The 5 Best Roof Windows of 2025: An Expert’s Guide to a Brighter Home

When it comes to residential skylights, VELUX is the name that consistently comes up among professionals, and for good reason. The FS M08 is my top recommendation for homeowners who want a “set it and forget it” solution that prioritizes quality, energy efficiency, and peace of mind.

What sets this apart is the glass. VELUX uses what they call Comfort-PLUS glass, which is a dual-pane, argon-filled unit with a Low-E coating. In plain English, this means it’s incredibly well-insulated, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It blocks over 80% of the sun’s fading UV rays, protecting your furniture and floors. Critically, it features laminated safety glass, meaning if it ever breaks (from a severe hailstorm, for example), the glass fragments will adhere to an interlayer, much like a car windshield. This is a huge safety feature, especially for skylights installed over living areas.

The build quality of the frame and the pre-attached deck seal provide a robust weather barrier. When installed with the corresponding VELUX flashing kit (which is essential), the company offers a 10-year “No Leak” warranty. In my experience, a properly installed VELUX skylight will last much, much longer without issue.

If you’re converting an attic into a bedroom or living space, building codes in most U.S. jurisdictions require an “egress” window for emergency escape. The FAKRO FWP-V is specifically designed for this purpose. Unlike a typical top-hinged or center-pivot window, this model is side-hung and opens to a full 90 degrees, creating a large, unobstructed opening that meets egress requirements.

Beyond safety, this is simply a fantastic roof window. The P2 anti-burglary laminated glass offers incredible security and peace of mind. The frame is constructed from beautiful, close-grain pine wood that’s pressure-treated for longevity. It feels incredibly solid. A handle at the bottom makes it easy to open and close, and it features two passive micro-ventilation slots, allowing for air circulation even when the window is fully closed.

Installation is straightforward for a professional, and FAKRO’s system is well-regarded. While its primary purpose is safety, it doesn’t skimp on features, offering excellent light transmission and solid thermal performance. This is the go-to choice for any occupied attic space.

What if you want to brighten up a windowless bathroom, a dark hallway, or a walk-in closet? A traditional skylight is often overkill and impractical for these spaces. This is where the tubular skylight, or “sun tunnel,” shines. The Sun-Tek 10-inch tube is a brilliant and cost-effective solution.

The concept is simple: a small, high-impact acrylic dome on your roof captures sunlight and funnels it down a highly reflective, flexible tube to a diffuser lens mounted in your ceiling. The amount of light it delivers is genuinely surprising—a 10-inch tube can illuminate a 150 sq. ft. room with the equivalent of about three 100-watt bulbs on a sunny day. It’s a soft, diffused light that feels completely natural.

From an installation perspective, these are far less invasive than a full skylight. Because they are designed to fit between rafters, there’s no need to cut structural joists. This makes the DIY potential much higher for a handy homeowner. The kit comes with everything you need, including the dome, tubing, diffuser, and hardware. For bringing light to the dark interior corners of your home, there’s no better value.

Roof windows aren’t just for houses! Your RV or camper can benefit immensely from the natural light and feeling of openness a skylight provides. However, you can’t just use a residential model. RV skylights need to be lightweight, impact-resistant, and designed to handle the vibrations and stresses of being on the road. The RecPro kit is a top seller for a reason: it’s a perfect, all-in-one replacement solution.

This kit includes both the outer dome and the inner garnish (the trim piece). The outer dome is made from a single piece of thermoformed polycarbonate, which is incredibly tough and resistant to cracking from impacts or sun exposure. The smoke tint is a great feature, as it lets in light without creating a harsh glare or excessive heat inside the RV.

Installation is about as simple as it gets for this type of project, making it a very popular DIY upgrade for RV owners. The standard 14″ x 22″ size fits the rough opening of most common RV shower and galley skylights. For replacing an old, yellowed, or cracked dome, this RecPro kit is a no-brainer. It’s an affordable upgrade that makes a huge difference to the interior environment of your rig.

Let’s be honest: premium skylights can be expensive. If you’re working with a tighter budget but still want a quality product that won’t cause problems, the SIG Fixed Skylight is an outstanding value proposition. It delivers the most important features you need without the premium price tag of bigger brand names.

The standout feature here is that you get double-pane, tempered, Low-E glass at this price point. This is a significant step up from the cheap acrylic “bubble” skylights you might see at big-box stores. The Low-E coating helps with energy efficiency, and the tempered glass is strong and safe. This is a curb-mount model, meaning it’s designed to be installed on a site-built curb (a wooden frame) on the roof. This is a very common and reliable installation method.

The frame is made from thermally-broken extruded aluminum, which means there’s a barrier to prevent heat transfer, and it’s finished with a durable powder coating. While it may not have the brand recognition or the same no-leak warranty as a VELUX, for a homeowner or contractor looking for a solid, well-made, energy-efficient skylight without breaking the bank, this SIG model is tough to beat.