"Glass" skylight in Shower - Picture

[Busventure]

I think this will be a cool idea but i do not want to compromise the integrity of the roof system. I want to put a peice of glass/plastic/plexiglass in my shower/bathroom cieling.
What material and thickness do you recommend? It obvoiusly needs to be flexible enough to match the curve of my roof but i need it to be strong enough to replace the metal that i am taking away.
Picture - The square inside of the blue circle.

https://imgur.com/npZTTP0

 

[Busventure]

Picture

https://imgur.com/npZTTP0

 

[Taz420]

It is a cool idea. As long as you keep it between the roof ribs, I can't see it compromising the structural integrity of the roof. However, anything that's flush with the roof and flexible enough to contour yourself is going to get horribly sandblasted by the air rushing over. That means tempered glass - which you can't form yourself and will be $$$$ for a custom made unit. The other issue I see is going to be it's going to be a bitch to seal and keep from shattering due to torque forces without a frame. If I read your mind correctly, you are going for the old passenger train car look with the upper windows that wrap up over the roof, right? Having a frame is going to kill that look.

You'd probably be best off installing a standard RV skylight hatch (with fart fan? because bathroom?) into the flat portion. That way when it gets all beat up or something breaks it, its a cheap replacement available at any RV supply on the road versus duct taping plastic over your roof.

 

[musigenesis]

You don't need to worry about compromising the structural integrity of the bus by cutting a hole in the sheet metal of the roof, as long as you're not cutting through one of the ribs (which are usually called hat channels here because hat channel is the type of beam shape used for them), and even then you could cut through one or two ribs without much concern. You do have to worry about any new opening in the roof leaking, but that's par for the course.

Lexan will bend over this curve (it would probably need the assistance of heat) and can be screwed or riveted in place, along with seam sealer to keep it leakproof. 1/4" would be strong enough even if it were totally flat, and the curvature will strengthen it substantially anyway (by "strong enough" I just mean enough not to break - it does not need to do the job of the steel sheet it is replacing).

FWIW they do make ventilation fans that are sort of translucent or transparent, so you can get a sort of skylight and also a fan at the same time, and just as easy to install.