Sky Lanterns

A sky lantern adds a modern touch to an extension as well as providing more light and adding to the value of your house.

Sky Lanterns

A Beginners Guide to Buying a Skylight or Sky Lantern

Buying a skylight or roof lantern is a great idea because it will let in three times more light than a conventional vertical window.

The most likely place for a new skylight would be a kitchen or extension. One of the perennial problems with kitchens is that there is not enough light for food preparation, and perhaps you eat in the kitchen too. Kitchen skylights work wonderfully well, and are perfect for giving you the extra light you need.

Home extensions are popular with people who need more room but don’t want the expense of moving house. A skylight adds a modern touch to an extension as well as providing more light and adding to the value of your house.

What is the difference between a skylight and a sky lantern?

A roof light is a name you can give to any glass structure in the roof or ceiling, but a skylight and roof lantern are two completely different types of roof light. A skylight is a flat window set into the roof at the same angle as the roof, so you can have a flat roof or pitched roof skylight. The light can either be a non-opening flat light or can open by means of a centre-pivot or be top-hung. A roof lantern is fitted to a flat roof and projects above the roof, usually in the shape of a pyramid or crested elongated pyramid, to let light in from all sides. Lanterns are usually non-opening, but often ventilation is available.

Things to consider before buying a roof light


A south facing roof light will flood the room with natural light, and a north facing roof light will add lots of light to a dark room. Think about the size of skylight you might need; you might want a larger skylight in a north facing room, but be careful about too large a skylight in a south facing one, particularly if it is a small room, because you don’t want to swelter in the summer. Also overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can be dangerous. Normal glass doesn’t block all UV radiation, however many modern glazing products do have some level of UV resistance.


The strength of the normal house roof will not be an issue with skylights, but single storey extensions may have a flat roof that was not designed to take the weight of a roof lantern. It would be advisable to consult a structural engineer, and he will prepare a report which will be needed by the Building Control department of your local Planning Authority.


You do not normally need planning permission for roof lights or skylights, as permitted development rules apply. However, planning regulations state that any alteration should project ‘no more that 150mm from the existing roof plane’ and ‘no alteration to be higher than the highest part of the roof’ (source Planning Portal). These regulations apply to any alteration to the roof of a dwelling house (Town and Country Planning Order 2015). If you are enlarging your house by adding to, or altering, the roof, then other regulations apply. It would seem that 150mm would be fine for skylights. Sky lanterns, on single storey extensions, may be more problematic since they might project above your neighbour’s skyline, but they should be fine too since they wouldn’t be higher than the roof on the main part of the building. However, if in doubt, it is always advisable to check with your local Planning Authority. The other thing to be careful about is that there is a limit to how much glass is allowed in a individual structure, but this is unlikely to be a problem.