Centre-Pivot or Top-Hung VELUX: Which Should I Choose?

The centre-pivot vs top-hung VELUX question comes down to where the hinge sits. A centre-pivot sash turns about a bar across its middle. You lift the handle at the top, the lower half swings out over the roof and the upper half swings in under the ceiling. On a top-hung window the hinges run along the head, so the sash swings out like an awning and you pull it from a handle at the bottom edge.

That one difference shapes everything you notice in the room. The upper half of a centre-pivot sash comes inside the house when the window is open, so it needs a little air space above the frame. A top-hung sash stays outside, so nothing swings into the room at all. Homeowners call both of them skylights and the trade calls them roof windows or rooflights, but the choice of hinge is the same whatever you call them.

The range of VELUX opening types is wider than these two, with electric and solar versions and escape models, but those change the controls, not the geometry. Pick the hinge first. Frame sizes are a separate decision, covered in VELUX window sizes and codes, and the hub on VELUX window installation sets out the whole range.

Headroom. A centre-pivot opens by pushing the lower half out, which gives a generous gap at the bottom and lets air and light in evenly. The upper half of the sash comes in towards the ceiling, and in most rooms the slope keeps it well above your head. It matters only where the window is set low and you are likely to stand or sit directly under the head of the frame.

View. A top-hung window gives the cleaner outlook when it is open, because the sash lifts away and nothing crosses the opening. With a centre-pivot, the sash turns across the middle of the gap, so you look past it rather than through a clear hole. With the window closed, the view is the same in both.

Cleaning is closer than people expect. On a centre-pivot the sash turns right round on its bar, so the outer pane comes inside and you can wipe it from the room with no ladder and no leaning out over the slates. A VELUX top-hung window has a second, pivot action for the same purpose: the sash turns over and locks in place while you clean the outside face. That takes one more step than on a centre-pivot, so check the maker's instructions for your model, but neither type leaves you up a ladder.

Controls deserve a thought too. A handle at the head needs a tall person or a long arm if the window is set high, and a pole or an electric version solves it. A handle at the foot is easy, but a top-hung window set low behind a bed or a desk can leave you reaching across furniture. If you cannot reach the handle, a powered unit is the alternative, and electric, solar or manual opening rooflights compares your choices.

• Mark the handle height on the wall before you order.
• Check you can reach the handle without climbing on furniture.
• Work out who will clean the outer pane, and how.
• Check where the blind cord or pole will hang.

Furniture placement settles the argument in many Liverpool lofts. Take the typical Victorian terrace conversion, with a low eaves wall and a steep slope above. A wardrobe, a chest of drawers or a desk usually ends up against the low wall, directly under the lowest part of the sloping ceiling. If a window is placed above it, a centre-pivot needs space for the upper sash to swing in, and a top-hung does not.

The same is true in a bungalow or chalet bungalow on the Wirral, where rooms in the roof are often narrow and the bed has to go against the slope. A top-hung window lets the bed sit beneath it with no worry about the sash meeting the headboard, whereas a centre-pivot wants a clear approach. Where nothing stands underneath, the centre-pivot is simpler.

If the window has to serve as a way out of a room in the roof, the choice is made for you, because the sash of a centre-pivot sits across the opening while an escape model, usually a top-hung design, is made to clear it. Room eligibility and the dimensions an escape window needs are covered in the roof window means of escape answer, and this page stays with the hinge question.

For every other room, our advice is simple. Choose the centre-pivot for a window you will reach and clean easily, and the top-hung where furniture sits below or the view matters most. We look at the room before we recommend either. No price is given until we have surveyed. The written quote is fixed and names the exact model, and the 10 years of workmanship guarantee are put in writing too. Should the job need notifying, Building Control is something we take care of. Want to talk it over? WhatsApp a photo of the room, give us a ring, or ask for a free quote.