For anybody out there looking for cost-effective ways of improving the overall aesthetics of your home and flooding it with natural light, skylights could be the solution.
Skylights are great for letting plenty of light into the home, along with air if you opt for a vented skylight. They may essentially be windows attached to the roof or ceiling of a property, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spruce them up and accessorize them.
Whether you’ve a skylight in a loft or attic conversion, a single-floor extension, or a flat roof, skylights are perfect for letting more natural sunlight into the home, and brightening up any space. The problem is, unlike regular windows, you can’t fit simple blinds or curtains to them. Due to their unique shape and the angle in which they sit, skylights require specially designed shades and covers.
So, how much do these shades and covers typically cost, and what are your options? Here’s a look at several DIY ideas and a rough price breakdown to help you out.
Skylight Shades and Covers Ideas
To get the ball rolling today, we’re going to look at a few ideas and suggestions when it comes to skylight shades and covers.
If you’re lacking inspiration and aren’t sure where to turn, here are a few styles and designs guaranteed to bring any dated skylight to life.
Go Electric for Ease and Convenience
Because skylights are designed to fit into roofs and ceilings, you can’t just quickly open up their blinds like you can with standard windows. In order to open skylight blinds, you will typically need a specially designed tool that allows you to open them up from the ground.
Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, however, you can now purchase specially designed electronic skylight blinds that you can open remotely with the push of a button, or the tap of a screen. These motorized skylight blinds can be controlled via remote control and/or apps downloaded and installed on your smart device.
Ideal for skylights fitted into high ceilings, or ones that are not easy to access, electronic skylight blinds are easy to operate and will save a great deal of time and effort.
Go Dark with Blackout Shades
Even though skylights are designed to let sunlight into the home, there will be times when things get a little too bright.
Whether you’re looking to do some gaming, watch a movie, or simply relax in the dark, if the sun is shining brightly overhead, skylights may let a little too much light in. So, what can you do? Well, you can opt for blackout shades or covers.
As the name implies, these shades and/or covers are specially designed to prevent sunlight from penetrating into the room when closed. They’re perfect for viewing screens in the daytime and can be controlled manually, or via a motor.
Consider External Skylight Blinds
If you’re looking to fit blinds to your skylights, external skylight blinds could be a fantastic solution.
These blinds are attached externally to the skylight and fit securely around the roof and the roof window. The great thing about these blinds is the fact that, as they’re externally fitted, they’re designed to be very sturdy and durable.
Not only can they block out sunlight and boost aesthetics, they’re also great for keeping your skylights free of pests and issues such as bird droppings. Again, you can operate them manually via an opening pole from below, or electronically if you opt for a motorized design.
As useful as these blinds can be, they do require more maintenance and cleaning as they’re located externally and are exposed to the elements. As well as that, if you opt for a manually operated design, you’ll need to open and close them via the pole from outdoors.
Be Unique with Custom Designs
Of course, you can pick up plenty of generic skylight shades and covers that look stylish, professional, and lavish and really help to add a touch of class to your skylights. At the same time however, these shades and covers can look a little too generic and bland.
While there is nothing wrong with neutral shades and colors, they’re not ideal for people who enjoy brighter, bolder colors and designs. This is where having custom designed skylight shades and covers can be so useful.
If you go with a company that produces custom-designed skylight covers and shades, you know you’re getting something that nobody else out there will have. These shades and covers are designed exclusively for your skylights, based upon your specifications. This means you can be as bold and creative as you like.
If you like bright colors, choose colors that you enjoy, which complement the décor in the rest of the room. You can go with different prints, patterns, materials, and sizes. Remember, these are your skylight shades and covers so choose a design that appeals to you.
How Much Do Skylight Shades and Covers Cost?
Now it’s time to crunch the numbers and look at how much skylight shades and covers typically cost.
As you might expect, there is no one true figure here because there are so many variables to consider. Things like skylight dimensions, whether you go with manually operated or motorized, which materials you choose, and which company you go with will all affect the price you pay for your shades and/or covers.
The good news is that skylight shades and covers are nowhere near as costly as skylights themselves. In fact, you can pick up a standard kit online for as little as $55, perhaps slightly less. While the cheaper kits may not be especially lavish, they still serve a purpose and offer great value for money.
For motorized solutions, you can expect to pay more, with an average kit coming in at between $150 – $200.
Custom shades and covers will be even more expensive, as they’re designed exclusively for you, based upon your specs and requirements. More expensive fabrics and materials may be used, which will of course be reflected in the price. You’ll need to speak to the supplier here, as there are too many variables to consider when it comes to the cost of custom solutions.