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There is a sky light, where the old window under it must have broke and fell out. I want to cover the holes leading to it, less than 60 cm x 60 cm. Where can I get insulating clear sheets of plastic to cover them? That I can cut into the right size. It could be something else that I could cut into sheets. Below that I can put window plastic, so there are 2 layers for the heat.

To be clear, I want to cover the hole in the ceiling under the skylight (which is fine, but drafty). There is an area between the skylight and the rooms' ceilings (it's split between rooms), about 1 m tall.

I have tin snips, but if there is a better way to cut, let me know. I prefer smaller items or sheets since large ones are a pain to bring home, no car.

I'm asking for hard sheets, so they don't move (and make crinkly sounds) with the draft. But thin enough to cut.

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  • If you don't cover and weatherproof the broken roof window from the outside, rain will come in. Good luck with finding a hack for that – poke a big golf umbrella though the hole and thether it somehow?
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Aug 17, 2023 at 20:21
  • I think I wasn't clear. The roof window is fine, it's the window under that, inside the house, that is missing. There should be two sets of windows. The inside set is just for warmth. There are no leaks, just drafty from wind sometimes
    – user40293
    Commented Aug 17, 2023 at 23:43
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    Google "Clear Perspex acrylic sheets cut to size." Suppliers can be found in my locale.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Aug 17, 2023 at 23:47
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    Order them cut a bit over-size, and then cut them to fit yourself, with a saw. This is just common sense, not a hack. You might find it easier if you use a cardboard template to fit each first, that you can adjust with sticky tape of whatever to get the exact size and shape before committing to cut the plastic.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Aug 18, 2023 at 10:43
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    With a saw? I've worked with plexiglass before and it'd crack with a normal saw. We had to use an exacto knife a bit then clamp it down and quickly snap it on that. It'd be a few hundred dollars for that much also, from looking at home depot. I was hoping for cheaper plastic thin enough to cut with at least tin snips, easier to work with. But not thin like seranwrap.
    – user40293
    Commented Aug 18, 2023 at 12:17

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The Nothing is easier than getting someone else to do it Lifehack.

Rather than try to find a material you can work without experience or the proper tools to use with unfamiliar materials in a place that is too inconvenient to even measure, I propose that you concentrate your efforts to finding the right size and shape plastic piece for each hole.

Here's How:

  1. Get enough appropriate sizes of corrugated cardboard for your project—one piece for each hole.
  2. One by one; position, mark, cut, and refit each piece of cardboard into each separate hole. Cardboard is easier to work (cut) than any plastic in my experience.
  3. Check for best fit. Trim away or tape extra cardboard where you were over-enthusiastic if necessary. Your skill will improve with each fitting.
  4. Probably each piece will be slightly different from another. Place labels or use diagrams so that you know which piece goes where.
  5. Check your work.
  6. Take the pieces of cardboard to the closest supplier of building materials and choose the best material for what you wish to do with the help of informed personnel there.
  7. Have the material cut using the cardboard templates you made for the location.
  8. Refit the plastic sheets into their desired locations.
  9. Congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Good luck.

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