I'm planning the renovation of our small bathroom in our 1930'shouse. The bathroom currently has no windows, and I want to bring in some natural light. I had original thought to put in a window, but as I research it further I've decided that it's not our best choice since the only spot for a window is also the only spot for the shower/bath. An additional reason for going for a skylight is that with our plans to tile the bathroom walls, the window would have to go in before we tiled, but if we put in a skylight that could be a project done later, after we saved up a wee bit more money after the initial renovation cost.

Because our attic is partially finished, the skylight would have to go in the space above where the tub/shower is located, which would go up through the kneewall space above. It would have to be one of the type of skylights that.. I don't know the word for it: It won't be directly on our bathroom ceiling but we'd have to build a walled opening between the ceiling and the roof a few feet above. (please someone tell me the correct words to use for this!)

My questions are:

1. Is there anything we should look for and/or avoid when considering putting a skylight in a bathroom?

2. Are there any brands that people would recommend to consider or stay away from, and why?

3. What do I look for in a potential contractor to install this, since it will not be a DIY project?

4. Are there any things we can do (or specific types of skylights we could get or avoid) to make the skylight not look really out of place in an older house? I seem to recall being in old homes that had skylights of the type I'm describing (up a passageway, with chains hanging down that allowed you to open/close them, but I don't really remember much about them specifically.

Thanks for any suggestions and ideas that you can share!