A round skylight is either a circular glass unit in a curb, or a solar-tube dome that only looks round from the yard. From the street they can share a silhouette. From the room they do not. One is a window in the roof. The other is a diffuser at the end of a pipe. Name the object before you price a replacement.
The identity test
Stand in the room and look up. If you see sky through glass in a well, it is a skylight, even if the well is round. If you see a frosted round lens and no view, it is a sun tunnel or solar tube. Is a sun tunnel the same as a skylight is the identity page. This page is the round-shape mix-up.
On the roof, a tube dome is small and low. A circular glass unit sits on a curb or a custom round frame and is a larger hole. Custom round glass is a different order than a stock rectangle. Custom skylight options covers nonstandard shapes without turning this page into a second custom article.
Older acrylic domes on 1970s Crestview houses are often round and acrylic. That is still a skylight dome if there is a well, and a tube if there is a pipe. Acrylic versus glass is the material split.
Why people order the wrong part
A cracked round acrylic on the roof gets called a “round skylight” on the phone. The attic is a tube. The part they need is a dome kit, not a circular insulated-glass unit. Solar tube dome replacement is that swap.
A homeowner who wants a round view of sky in a powder room may not have the structure for a circular glass curb. A tube will give light without the view. That is not a failure of the tube. It is a different product.
Hail does not care about the nickname. The September 24, 2023 storm was the costliest Austin-area hailstorm on record, about $600 million in estimated Travis and Williamson losses, with hail up to about 4 inches in Round Rock. Photograph the roof piece. Do not order from the ceiling lens alone.
Energy and flashing
City of Austin Climate Zone 2 maxima for skylights are U-factor 0.60 and SHGC 0.28. Those attach to rated glass units. Matching published figures for tubes were not confirmed in those same tables. Confirm the sheet.
Round curbs still need flashing that matches shingle, metal, or tile. A circular hole is not a free pass on the roof type.
Prices and a stock-size chart could not be confirmed here. Custom round glass is a lead-time conversation with the maker, not a number on this page.
How Bright Sky ATX fits
We match you with experienced, insured independent skylight and solar-tube professionals. The pro you hire names the round object and replaces it. We do not. See skylight installation and solar tube installation.
When to call us
Call when the roof piece is round and you need it named before anyone orders glass or a dome kit. Call (737) 477-8898.