# Skylight Covers



## shackdweller (Mar 7, 2016)

I'm glad to say that owning a condo, I've had few roofing leaks, probably once, following a hurricane probably three years after moving into the condo twenty years ago.

The Condo Association has keep up with roofing needs, having new roofing put on in 2009, 25 years after condo construction in 1984.

One thing that has concerned me over the years has been skylight covers.

When the roofing repairs were being done, I discussed the matter with the foreman, and he said to get a 2 X 4, obviously two feet by four feet size, skylight cover for the one skylight that I have in my condo.l

I have been to Lowes, and Home Depot, and they do installation of skylight covers they sell.

However, I have so far not found any that are exactly what I am looing for.

Basically, there are window blind types of covers and wooden shutter types of covers.

I am speaking of skylight covers that are put on from the inside of the building, and covers that can be opened or closed depending on when one needs or does not need the light and heat from the skylight.

I have gone online and done searches for skylight covers, and some of them are quite elaborate and expensive.

I don't know if Rube Goldberg, who did these animated cartoon films of ridiculously complicated and far fetched mecahnical devices, is well remembered today, but I remember him, and would call my own self-bult skylight cover that I have used for many years a true Rube Goldberg device.

I would welcome any other board members' accounts of their experiences with skylight covers, both store bought manufactured ones, and do it yourself jobs.


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## beachguy005 (Mar 7, 2016)

This video is pretty good.  Great idea that you could modify with other fabric.  If you want to be able to open and close it, just mount it with hinges and a magnetic cabinet latch to hold it closed.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecwkDSvlnMY[/ame]


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## bud16415 (Mar 7, 2016)

When I was young and first thinking about houses I thought skylights were the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was telling my dad how great I thought skylights were and he said &#8220;It&#8217;s never a good idea to cut holes in your roof.&#8221; 

I quite thinking about them about 40 years ago and never had one leak or crack or let out any heat. 

That&#8217;s all I know about skylights.


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## nealtw (Mar 7, 2016)

shackdweller said:


> I'm glad to say that owning a condo, I've had few roofing leaks, probably once, following a hurricane probably three years after moving into the condo twenty years ago.
> 
> The Condo Association has keep up with roofing needs, having new roofing put on in 2009, 25 years after condo construction in 1984.
> 
> ...



I would like to see what you have been using.


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## slownsteady (Mar 8, 2016)

Two quick notes about the video:
1- Landscape fabric decomposes in sunlight. i don't know how fast, but he will be replacing that eventually
2- Beachguy mentioned a magnetic latch, but those screen frames are usually aluminum. Just add a small steel plate where you want it to latch.


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## beachguy005 (Mar 9, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> Two quick notes about the video:
> 1- Landscape fabric decomposes in sunlight. i don't know how fast, but he will be replacing that eventually
> 2- Beachguy mentioned a magnetic latch, but those screen frames are usually aluminum. Just add a small steel plate where you want it to latch.





A magnetic cabinet latch comes as 2 parts, a magnet and a plate. You use both just as in a wood cabinet.


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## nealtw (Mar 9, 2016)

Something for one end to hook or slide into and earth magnets on the other end. Eye hook on the magnet end so a hook stick can be used to open and close it.


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## Snoonyb (Mar 9, 2016)

nealtw said:


> I would like to see what you have been using.



I hinged a plantation shutter and telescoping pole to open and close.


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## joecaption (Mar 9, 2016)

just did a Google search and hundreds of company's came up.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sky...5.10239j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8


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## shackdweller (Mar 9, 2016)

After several years of just having the skylight covered full time, with a very thin piece of plywood, I cut the cover in half, and added hinges on the bottom part, leaving the top part covered.

For quite a few years I have been just using a pole made from probably 4 mop handles held together with screws, pushing it up against the cover, and removing the pole when I wanted the sunlight.

I'll take some photos of the whole rig, although I am a bit embarassed for anone to see them.

I have been thinking of a magnetic latch.

I did have a hook on the cover, and a hook on the poles but eventually the hook tore loose.

I'll get some photos on here which will probably amuse all of you and make you think the shacks the people in Dodge City lived in, might be preferable to what I've got.


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## shackdweller (Mar 9, 2016)

Many thanks for all the replies, everyone, and I hope you will get some good laughs when you see the photos.


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## nealtw (Mar 9, 2016)

shackdweller said:


> Many thanks for all the replies, everyone, and I hope you will get some good laughs when you see the photos.



You set that up right . now we can laugh with and not at you.:beer:


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## shackdweller (Mar 11, 2016)

OK, Folks, I will now start giving you The Details on my catchpenny, self made skylight cover.

I did a very exact measurement of the exact outside (includiing the wooden frame), and inside (the area where the skylight itself is), 

But, to keep it simple, I'll just use the roofing foreman's size of 
2 X 4.https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1451/25611825581_67d31b7a0e_b.jpg

I cut a 2 X 4 cover which covered the outside measurement including the wooden frame, from a very thin plywood probably 2 mm or 1/32 inch thick, and attatched it to the wooden frame with phillips head wood screws.

Below is a photo of the show side of the plywood, which I used for other projects which I can't recall right now.


