Do you want to make your home brighter and visually more spacious without resorting to drastic measures like redevelopment? If so, a glass roof is exactly what you need. I will explain what are the advantages of glass roofs and how these structures can be arranged.
Everything you need to know about glass roofs
| Illustrations | Benefits of glass roofs |
 | Natural comfortable lighting. The degree of light transmission of roof glazing, with the same area, is twice as intense as the light transmission of wall windows. Thus, due to the roof glazing, it is possible to arrange natural lighting during most of the day. |
 | Natural ventilation of the room. The presence of open hatches in the upper part of the room allows you to intensively remove warm exhaust air to the outside.
If, in combination with hatches in the ceiling, ventilation holes are provided in the lower part of the walls, good air circulation will be ensured in the room. |
 | Visual increase in living space. The abundance of light, as in the photo, in combination with an open ceiling visually expands the room and at the same time makes it taller. |
 | More attractive home appearance. A house with a glass roof looks more attractive than houses covered with slate, tiles and other traditional materials. |
 | The best gathering of atmospheric precipitation. The glass roof, due to the smooth surface, contributes to more intensive snow removal.
This is an important advantage, since all-glass structures are not the best option for going to the roof and cleaning the surface with your own hands. |
Options
| Illustrations | Roof glazing options |
 | Clerestory. This is a type of roof glazing, which is installed on top of the roof and serves to illuminate the room with sunlight during the daytime.
Antiaircraft lamps can be deaf or opening like a hatch. In the second case, the lanterns serve not only for lighting, but also for ventilation. |
 | Skylights. These structures are installed on pitched roofs and act as skylights. The use of roof windows is justified for private houses with residential attic spaces.
The window is installed directly into the thickness of the roofing material, due to which the roof in the house looks natural and attractive. |
 | Solid translucent structures made in the form of an arch, hemisphere, horizontal or inclined surface. A solid glass roof is the most difficult option, as the structure must be calculated taking into account the weight of the glazing and taking into account mechanical loads that could damage the structure.
An all-glass roof is assembled from glass or lighter but less durable polycarbonate. |
 | Glass roof technology from SolTech. Innovative development of the company SolTech - energy-saving glass tiles can be used for laying on a standard truss system with inclined slopes.
Due to the material used, the transparent roof shows less heat loss in comparison with a similar coating of tiles and metal. |
Option 1: skylight
The use of a skylight makes an ordinary roof more functional. Now an additional window will appear in the ceiling, through which additional light and fresh air will penetrate into the room.
Lanterns are round or rectangular. In profile, the design has a characteristic bulge, which is necessary in order for water to drain without lingering on the surface of the cap.
Along with skylights, you can order and buy strip lights and light domes.
Strip lights are installed only on flat roof systems.
The light dome is a more convex design, in comparison with the skylight. Most often, the glass dome is sealed, that is, it does not have an opening hatch.
Tape and skylights are made of organic glass, acrylic or polycarbonate. The transparent part of the design has a protective layer that protects against UV rays and prevents the appearance of yellowness on the polymer cap.
Option 2: skylights
A roof window is a type of skylight. But unlike polymer skylights, windows are made using real glass and are installed only on sloped roofs. Some large windows are installed in such a way that you can go out to the roof through them. Windows are specially designed for ventilation, and therefore are equipped with a special stop or gas rack.
Option 3: continuous glazing
Continuous glazing is a glass roof consisting of a metal frame, in the cells of which blocks of double-glazed windows are laid. A light and durable aluminum profile is used to assemble frames of a small area. For structures with a larger area, rolled steel is used - a corner or a tee.
The size of the blocks is selected taking into account the resistance to mechanical stress and taking into account the optimal parameters of light transmission. The thickness of metal structures during the assembly of the frame is calculated based on the required resistance of the roof to mechanical stress.
The smaller the slope angle, the greater the mechanical load falls on the middle of the frame. In order for the glass roof to be reliable, vertical racks are installed under the horizontal slope, which will take on part of the mechanical load and transfer it to the foundation or to the interfloor ceiling.
On glass roofs with a large slope area in unheated rooms, less heavy polycarbonate can be installed instead of double-glazed windows. Polycarbonate coating is widely used in the arrangement of greenhouses, greenhouses, winter gardens and greenhouses.
Summing up
Now you know what a glass roof is and what it can be made of. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments. For more information, watch the video in this article.
Did the article help you?