Homeowners, Jason and Angela, wanted to bring more natural light into their new kitchen rear extension and contact VEL Fit for a quotation. But on inspection of site, Steve said, “My heart sank as I had to explain to the homeowners that their roof pitch was too low for the standard VELUX roof windows to work effectively. This has been an all too frequent conversation with potential clients with rear extensions for many years.”
“We are regularly called out to address the problems that have occured because a VELUX roof window has been installed in a pitched roof below 15 degrees. This is contrary to the ‘manufactures guidance’ and we always steer potential clients away from the idea, much to their disappointment.”
However, this particular day was going to take quite a twist, when later the same day in early 2021, VELUX put a call out to their 250+ certified installers to find a project that they could install their newly designed low pitched roof window. Steve’s ears picked up and he pursued the opportunity!
This would be the first installation of its kind. The installation needed to be on a property that would have normally struggled to accommodate a traditional installation where the roof pitch. Jason and Angela’s home was perfect, the pitch was low, but in the parameters for the new window, the room was dark and gloomy and would really benefit form the added light and fresh air. Steve contacted the couple and they were excited by the idea of using the property as a test case, so we put the project forward to the team at VELUX for approval.
A few months went by with a couple of email exchanges and then VEL Fit were given good news that the project was approed. Jason and Angela were as delighted with the news and couldn’t wait to see work commence.
In August 2021, the project was launched, the team was set to start the work the roof was stripped of its old tiles as there were plans set to change them for a newer cleaner looking tile.
As it had been agreed that a vaulted ceiling would really transform the area making the most of the windows and the light they would provide. The inside of the property was prepped to ensure that nothing was damaged when taking out the existing ceiling and ceiling joists. Before removing the existing structure, all the joists were fitted with additional supports to strengthen the structural stability of the roof and the new window openings were created.
There was a great deal of excitement when the consignment arrived on site. All the prep work had been done and this day had been eagerly waited.
As this product is the first of its kind to fit in roofs with the pitch being as low as 10 to 20 degrees. This would eliminate the need for a kerb or an up stand entirely as the new design precisely crafted with glass-to-edge technology allowed for water to easily flow off the windows (fig1) and ensured that the windows looked neat and professional after installation.
The windows were to be installed in a kitchen extension with a roof pitch of 12 degrees.
The window framing was as-per VELUX specifications, to make sure that all the right measures were made to get the best fit and cast of light into the room.
The roof was covered with a new layer of felt and batten. The new tiles were also selected for the roof and everything was starting to come together. The next step was to install all the frames and windows along with BFX kits along with a transverse gutter and the special flashing kits made for the windows followed by the tiles which are cut to the right size to fit against the flashing.
With the outside complete, the focus then shifted on the inside of the kitchen where the roof was finally covered in plasterboard, ready and waiting to be plastered and painted.
The final product was a dramatic change from a dimly lit kitchen to one filled with light giving the room a fresh new and bright look. Jason and Angela commented:
The team did a fantastic job in transforming our space into a bright and airy environment”. Their work was of a very high standard and we would definitely have no hesitation in recommending VEL Fit.
