ?
To better understand what makes a rooflight a conservation style , it is important to understand the history behind this type of glazing and why the design is so sought after , not just on period properties but also more modern projects .
Without the ingenious concept of a rooflight , the vision of transforming unconventional space into a well-lit property would be a daunting task , and in some cases an impossible option . For that reason , the conservation rooflight could be considered a highly influential building feature , which has given the construction industry a solution to introducing natural light into a property .
Although rooflights , or skylights as they are sometimes known , have been around for centuries they became more prominent during the Victorian era as technology and building aspirations were stretched and roof glazing boomed . One of the most famous Victorian building projects was the Crystal Palace , which in 1851 used glazing on an unprecedented scale to showcase just what could be achieved .
Mass-produced Victorian rooflights for residential use tended to be made from cast iron and the earliest examples would have smaller , lighter panes of glass . This was partially down to limits of glass technology at the time but also because of excise duties , which were imposed on glass by weight in the mid-18thcentury . These slim , single-glazed rooflights with multiple panels of glass were unobtrusive in design and sat flush in the roof . Today , it is this minimalist appearance that many people are seeking to achieve in their glazing designs .
As a result of their popularity , there are lots of conservation roof windows on the market , which can make choosing the right one virtually impossible unless one can identify what the differentiations are . An effective way to make this distinction is to look closer at the attributes of a true replica of a Victorian conservation rooflight .
What material is the conservation rooflight manufactured from ?
If a conservation rooflight is all frame , then there is little point in having one . Genuine conservation designs should be manufactured with slim clean lines and a low profile to match the roofline . A number of skylight companies try to produce conservation rooflights using modern bulky aluminium profiles , which sit proud off the roofline , particularly slate . It is widely accepted that most authentic conservation rooflights are manufactured from steel because it provides great strength while offering a slim profile and excellent glass to frame ratios . There are many types of steel conservation rooflights and for unrivalled protection and lifespan , all Stella rooflights are manufactured from marine grade 316 stainless steel .
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