The short answer
Some roofers do fit skylights, and the roofing part of the job suits their skills. A skylight also brings structural carpentry, a flashing matched to your covering, plastering indoors and, for a new opening, Building Regulations. Whoever you ask, find out who is responsible for each of those stages. We are a skylight and rooflight installer, so we fit and replace every product we list, and one firm runs the whole job from the free survey onwards.
- Free survey, fixed written quote
- 10-year workmanship guarantee
Where a roofer's skills carry straight over
Lifting tiles, relaying slates, dressing lead and welding or bonding a flat roof membrane are roofing skills, and every skylight job needs them around the opening. A roofer who works on pitched roofs every week will handle the covering and the flashing with confidence. The same goes for a flat roof, where the membrane has to run up the kerb and seal at the top.
The flashing has to suit the covering on your roof, and fitting it neatly is the roofer's end of the job. Slate, plain tile and profiled tile are each dressed differently, and our note on flashings for Kent roofs shows how.
What else a skylight job holds
Cutting a new opening through a rafter roof means removing part of a timber that carries load. The rafter is trimmed and new timbers carry its load round the opening, which is carpentry and needs a decision about sizes. On a flat roof the joists are trimmed in the same way and an insulated kerb is built to take the unit.
Indoors, a lining runs from the opening down to the ceiling, usually in plasterboard with a skim, and it has to be finished and decorated. A bungalow hall or a chalet bedroom shows the work clearly, because the lining is in plain view every day.
Then there is the paperwork. Cutting a fresh opening into a roof counts as building work, which brings in the structure, the Part L energy limits and, in some rooms, fire and escape. We handle the Building Control notification where the work is notifiable; the local authority or a registered building control approver signs it off. Our Building Regulations guide covers the detail.
| Stage | Skill involved |
|---|---|
| Lifting and relaying tiles or slates | Roofing |
| Trimming rafters or joists | Carpentry |
| Flashing, or membrane and kerb | Roofing, with the unit's fitting instructions |
| Plastering the lining | Plastering |
| Building Control notification | Whoever manages the job |
Questions to put to anyone quoting
- Who cuts and trims the timbers, and who checks the sizes?
- Is the flashing made for my roof covering, or adapted?
- Who does the plastering and decorating indoors, and is it in the price?
- Who handles the Building Control notification, where it applies?
- What guarantee do I get, and is it in writing?
Ask also whether the quote is fixed or an estimate, and what happens if the roof under the covering turns out different from what was expected.
Different skylights, different fitting
A roof window in a pitched roof is fitted in the plane of the slope, so the flashing and the rafters matter most. A flat rooflight or a lantern stands on a kerb, which puts the upstand height, the insulation and the membrane at the centre of the job. A sun tunnel needs a small opening and a tube run through the roof space to the ceiling, and a walk-on unit asks for a structural opening built for the load.
It helps to name the product first. Our pages on flat roof rooflights and sun tunnels show what each involves, and the quote then lists the right stages for it.
Where the job changes hands
A job split across several trades has joints in it. One firm opens the roof, another builds the kerb, a third plasters, and the question that matters is who owns the point where each stage meets the next. If water shows at the edge of a new frame six months later, you want one name to ring.
When you compare quotes, check that each lists the same stages: opening, trimming, weathering, lining and the Building Control notification. A quote that covers the roof covering only, with the rest left to others, is a different job from one that finishes the ceiling indoors.
How we cover it
With us, we visit, look at the dark room and the roof above it, and you then receive a written quote at a fixed price. Our own team handles the trimming, the weathering and the lining, and the workmanship carries a 10-year guarantee in writing. If you have a roofer you trust for other work, we are happy to fit the skylight and leave them to carry on with the rest.
Start with roof windows or VELUX windows if you know the product, or read how to add a skylight to an existing roof first. When you are ready, book a survey.
