the lighting looks excellent but you can't see it except looking up from inside the shower and the constant drone of the ventilator before, during and after your shower, cold condensation dripping on your head and the risk of condensation seeping into the wall cavity is a big risk...a raked ceiling inset with a quality ventilating skylight sized to allow a generous frame of ceiling all around will give the light, ventilation and proper insulation without all the extras you mentioned..eg Velux has numerous sizes but a 1180 x 550 opening skylight would be framed nicely in the space...ask your builder what size would be the best to suit the roof structure and consider something like this

Agree with OK, the sky light needs ventilating and doesn't need to be the same size as the shower, the ceiling can be squared off to the skylight or splayed, the look you are after looks best if the rest of the ceiling is dropped this conceals the skylight as per in the photo.

I would also take into consideration your roof slope and whether the slope is parallel to the long side of the shower, or the short side. If you have a flattish roof, with an 1800mm skylight running across the slope you are going to have maintenance problems with leaf build-up and cleaning. The easiest skylights to mainatin are those that run in the direction of the slope, rather than against it.

oklouise suggestions of getting a professional to install (and guarantee) an openable Velux skylight would be a good compromise that doesn't achieve exactly the look you want, but would address some of the real world issues neatly and more cost effectively. Some of them also include a blind between the two glass panes to close off the summer heat.

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Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

We installed 5 Velux skylights in our last house, 2 fixed and 3 opening, all with blinds, the windows are installed between roof rafters running up and down the slop or across depending which window you purchase, you can do wider windows across as we did with the 3 by boxing in between 3 rafters. The splaying of the gyprock can had more light into the room without using larger windows. We loved them and never had any problems.

jojo, as suggested check with your skylight provider for the correct window for your roof cheers

My friends have a fixed pane over a large shower probably 1000 x 1800 and it is stunning. House designed by leading architect and has flat roof with slight slope for drainage. They have a fan for ventilation. I have stayed there a lot and love this shower window, especially when rinsing hair and looking up and seeing blue sky and clouds floating above! Totally different feel than a vellum or a framed skylight. All the best.

Oops, meant to write Velux in my comment above.

Hard to comment without fully understanding context - any pics/plans of existing you can share? very much depends upon roof setup. I regularly design/detail light shafts that are integrated with the architecture particularly in bathrooms that we need to squeeze in and need to find alternative solutions for natural light when there's no opportunity for a normal window. I find if the detailing is clean and associated mechanical ventilation properly implemented then there's no significant practical /maintenance issue. When it's an afterthought/retrofit then possibly could be more problematic

I have a sky window above my shower and as much as I love it I probably wouldn’t do it again as I can’t justify the expense and I physically have to climb up on the roof to clean it.

Ours is openable but I still installed an exhaust in the light well and was also worried about the draught but it hasn’t been an issue.

You may have trouble with the sizing of yours as they are usually retrofitted between rafters. I wanted a bigger one but it wasn’t an option, at first I was disappointed but the plasterboard has been splayed so the area is still quite large and I’m happy with it.

We have a roof window with a max possible splayed shaft, but in the kitchen. The splay more than doubles the area of light. And it looks better/less harsh than a narrow ‘tunnel’ up to the window.

During summer, we experienced a fair amount of heat transfer. It was reduced by changing to double glazed glass.

Alicia7 is correct about cleaning.

We’ll put in another one when we upgrade our ensuite. On the other hand, a friend is considering covering her bathroom roof window for privacy reasons.

Hi Jo. We were told many false things about skylights and roof windows. A self claimed ‘designer’ even insisted velux was the ONLY product available, and it would cost $6K! Total rubbish.

Where are you located? You may be able to find a manufacturer that can customise what you’re after. I pretty certain the company we used does custom stuff, but I’d need to check if that also includes customised sizes for opening windows.

i would avoid directly over the shower due to mould but in the centre of the room with a solar tube size would do amazing things for he bathroom

We have an ensuite with an opening skylight in the centre of the room and an extractor fan directly over the shower. The extractor fan drips cold condensation into the shower stall, detracts from the clean lines of the room, the external shutters rattle and in time it is going to wear out. We now only use the VELUX skylight set in a splayed recess, the hottest air accumulates here and it vents steam really well. It is far enough away from the shower stall not to create a cooling breeze. But the real advantage is we leave it open most of the time, with windows also open in the adjoining bedroom. The constant breeze through means the entire bathroom is always dry, with never any chance of mold growing and we live in Tasmania. During summer the skylight adds sunlight and heat to the bathroom adding to this venting effect. Finally we love sleeping under a cool/cold breeze in the bedroom; you would need an extractor fan the size of a 747 jet engine to get the same amount of air movement, it would be noisy and the energy consumption prohibitive.

