Are skylights a bad idea?
Short answer. Skylights are a bad idea when they are old curb-mounted units with site-built flashing, face south or west into hard Georgia sun without low-E glass, or sit in rooms that already struggle with heat and glare. Most of their reputation for leaking comes from poor flashing and aging seals rather than the glass itself.
The real downsides
- Leaks. A skylight is a large hole in the roof. Older units with hand-bent flashing, caulk-dependent seals or cracked acrylic domes leak most, and debris piling on the uphill side forces water under the flashing.
- Heat gain. A south or west facing skylight lets in a lot of summer sun, which can overheat a Georgia room and raise cooling bills.
- Glare and fading. Direct sun bleaches floors, furniture and art.
- Condensation. In bathrooms and kitchens, warm moist air meets cold glass in winter and drips, which homeowners often mistake for a leak.
- Long term cost. Skylights usually need replacing along with the roof, and the flashing has to be redone each time.
When they are a bad idea specifically
- On low slope roofs below the maker's minimum pitch.
- Under heavy pine or oak cover where needles bury the uphill side.
- In rooms you cannot shade, such as tall vaulted ceilings with no blind.
- When your roof is mid-life and you would rather not cut it open.
How to avoid the problems
Choose a modern deck-mounted unit with the maker's flashing kit, low-E laminated glass, and a north or east orientation where possible. Add a solar-powered blind on west-facing units. Install a new skylight, or replace an old one, at the same time as the roof. For halls and closets, consider a tubular daylighting device instead. See replacing a skylight with the roof and common causes of roof leaks.