Why is every new build defaulting to laminated glass for skylights?

I see specs calling for laminated glass on skylights in low-risk residential areas, and it makes no sense to me. This blanket approach ignores factors like height, occupancy, and local climate, just ticking a box for perceived safety. Back in the day, we'd evaluate each job and might recommend tempered or even annealed glass with proper framing. Now, we're wasting client money and adding structural strain for no good reason. When did we stop trusting our own judgment on the shop floor? Is the industry so afraid of liability that we've forgotten how to apply common sense? This move towards one-size-fits-all solutions is eroding the craft and turning us into glorified installers.

4 comments

4 Comments

fisher.olivia4d ago

Ugh, total overkill for most houses.

emmahayes6d ago

We argued against it until a bad ice storm last winter. Laminated glass on our job site skylights took direct hits from falling branches and didn't break. Now we default to it for any overhead glazing because the hassle of a broken skylight is just too high. It stopped being about code and started being about not getting called back at midnight.

the_zara6d ago

My mom's old car had those awful bald tires for months, and we all told her to replace them. She finally did it after sliding through a stop sign in the rain. It's funny how often the rule or the good advice only makes sense after you get your own proof, you know? We ignore the code until the storm shows up. It happens with so much stuff, from phone cases to backup generators. The real world has a way of changing your mind fast.

brookep807d ago

Your rant about the blanket approach hit home for me. I used to think it was overkill too, until a local hail storm proved me wrong.