House Plans with Sun Tunnel

If you love natural light in your home, but do not have the desire for a large skylight, or your home plan does not work well with a skylight, a sun tunnel is a great choice. Sun tunnels, also known as sun tubes or light pipes, allow sunlight to stream into areas that normally are not reached by the home's windows.

A sun tunnel is a type of skylight that channels light from the roof through a reflective tube and into the room below. The reflective tube ensures that as much light as possible makes it into the home, and the design does not take much space on the roof or ceiling. This is a great option to gain some light in walk-in closets, large pantries or dark hallways and other areas without much window space. Sun tunnels can be rigid or flexible in nature. Rigid tunnels transmit more light into the home and work well on roofs that do not have obstructions. If you have an obstruction in the path of the light, a flexible sun tunnel can move around it, but will produce slightly less light.

Donald A. Gardner Architects has numerous existing house plans with built-in sun tunnels. In these plans, the sun tunnel is often located within a walk-in closet or hallway.