I am just revamping my bathroom i have a simple skylight ab0ve my shower and extraction fan and an IXL tastic,my bathroom in centre 0f house and n0 wind0w,its a bit darker in winter but s0 is everywhere in the house ,you d0nt need t0 spend a fortune and theres plenty 0f light

The entire ceiling in our bathroom is glass. The roof is on an angle. We love it, but yes you don't want to shower after midday in the middle of summer. The only time we have condensation is during the winter, but it's not a huge problem. We have an ordinary exhaust fan on an external wall and clean the glass roof inside and out once a year. Hope that's of some help. Good luck !

We installed a skylight over shower (velux fixed) in a tiny ensuite and I would highly recommend. It looked absolutely amazing and was heavenly to shower under the sky. We only had the house for a year and sold it (about to install another skylight over shower in our new house), so I can't comment on the long term, but no mould problems or condensation drips. I think if anything the sunlight was actually helpful to dry up moisture.

We live in Tasmania so I'd doubt condensation dripping would be a problem elsewhere. We had a fan installed not in the cavity with the skylight but just on the ceiling next to it. In the second bathroom we put in a skylight over bath and put an extractor in the skylight cavity as the ceiling was higher. Could not feel a draught- so I think the question of where to put fan really depends on ceiling height.

Do the skylight over shower!! You will not regret it. It really takes your bathroom to another level and there are really no maintenance problems if installed properly with custom flashings. I found velux quite repellent of dirt etc, we did not need to clean after a year (one flat roof skylight, one very large sloped) and I have seen velux skylights looking great with no cleaning for 7 years plus.

Hi All,

We are in the crossroads also. Builder was trying to get us to scrap the idea of a skylight over our shower in our small bathroom. Reason being that over time he thought skylight would leak due the seal between flashing and roof sheeting would wear. As per our design our roof is skillion on a 5degree pitch over a large span to the box gutter. Skylight would be positioned in the lower half of the span so builder is worried about pooling during rainfall and the skylight would be running against the roof. We are hoping for a large skylight to cover shower area as much as possible. Builder also recommended against going with a fixed and extractor fan. Our design has a bulkhead over the rest of the bathroom 2.4m high and then over shower open up to skylight which would be approx 3.4m high. Interested to get your thoughts if someone has had a similar design?

In a previous house, we put a skylight in thdeensuite as the window was tiny. It was good for light but it was hard to clean the mould. I have a skylight in my toilet now as there are no windows, it's very hot in there in summer and the plastic parts of the toilet deteriorate quicker. So my answer would be to not put skylight in shower.

consider Solar Skylight that have no hole in the roof and no risk of leaks or overheating..(they operate like a Solar powered light fitting) research Illume or illume and Arcol brands available at local hardware.. very cheap compared to traditional skylights and can be installed by a handyperson.. we're very happy with ours after years of leaks with the old skylights

I have a Velux skylight in two of my bathrooms. The ensuite has no external windows and is small, and I can only recommend it. It is one of the brightest and lightest bathrooms I have ever seen.

The crucial thing is to select the right skylight, and to have it installed correctly. I do know that Velux make skylights that are suitable for low pitched roofs like yours, such as 5 degrees. They also have an option for an openable skylight to help with ventilation and to minimise the risk of mould. Don't go with the polycarbonate dome type skylight, but a quality, double glazed, openable Velux skylight.

Your builder is trying to discourage you as they are a bit fiddly to install, but they are well worth the effort.

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Best of luck,

Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits

differentways/siriuskey

As above Velux skylights are brilliant I've had fixed and 360 opening ones which were in Attic bedrooms above the beds so you could look at the stars.

So easy to clean from inside the room

Every shower in the current series of The Block has a velux skylight over it. Can be done but I would suggest they are fiddly and need attention to instal.

We intend to put a roof window in our ensuite when renovations finally reach that part of the house. But not over the shower. I’m thinking drones, peeping tom drones like the one that freaked out a friend when she was in her shower.

this from an American building site

This plan set shows you how to build glass walled sunrooms with a glass roof, large site-built skylights in a standard roof, and large fixed glass windows anywhere in the house. The plans make use of inexpensive double glazed tempered glass panels (commonly available for sliding glass doors).

A key to this simple glazing system is a special aluminum-coated butyl rubber sealing tape designed for severe waterproofing conditions (sample included with your plans). This tape was developed for sealing modular buildings on the North Slope oil fields of Alaska. It allows you to build large leak-proof skylights and window walls using standard wood working tools. The system is easy to build and is forgiving of errors. It is also less costly than commercial glazing systems. This same system is being used by several west coast sunroom companies to build high-end custom wood sunrooms and greenhouses. You can do the same!