I have seen solatubes used very effectively, but keep in mind their light is much like a recessed spot light. Since the roof faces south, you will get lots of sun shining on them. With the pitch to the ceiling, can you direct the solatubes to shine on the wall, diffusing the light? Instead of shinging straight down, that is.

The tubes are very effective and appropriate in desert areas...sky lights have more appeal to me because you can actually see the sunny sky..clouds..moon...stars...etc...in most climates there are only a few months where the heat factor comes in..in those times a motorized shade or an incorporated shade will usually suffice

Whether this is your "forever" home or coming on the market later, the real deal will pay off in the long term. Skylights with remote control (or smart) shades controlled by computer will do the best job and add the most value. I know people make do with solatubes, but they look very DIY and cheap to me.

I always prefer skylights to solar tubes. The skylight allows you to see the sky. If you need more light in a room and you don't want to add a skylight I would recommend LED can lights recessed in the ceiling. They use hardly any electricity and last for years without having to replace the bulbs.

That's why we put LEDs in our vault ceiling - it took a scaffold to change the bulbs. Hoping they last "forever!"

The best solution might be clerestory windows in the roof but the cost may be more than you want to spend. You get the light, but not the heat load with these type of windows.

Short of that I would do skylights. The solotubes IMO look cheap and often fight with the architecture of the home.

I wouldn't worry about heat leakage in August, since windows are already at the ceiling and heat rises! just another penny for the pond...

acm, the OP is taking about heat gain from the sun that works against your AC, not heat leakage

If you go with skylights, get the best low-E glass you can afford. It does a great job of keeping heat from transferring through the glass.

Another option to consider would be painting the ceiling.

Skylights, unless very fine quality will eventually leak. I have one fixed which has leaked & fixed in the past. I have another one which is an opening one. The opening one is very good for releasing hot air from the room in summer & bringing in the light in the winter, however it has leaked as well & we have not repaired it as it is very high to the roof.

The fixed one is in the kitchen & is great for bringing in light in the winter, however it also loses much heat in the winter & brings in the cold in winter & heat in summer. I think deciding which you will want may depend on the weather in your area. If I had it to do again I would have gone with the solatubes. Good luck. Most skylight installers predict a leak within ten years.

Thanks, sandra. Leaking is a big concern for my husband. We are in the upper Midwest. We have friends who have a skylight they hate because of the heat gain.

We put in Solatubes this past fall in our two story great room. They were very easy to install and provide ample light during the day. They basically look like a can light with filtered light. I love them. We placed two in a 17' x 19' room.

We have Solatubes. One 12 inch in entry and a 10 inch between lights at bar. I absolutely can't say enough about how great they have been for 10 years! Even with 3 huge redwoods in the back they light up our home. This house was very dark
Before!

Sorry, but it's a poor imitation of natural light. Just hot spots in the ceiling.

You can get the same effect by installing a round fluorescent fixture IMO

Are you free to add more Windows?..or may be just some up-lighting would work..

I don't care for the light from the solar tubes. Skylights provide natural light and are attractive in a vaulted ceiling. Check out V Lux Skylights.

I disagree Beverly, solstices are a great option, especially in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms without Windows. The light they provide is bright natural daylight. I have had these installed and they done easily with few problems unlike skylights. Does anybody know anyone who hasn't had a leaky skylight?

I meant solatubes, darn spellcheck!

We just had solatubes put in our vaulted ceilings, one in living room and one in kitchen. We really don't even notice them, except that I keep wanting to turn the lights off! Light is diffused and spreads out so no "spotlight" look at all. Plants are starting to put out leaves now too.

Velux skylights with blinds!! :) Can't go wrong. Good skylights don't leak - the openings around them are most often the problem. Velux builds an awesome product with flashing kits for a great end product result. They have an assortment of blinds, etc to block light when you want to. The products they make today are not your grandmas skylights. lol!

We have both skylights and solatubes. Skylights are in our vaulted family room and the south facing ones do bring in a lot of heat in summer. If you can get nice looking blinds as one of the earlier commenters suggested it may help a lot. Ours have been in for nearly 15 years and have never leaked (we get a lot of rain). They roofers tell me the correct flange installation makes all the difference. Overall, I like them. They bring in a lot of light in an area that was previously dismal. Can't beat natural light. We did treat with a 3M film to help with sun damage.

I wouldn't put solatubes in a room like yours.m the ones we have are in closet and a windowless bathroom and they're fine for those areas but would look odd in a large space.

I love my operable velux skylight. Mine is west facing and does bring in some heat in the summer, but it's a trade off for lighting an otherwise tomb like windowless stair. I like solatubes for baths and closets but not a room.

I like the solatube light in my kitchen. Don't know why I went so long before I installed one. However in your room, I don't think it is the right solution for you. I like the answer from the person who suggested you paint the ceiling. A less expensive solution by far.

Jean, thanks for your reply. Painting the ceiling is definitely something I would consider. However, I suspect it would be more expensive than solatubes since it is so high and would require a lot of prep and priming. I may get an estimate, thOugh. I sure am not going to do it myself!

nadd2, did you end up installing the solatubes? I am looking into adding a couple to our great room and was wondering which direction you went.

Remote operated opening 4x4 skylight would be my choice. It takes a special contractor to put a skylight in where their was not one in the first place. A lot of detail especially in the roof. Skylights rarely leak, the curb or roof area they attach too are the greatest risk over time. In my opinion.

I am considering sola tubes for my great room which gets shaded in the late afternoons by trees and a ridge. How is the sola tube when only ambient light vs direct light is available?

Your windows are quite short for your space. You have lots of room to add large transoms over the patio door, and the dr window. Hard to tell if that is appropriate from just overhead shots, but if the view is good it would be well worth it.

When it’s really cloudy, the soma tubes are like having a window, but on a cloudy day. If that makes sense.