OK, the subject is going to make everyone say "no way". But wait ...
We are having part of our roof reframed because it's a mess, repairing the
rest and putting metal on the whole thing. It's all 3/12 slope. The metal
will be Berridge Zee-lock, which is 24-gauge with a 1" standing seam, 16"
wide panels which will be formed and cut to the specified lengths by a
local company.
The newly framed part is going to cover a small screened porch which
previously had a mostly fiberglass roof (which was part of the problem).
There's heavy shade around it, so there's going to be a lot less light with
the metal roof. So we want to add skylights. Since it's a porch, I don't
need energy saving features like double glass and it doesn't need to open.
I would however prefer polycarbonate glazing -- statistically it may be
rare for a glass skylight to break, but such an event is in my experience,
and there's a large oak tree overhead. This is in north Florida, so no
worry about snow, and although wind is an issue, it's far enough inland
that thunderstorms are a greater concern than hurricanes.
Velux has a choice of sizes, but only glass, and double glass at that.
Others I've found online are glass or acrylic or "fiberglass" of
unspecified plastic composition. Won't be able to check the local
non-big-box stores until next week. The prices for the Velux aren't awful,
but I'm sure I'd be paying a good bit for the double glazing that I don't
need and I wouldn't get polycarb. They do at least offer tempered glass
which is like windshield glass in that it breaks into non-dangerous pieces.
(And I haven't figured out whether I'll need their flashing kit with a
metal roof, or how much that will cost.)
So do I have any options for making it myself? (I refer to myself but it
would actually be a master carpenter working for me doing the construction,
and I could find a local sheet metal shop if needed.) I can of course get
polycarbonate cut locally, so the frame is the biggie. And of course it has
to pass inspection.
And obviously it mustn't leak. Even though some drops on the porch wouldn't
matter, a leak would destroy the integrity of the decking just as quickly
on a porch as elsewhere.
Or should I give up on polycarb and eat the cost of features I don't need?
Edward
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Art Works by Melynda Reid:
http://paleo.org