We had Solatubes installed in both bathrooms and they are worth EVERY PENNY.

I can''t remember exactly how much the kits cost, but I think they were about $450 each with the CFL attachment. I purchased them at a local building supply store (in Berkeley.) I didn't get any diffusers, to my eye they are perfect as is.

The installation was what cost a fortune:

First was our contractor's time to supervise/ site the tube w/ the roofers/ rewire the lights (they replaced recessed cans). He was up in small access spaces, so he needed an assistant to hand him things. He bills us by the day so I can't break down his cost.

The biggest expense was the roofers. They installed through a concrete tile roof, 6 inches of foam insulation, 1 1/2 inch thick tongue and groove boards, and I'm not sure what else. They made a God-awful racket! Our house is 3 stories tall, which didn't exactly speed up installation. The roofer's bill was over $4000 (for 2.)

But for us, they were were every single penny. I once had dark, dreary bathrooms and now I have bright and sunny ones. That's worth about $3000 a room to me!!!

We have two Solatubes in our master bathroom and LOVE them. They both have the CFL kit and the light looks the same during the day (with natural light) and when I turn on the light at night. However, I wouldn't use them as the only light in your bathroom. We also have a 4-light fixture over our vanity (with incandescent bulbs) and 2 sconces in the WC.

I have to correct something I wrote earlier about CFL kits. My installer showed me the double thermal pane pieces that get installed to make them eligible for the tax credit. When using these pieces, you cannot use an incandescent light bulb because of the heat that will build up. However, if you remove those pieces (which you have to do when you change the light bulb) you can then choose to not put them back in and then use an incandescent bulb. The light kit is the same whether you use a CFL or bulb. Solatube never told me a thing about this setup.

Marie_louise, I'm confused about your lack of diffusers. These are the brand Solatube? The install really is not complete w/o the lens and diffuser. Otherwise you are looking up a tube where the light would be pretty harsh on the eyes and the light would be concentrated on one spot (like a spotlight) instead of spread out over a larger area.

I do agree that, especially in a bathroom, the light kit should not be your only source of light. We have vanity lights as well. That is why we passed on installing one in our master bath in the toilet/shower room. I would have LOVED to have had it in there but two items on a small ceiling would have been cluttered. Plus our Panasonic has heat for those cold Michigan winters :-)

I'll post pictures hopefully in the next day or so. I got really sick this evening. I'm guessing I might have run into some of those recalled eggs...enough said.

Marcia - Another maker of tubular skylights is ODL, available at Home Depot and maybe Lowes.

They are about 1/2 the price of SolaTube. Dunno about the rebates or 'green" stuff, but they can be installed by a homeowner, and have pretty good instructions. We've done three of them (garage and 2 baths)

One tip: Check where the tube will run FIRST, to make sure there is no framing stuff in the path. THEN put the ceiling opening where it is easiest to install.

I meant to say that I used the diffusers that came w/ the basic Solatube kit. They sell others, but for my room, the light is fine with the plain diffuser.

I also have other sources of light in my bathrooms; I agree, it would not be enough light day or night for all but the smallest powder room. In one bathroom, the Solatube is over the shower and in the other, centered over the room. The framing and the vent pipes were issues in both installations, but the tubes pivot and they were able to install around the obstacles. They are complicated to install but truly worth it if you want a sunny bathroom and don't have enough windows.

I agree with whoever said that the light from a CFL at night looks the same as the light in the daylight. Because of the diffuser and reflector, I'm not even sure that an old-fashioned light bulb would give out any different light.

Marie_louise, that makes sense now. I kept the standard Vusion diffuser in the bathroom where it obscures the integrated light kit better. However, in the two hallways, my husband and I preferred the OptiView diffuser because it seemed to allow more light to pass (just a bit) and we liked the appearance better - you could see through it to the sky.

I love the idea of a Solatube over the shower. We cannot do it right now cuz we have one of those awful acrylic units that installed with a soffit, but we intend on ripping that out and then a tube would be awesome over the shower. What a great idea!

This is just my opinion but it is based on a lot of research. Beware of Solatube knockoffs. The only other one worth considering is Velux, but they have few options. They have a light kit but nothing else that I know of, but they are cheaper than Solatube. Solatube has a patent on their high end reflective tube coating, developed in partnership with 3M. No one else has it so no one can beat the amount of light they deliver.

I might sound like a Solatube salesperson but sometimes you get what you pay for. They were the first (despite what others claim) and they have decades of development behind them. We already plan on getting a couple more perhaps even this year. Once you see the light in once-dark areas, you want that natural light everywhere. I think I'm becoming an addict!

One suggestion for anyone putting in any kind of solar tube light. Pay attention to where it sits on your roof. We have a 9/12 pitched roof so the roof is visible as you drive down the street. Our new Solatubes are on the sides of the house, and very difficult to see. However, the next two we are talking about getting would by default be installed on the front side of roof very visible and IMHO not attractive to our home. Our installer stated that with a bend, he could direct it to the back or side of the house since it is close to our peak.

As much as I am loving our tubes, I would not want them facing the street. That is a tradeoff that wouldn't work for me.

I know this thread is old, but I just bought some Solatubes and thought I would add the information for anyone who happens to trip across this discussion. I just purchased four of the 290DS base kits (that's the 14"). I got them for $410 each, which includes the neoprene insulation sleeve (about $30 of the cost), which I thought might help since we're in Alaska. I haven't yet purchased the light kit or the dimmer yet, but after I do that they will probably end up around $600 total each. We did look at the ODL models at Home Depot, but we felt there was a marked difference in quality. Particularly, the dome was much thinner on the ODL and it didn't have the optic definition; also the optic cuts are on one side with the Solatube, which we felt was a better design to focus the light. That was important because the rooms using the tubes are on the north side of the house.

I just thought someone else might be interested in our costs. It surprised me, because our costs are usually higher than the lower 48 states.

Hilltop55, thank you for following up on this thread. I am just trying to figure out which unit to go with here in Michigan. Since you're in Alaska, I'm wondering if cold radiates from the units in the cold weather? Lynn