The Sun Tube

When we first moved in, the living room was a little dark as you can see in this pic (taken with flash!)



So we decided to install a Sun Tube and give the room a repaint. Here's Paul installing the Tube last weekend whilst I was painting (watercolours!)


and here's the end result - this one no flash


and this one with flash

im gona sound so think but whats a sun tube?

Not thick at all Shona - the planning dept here didn't know what we meant when we asked if we needed planning permission!
A Sun Tube is a silver mirrored tube linking the fish eye lens on the roof to a diffusing panel in the living room. Sunlight comes through the fish eye lens like it would a window, travels down and is magnified by the tube and then spreads light in the room through the diffuser.

Its great where you can't get permission to put a window in because it doesn't need any planning permission. I first saw them on Grand Designs

wow, it still sounds quite complex, but having looked at your photos, the light in the room looks great,

Think of a smartie tube, one end open to the sky and the inside all mirrors. It would be quite bright put up to your eye. That's the basic idea