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## shackdweller (Mar 11, 2016)

Here is the backside of the thin plywood I used for my fixed skylight cover, showing it is a Georgia Pacific product.

Camera rez not really enough to read the finer print, but it might be familiar to some or many of you other message board members.


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## nealtw (Mar 11, 2016)

That is plywood made for interior of campers, trailers or airplanes  and the sort. Not that that matters.


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## shackdweller (Mar 11, 2016)

nealtw said:


> That is plywood made for interior of campers, trailers or airplanes  and the sort. Not that that matters.



Thanks for the post, nealtw.  Great to know those uses!


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## shackdweller (Mar 11, 2016)

Having the inside of my shack dark during the daytime didn't bother me much during the summer, since covering the skylight kept a lot of the heat out, but when the winter arrived, I needed the sunlight for the heat, and, also simply because I much prefer natural sunlight to artificial, electrical lighting.  (The roofing replacement in 2009, included new skylight covers for all conodo units, these newer covers specially treated to keep out the harmful rays).

I did not think my do-it-yourself abilities great enough to make the entire lentgh of the skylight cover moveable, so I compromised and cut it in half, leaving the upper part in place with the phillips head screws on the side of the skylight frame, but removing those screws from the lower half, and hinging the bottom half, with some heavier wood inside the skylight cover to  hold the screws in place.

To hold the cover in place when I didn't want the sunlight, I rigged up a pole, with a hook on the end of it, and simply left the pole against the skylight cover, engaged into an eyehook in the middle of it.  This eyehook, the longer one in the photo below, with the larger washer, was simply put thru a hole in the thin plywood, with no reinforcement on the opposite side, and, of course, over time, with repeated use, it tore loose, leaving a rounded hole in the thin plywood, which you will see in subsequent photos.  After that, I used a smaller eyehook, with some thicker wood backing on the other side, and, with repeated use, it also eventually tore loose, leaving me in the situation I am now in, of using the pole to hold the skylight cover over the skylight, with no engagement of the hook at all.






More photos and commentary to follow.


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## nealtw (Mar 11, 2016)

Beach guys video of a window screen would work with stuff you have.
The small eye screws, two  in one end of the screen that hook into 2 longer open hooks screwed into ceiling.
2 magnets on the other end of the screen and matching magnets on the ceiling and your stick and eye for opening and closing.

Instead of fabric you could use this stuff to just cover a screen. 
I am sure it won't float a boat but it would block light.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofMwxrWDUmQ[/ame]


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## shackdweller (Mar 14, 2016)

The pole I have been using is made from four 4 foot handles used for a ceramic tile brush.

Since they over lap at the joints, the entire length is not 16 feet but a total of 12 feet, 5 & 1/2 inches.

And, the hook on the top of the pole adds another 3 & 1/4 inches to the entire length.

Here's the first pole, joined to the second one, at the bottom, this pole resting on the floor of my shack.


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## shackdweller (Mar 14, 2016)

Here is the second pole up from the bottom.


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## shackdweller (Mar 14, 2016)

Third pole from the bottom, in the extended poles.


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## nealtw (Mar 14, 2016)

there are adjustable handle in the market.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mr-Longa...table-3-Section-Extension-Pole-2324/100177392


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## shackdweller (Mar 14, 2016)

Here is the final pole connection.  To the right is the 3rd pole, and to the left the fourth and final pole.






Next posts will be what this contraption in use looks like from the floor to the ceiling, and, as I've said before, it should be good for some laughs.


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## beachguy005 (Mar 14, 2016)

I'd just get a telescopic aluminum boat hook....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DSRRG7C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## nealtw (Mar 14, 2016)

Have thought about a window to fit the opening with a built in blind.


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## slownsteady (Mar 14, 2016)

You could consider a telescoping painter's pole, if the length is enough for your need.


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## slownsteady (Mar 14, 2016)

There are lighting gels available for photographic use. They come in sheets and rolls and can be had in a variety of colors and "neutral densities" designed to cut the amount of light from a source.
here is an example of the variety available;   http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/searc...&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=
You could get some interesting effects from your skylight if want to.


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## shackdweller (Mar 15, 2016)

Starting at the bottom of the 12 ft. pole, from the carpeted floor.


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## shackdweller (Mar 15, 2016)

Now, up another section of the extended pole.


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## shackdweller (Mar 15, 2016)

Third Section of the extended pole.


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## shackdweller (Mar 15, 2016)

Final pole before the skylight cover, which you can see the corner of.


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## shackdweller (Mar 15, 2016)

You can now see the hinges on the bottom of the skylight cover, with the hook on the end of the fourth and final pole just resting against the cover, not engaged to and eyehook, because both of the previously installed eyehooks tore loose, the one in the middle quite obvious. with the sunlight streaming thru the hole in the plywood left where the large washer of the eyehook tore out a section of the plywood.

Hope these photos of this rickety contraption will cause a lot of you to laugh out loud, or at least put a smile on your face.


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## nealtw (Mar 15, 2016)

:...............


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## nealtw (Mar 15, 2016)

So if you had build that out of 1/4" plywood it would still be working, I would just add magnet to that.


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