Daylight in the space below shouldn't be accompanied by leakage. How do you ensure a properly waterproof skylight is attached to the facade? Sometimes it's simple, with space for an upstand on all sides. The skylight sits over this like a lid. In that case, it's simply a matter of integrating it as flush as possible into the patio floor. But sometimes, the architect designs the glass to fit against the facade or a wall, and even then, a solid and waterproof construction is required. In this article, we explain how wall mounting works and when a different solution is better.

What is a wall mount?

We can supply skylights and walk-on glass with wall mountings on up to three sides, allowing the glass to be attached directly to the wall and eliminating the need to cover a raised edge. This construction ensures a watertight attachment with a Sky Only View from the inside. The example project below shows how a multi-panel skylight is attached between three walls using a wall abutment.

Other common situations where a wall mount is used:

• A skylight in a house extension: with the wall mounting, the skylight can be attached directly to the wall, so that plenty of daylight enters the extension directly.
• A narrow skylight as a connection between two buildings.
• A smaller terrace where every centimetre counts and there is insufficient space for surrounding upstands.
• A cuckoo window that lets light into the floor below.

Waterproof construction: no leakage

Let's take a look at the details of this construction. The drawing below shows that while a skylight or walk-on glass normally spans four upstands, a wall-mounted system requires only three upstands because the glass is connected directly to the facade/wall on one side with the wall-mounted system.

For proper water drainage, a slight slope of 1 degree is required for walk-on glass and at least 3 degrees for a standard skylight. This drainage is also the reason why a wall mount can be installed on a maximum of three sides: otherwise, the water wouldn't be able to drain away.

After installation, the frame is neatly covered with the interior finish, so that only glass is visible: the Sky Only View.

When not to use a wall mount?

A wall mount is a safe, high-quality solution, but sometimes the necessary extra space on the sides and above the frame isn't available. For example, in the situation below: a walk-on glass skylight was installed in front of a glass facade, where there was no available height to mount the wall profile.

Alternative solution: walk-on glass on four raised areas all around

In this situation, four surrounding upstands were chosen, set back into the concrete floor, so that the walk-on glass skylight would be flush with the final terrace floor. A key requirement here is proper drainage to prevent the gutters from filling with water.

By using four upstands, the walk-on glass can be applied flat, with this beautiful end result, where the terrace floor is varied with wooden parts, tiles and a grid to control water drainage:

Another example: a walk-on glass dome with a wall mounting

In this example, two walk-on glass skylights are installed as a dormer window for this unique villa. This situation allows for ample height and side space for the wall profile. With the wall mounting on one long side, the walk-on glass can be easily attached to the facade. When the terrace is finished, the terrace floor will be level with the glass sections. This creates a beautiful effect from the outside and provides ample daylight and a more pleasant living environment inside.

And the beautiful end result (performed by Koelewijn Construction):

Cuckoo brings a lot of light to the cellar below

Another example of a walk-on glass skylight with a wall mount is installed. This allows a tremendous amount of daylight into the basement below.

At a later stage, the garden/patio will be finished at the same height as the walk-on glass. It's important to maintain a small gap between the tiles/patio and the frame. We also recommend placing a narrow gravel border along the upstand to ensure faster drainage. The photo collage above shows the profile of the wall bracket, slightly above and to both sides. This space must therefore be available on the facade. The lead flashing, which was raised during installation, fits over the wall bracket to ensure proper waterproofing.

Cuckoo at street level

To align the walkable glass of the skylight with street level, a raised edge was placed on the concrete edge in the project below. According to regulations, the raised edge (and in this case, the concrete edge as well) is integrated with roofing material. There is a small gap between the tiles, which were later installed at the same level as the glass. Drainage from the skylight and the path is designed to prevent water from standing.

Another example of a cuckoo, placed on Ameland.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out photos of rooms with a cuckoo.