Years ago, when we added 10' to the E side of our former house to expand two bedrooms and a bath, we had Velux skylights installed in those three rooms. They were not fully venting, but had a pull down (by means of pole, recessed hook) vent at one end that would let warm air escape. The vents had insect screening. Open, and they were just about year round, the vents also let in an amazing amount of sound, like the sound of rain at night over my bed ;) Hail was a definite clatter. Not once was there a leaking issue in many years, and this is coastal Washington - I'd add that the Velux were the only brand the designing architect would recommend for this climate at that time at least. I haven't had reason to look into them recently, we no longer own that house.

Ilikepie, I encourage you to rethink family meals at the island. If you have a table nearby, use it! You don't say how old your kids are, but by the time they are in elementary school, it's nice to be able to sit around the dinner table and chat. Table eating encourages that - I would think island seating would encourage clearing the dishes, starting cleanup, moving on to the next thing, since you are so close to the fridge and sink, you hardly need to get up to start cleanup. I have two Solatubes in my dining room, and I adore them. This isn't the best photo I have, but it's the best I have available from the computer I'm using at the moment. This was obviously taken on Kitchen Demo Day. There are no lights on, and while there is a patio door to the left, the darkest shadows come from the solatubes, which are to the left and right of the light fixture in the photo. Normally the light fixture over the table hangs down lower (you can see how the chains have been tied up), and the table is oriented the other way; this was temporary configuration, and my 6'4" DH would bonk his head. One thing to consider with pendants and skylights is shadows. Because of the fairly large glass on my fixture, it creates a pretty significant shadow on the table. It's not really apparent in this picture, with the fixture up higher. I'll look for a better pic when I get home.

I replaced a skylight with 2 solar tubes. I had a roof replaced, added the solar tubes and installed a light fixture to fill the “hole”. The light fixture had fluorescent tubes. I replaced the skylight because of: heat, cold, out of style, cleaning: spider webs inside, dirt/bird poo outside, wanted the additional light from the fluorescent fixture.

Have you been up in it? It seems like it could sway in a strong wind, and could fall down in a stronger wind. You may not need x-bracing, but you'll need some form of bracing. Search for "diagonal bracing freestanding deck". Some well-placed and securely fastened corner braces should suffice.