I like the look of the two. What are you planning for lighting over the table? If you use the two skylights, you can have a junction box in between them for a chandelier. We have skylights in two rooms of our home and I love the light we get from them. Both of ours are Velux and the skylight in the kitchen opens, a feature I love. It has a solar panel to operate the opening and closing and a super sensitive rain sensor which automatically closes the skylight with just a few drops of rain.

Interesting.

My initial thought is two. But...the one big one seems like it would really be a showstopper.

I assume you will be repainting? New window treatments? Will it still be a dining room?

In a former house, I had one large in a bedroom, duplicated in the bath, and two as shown above in the master. I didn't see a noticeable difference in the amount of light comparing those rooms.

What about costs....how does two work out to the fees for purchasing and installing only one.

Please know that you need some type of treatment for that window (s) if over your lovely large table. The light through a roof window is more intense than typical wall installations. I softened the finish on a long dresser, and could feel a difference in the carpet directly under the window when running my hand over it...my skylights were in an East facing sloping roof so morning sun.

I thought about Fixed skylights here with solar power blinds (30% federal tax return for entire project with solar power features). I think I have enough fresh air from the windows. For now it will stay as a dining room.

It looks like cost for 2 is not twice more than one. Obviously 2 is more expensive. I just want to understand what's better for this room. I don't want to spoil the house for saving money on the 2nd window, if we decide that 2 windows are visually better.

Hmmm, I'm thinking that skylights would look best if on both sides of the room. Is that possible?

Unfortunately they can only be on one side due to roof structure. The side is northern, with no direct light.

I have both of your versions, but not in a dining room. I have 2 skylights in our family room, and a single large skylight in our foyer over the stairs on the other side of the roof.

Will the location of your roof rafters have any impact on the placement of your skylights?

Will you have a light over the dining room table? How will the skylight(s) impact the placement of the light?

How will the single or double skylight affect the look of the house from the exterior view? Is the roof visible at all?

With your mockups, I favor the double skylights. It just seems to fit better with the table. But, the exterior look should have a vote in the matter as well :).

Thanks, Good Questions. This is the largest room in the house. We use it now as a dining room, before it was a family room. No-one checked yet where the roof rafters are. I believe with the narrow windows just one rafter should be removed for each. I think for exterior both one or two windows are fine.

Skylights suck. You will would be better served by enlarging the wall windows. Just my opinion.

I think either will be nice and I initially thought two would be best, but if you can work your lighting with one, I love the way that large single one looks. And imagining looking out the large one in the evening, seeing the night sky/moon, is very appealing to me.

I loved my skylights, or as the architect called them, roof windows. Velux - the only brand he would recommend at that time for the Pacific Northwest. There is very little I miss about that house, my present house has much better design, space and convenience. But I do miss the skylights a little, the whole house air cleaner (I'd become used to not dusting ;0)), the neighbors.

I love skylights.

Sometimes they're the only option to significantly improve the room in terms of light, height, balance (if the room is long for example)..yours is a good room already (unlike several rooms in my place that sorely needed skylights), but yes, I see why you want them..will enhance the room, no doubt.

Both options are good..but I like the one big one more.

Probably will need to think why..because for now, it's just a vague feeling.

Six of one half dozen of another..on the inside. What will they do to the look of the outside? Not sure they will look like they belong. We had an crank skylight back in the day in a main bathroom. The light is sorely missed. Ours leaked, had to have it replaced. :( Due to this my MIL had can skylights put in her new home. She got the light but not the huge box in the ceiling/leaking..etc. I am thinking the cans would give you the inside light and not mess with the traditional look of your roof, outside. Also they wouldn't compromise your rafters...

This is just a slight preference but I kind of like your mockup of two because they more closely align with the size of the windows that are already in the room from what I can tell. The one big sky light I would prefer in a contemporary room with big windows.

I like the two, also because they are window sized.

Get at least one that can be opened (they have screens) and you can improve the ventilation in the house. Open skylight and one window in another room and you have flow of air through and up.

I agree with everything IdaClaire said.

You will not get the same amount of light from enlarging the windows as you will from a skylight, especially with your northern exposure and all the trees near the house. And I would use ONLY Velux!!

It might be interesting to post this on the Windows Forum. Pros are on there, and it would be good to get their input.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/windows/

Also, Wasco is another good skylight manufacturer, but they are less of a residential application than Velux. My previous home had a large Wasco skylight in the entry foyer and I loved it, and never had a problem with it.

I don't know if it's in your budget, but you could do a faux dormer with windows that allow light in and compliment the architecture of your house w/out the potential headaches of a skylight

I think a single skylight centered to be above the front window in that room would look best.

I prefer the one larger.

I like Chijim's option. it seems to go better with the house.

I would do one skylight that is no wider than the wall window, and placed in line on the roof with the window below. The dormer would be even better.

I like the way the single skylight aligns with the window. It also gives much more light.

I like the way they both look, but I choose two skylights. You already have large windows around your room. With two, you would be letting in light while pleasing the eye. That way it doesn’t look like you just added another large window on your ceiling. The two skylights would also look better from the exterior of your home. One skylight would look out of place and compete with the attention of the windows on the side of your house. Two skylights would be less noticeable on the exterior, while still letting in just as much light as one.