Where you can and can’t install a $7000 skylight

While the traditional light well with polycarbonate sheet still has a place, skylights have gone upmarket. But you need to know how to use them.

Bathed in natural light: Builder Nick McKimm on the central stairwell of his two-level Brighton home in Melbourne. Louis Trerise

Michael BlebyDeputy property editor

Updated Jul 10, 2025 – 1.16pm, first published at 9.15am

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Dream Designs

A regular column about enviable design features and little details that can create your dream home. We speak to mckimm director Nick McKimm about the skylights he designed for his own $2.5 million, 440-square-metre, two-level townhouse in Melbourne’s Brighton.

What is it and where? A rounded skylight above the staircase in a two-level, 440-square-metre penthouse apartment in bayside Melbourne’s Brighton.

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Michael BlebyDeputy property editorMichael Bleby covers commercial and residential property, with a focus on housing and finance, construction, design & architecture. He also dabbles in the business of sport. Based in Melbourne, Michael is on Bluesky @michaelbleby.bsky.social.