Is a small homemade sunroof a bad idea?

The Build
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I am considering making a sunroof over the headspace of the bed for star viewing at night. I have no welding skills or equipment. Would it be possible to build a frame out of plastic, wood, or vinyl and bolt it in and caulk it really well? It does not need to move.

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For all that effort I think you would be better off going to a junkyard and just taking one out of another junked rv and maybe find one that does open.

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Remember that there’s always a chance of developing a leak in the future, so consider carefully if you want that right above your bed. There is a sealant designed for roof vents called Dicor self-leveling lap sealant, I used that and Butyl tape when I put a roof vent in. So far it’s held up well and I suspect the sealant will last longer than the cheap plastic vent, but I’m glad it’s over the middle of the floor where I only have vinyl flooring directly underneath and not over my bed. A sunroof over the bed DOES sound awesome but consider the consequences when things go wrong, because Murphy’s law and all.

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I did my first build on a seriously tight budget and we put 2 skylights in the roof. All we did was cut two big holes with a jig saw (bought a new metal blade), stick perspex over the top with holes already drilled, bolted it down and then used about a whole tube of silkaflex for each one and mastic tape underneath the edges. 2 years later and it hasn’t leaked once. I think people who get leaks don’t use enough sealant, the top doesn’t have to look pretty haha.

I love them as much for how much light they bring in as much as for the stars.

If I was doing it again, I would look into using glass or something else (not sure if that’s what you’re thinking) because the perspex gets dirty quickly and scratches very easily and they’re now starting to show a bit more. Still very happy with them and none of the typical RV ones I see that you can buy ever look very appealing to me because you can’t see through them very well.

So I’d say it’s definitely possible and well worth the effort for the end result in my opinion