Oh that light looks awesome. My parents put in a skylight in their upstairs hall bath and the natural light is glorious. It is so effective it makes you think you left the light on and it spills into the otherwise dark upstairs landing. We are in Michigan same zone plenty of cold and snow. I'd go for it - especially for a loft spot!

That is quite a shaft. Ask about solatubes. Less expensive than a skylight (no framing, no heat loss up the shaft, no heat gain from sun on the floor in summer) and plenty of light. We had a couple in our last house, over the stairwell, on the landing, and in the interior bathroom, and it really was, as autumn says, like having a light turned on. In winter, I used to have to turn on the hall light at about 2:00, and if the kids were playing up there we tended to leave it on all day, but with the solatube I didn't need the bulb until 5:00. In summer, even better!

EDited to add, we are in northern Illinois, to compare our seasonal light with yours.

If you were to use studio trusses above the study area, the ceiling would be sloped/ higher, and the light shaft much shorter, IDK.

Casey

Solatubes are much less prone to leaking, properly installed.

bpath- what is the difference between a solatube and a skylight. I thought they were interchangeable but maybe not. If they are not then I am not sure if my parents have a skylight or a solatube but they have had no problems at all.

Vents are cut into roofs without leaking so I'd *think* a sky/sola would be okay?

As I understand it, skylight is basically a window in the roof, framed and trimmed, with, typically, a drywalled shaft down through the attic ending at the ceiling, where it might be trimmed, or just have drywalled edges.

A solatube is a reflective tube or duct, maybe 10-16" in diameter, depending on what you want. At the roof, a smallish hole is cut without having to cut joists or rafters, and the "collector", a dome, is installed with flashing etc, then the reflective tube goes down through the attic (and it can skirt any vents or trusses, it doesn't have to be straight) and ends at a diffuser lens and light kit at the ceiling. There, it just looks like a flush-mount light fixture. This is my homeowner perception, anyway.

Here are some solatube pictures at their website. There are other brands, too.

edited to add, they sure have come out with some great options since we installed 14 years ago. Light quality, decorative elements, dimming. I need to get one or two here in my new upstairs hall.

I have a skylight that provides wonderful natural light but in summer gets area horribly hot and impacted electric bill. Great in winter to warm up area. If going thru this expense, consider getting additional feature of screen to control unwanted heat. Also agree they are nice but if not properly installed leaks from it are a nightmare so be watchful during install

I would extend the room wall straight up to the skylight on the right side and flare the left side a bit more. That will help light bounce from wall to wall downward toward the room.

If the shaft is well insulated, the skylight is no more of an energy conservation issue than a window. Will there be anything in the attic? I assume it will be cold. I would want use that space.

I've designed skylights for many decades and none have leaked to my knowledge. What you need usually comes with a Velux flashing kit but if it doesn't, use Grace Ice & Water Shield as base flashing and stepped metal flashing as the counter flashing. If you are skeptical, use Grace Perma-Barrier WB Primer on the wood sheathing. You will become a believer when you try to separate the flashing from the sheathing.

This is what I was talking about to control light if it gets too hot

Greetings from Ohio here!

I prefer to see skylights in vaulted ceilings. Just as someone mentioned in an earlier reply, it make the tunnel to the glass shorter looking.