There are many features of the loft that drew me in. A big open space, the ability to develop a blank canvas, and tall walls of brick with many windows providing abundant sunlight and views. The icing on top was a massive central skylight.
On day one, it had a damaged pane of glass with tape barely stopping the rain from coming inside. Luckily, I had this replaced before I moved in, and you would never tell it wasn’t the original. One of the few things the landlord would actually repair in my time living here.
As years went by, the rattle of the glass in strong wind, and the sound of raindrops became background noise. The daily dose of sunlight that crept in overshadowed the understanding that a single pane of glass was surely costing a fortune in energy bills to heat and cool. As heat rises, on the coldest days of the year, most of that heat crept out through the roof. In the summer, an excess of space to cool down that melted in the tar roof. But the plants very much appreciated, and grew.
It was on one fatal day that strong wind managed to dislodge a glass panel, hanging from the edge. Luckily, I was indoors, and raced upstairs to grab before it fell and shattered. It was then that i realized nothing was holding the panels in place, outside of a few bent metal tabs. No sealant, no adhesive. The best I had at the time was some gorilla tape, which I used to secure the ends of each glass panel down, to precent them from lifting at the edges again. I left this for a few months, as it seemed to be working fine.
Still, the idea that anyone on the roof could lift a panel and the inside would be outdoors was on my mind. The rattle eventually came back, as the glass shifted in the metal supports from heavy winds. On large gusts, I could feel the breeze indoors, with my HVAC working overtime to maintain comfort. A bit of research led me to some ‘silicone’ adhesives that are well suited to the job, and began the project to finally seal things proper.
The design of the metal structure seems to have escapes at the top, likely for moisture to escape from the channels, but this feels a bit counterproductive against sealing indoors from outdoors, so i coated every space where an opening existed. Exterior window sealant at the bottom edges, and beads of hybrid silicone on the outside, where glass meets metal. The wind noise disappeared, the inside breeze went away, and the back of my mind cleared knowing that the problem was finally solved.
I am somewhat amazed it took 5 years for a solution, and 4 years for the glass to fall out of place. This skylight was only replaced, as the fire department destroyed the historic one, putting out a large fire prior to moving in. The water from fighting the fire caused major damage to the unit, so this is what provided the blank canvas that caught my eye, so I am forever grateful to the skylight.