A small room feels even smaller when the lights are off. No storage solution can fix that. Light can easily change the look and feel of a room, and if you don’t have adequate wall space for windows, rooflights can make a huge difference.

Kitchen extensions, small bathrooms, loft conversions, all can benefit from the use of roof lights. Side windows can make a wall look smaller, and if used incorrectly, can place a bed or cupboard against the wall, thereby losing usable space. Because the light comes from above, roof lights don’t create this effect. Also, roof lights don’t take up wall space like side windows do.

A flat roof light is good for a small extension because it maintains a lower roof line. A regular roof lantern makes more of a difference, but can be unattractive and impractical for a small, flat roof extension. Also, a roof lantern with upstand and glazed sides can make a small space feel bigger and give more of a sense of height, but it takes up more roof space and doesn’t always work properly in small spaces.

SIZE MATTERS. A big rooflight in a small room is a bad idea. Not only will it heat up the room during the summer, and especially if it’s south facing, you’ll need to spend money on blinds to resolve that issue. A smaller rooflight with decent solar control glass will do a much better job at controlling the temperature in the room and overall will be more effective than a giant rooflight that will turn your room into a greenhouse.

PosITION is key. A rooflight in the right spot will improve the function of the room rather than just the aesthetics. For example, a rooflight placed over a kitchen island or a bathroom that has no natural light will drastically improve the functionality of the space rather than just making the space look better in pictures.

Another, much cheaper, option that requires no construction is to use mirrors to reflect light rather than using a rooflight to capture light. This will help illuminate dark rooms that have windows.

The cost of a basic flat rooflight will be roughly £300-£500, while a roof lantern will cost at least £1,500.

See also: Bi-Fold Doors & Opening Up Small Rooms