The cost of a skylight or rooflight is the product plus the work to fit it, and the work depends on your roof. A roof window in an open loft with easy access is a different day from a lantern on a new upstand above a finished kitchen. Rather than quote a range that fits nobody, we survey first and give you a written figure that does not change on the day.
The product
Size, type and glass
Larger glass costs more and needs more hands to lift. A roof lantern has more frame and more panes than a flat rooflight of the same opening. Triple glazing, solar-control coatings and laminated inner panes add to the unit, and so do opening mechanisms, electric operation and rain sensors.
The roof
What the roof is made of and how it is built
A tiled or slate pitched roof takes a flashing kit; a flat roof takes an upstand dressed into the covering. Where the opening is wider than the gap between rafters or joists, the roof is trimmed, which is structural work. Older roofs with irregular timbers take longer to open up and make good.
Getting there
Access, height and protection
A single-storey roof reached from a ladder is quicker to work on than a roof that needs a tower or scaffold. Protecting a finished room underneath, moving stored items in a loft and working around a tight garden all add time. All of this is planned at the survey and written into the quote.
Inside
Finishing the opening
Lining, insulating and plastering the splay or upstand is part of every job, so the room is left ready to paint. A deep ceiling void or a sloped ceiling makes the splay larger and takes longer to finish.
Replacement
Replacing an existing rooflight
Swapping a misted sealed unit in a sound frame is a smaller job than replacing the whole rooflight. Replacing a roof window like for like, using the size code on its data plate, is simpler than changing its size. Our misted rooflights page explains the difference.
| Factor | Pushes it up | Keeps it simpler |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Large or multiple panes | One standard size |
| Product | Lantern, electric opening, walk-on glass | Fixed flat rooflight or manual roof window |
| Roof | Trimming wide openings, older timbers | Opening fits between rafters |
| Access | Scaffold or tower needed | Single storey, clear access |
| Replacement | New size or new type | Like for like by size code |
The figure
How you get a fixed price
Book a free survey. We look up first, at what the room sees overhead, then at the roof, the structure and the access. You get a written quote that sets out the product, the glass, the work and the finish. That is the price you pay: the quote does not change on the day. The work carries our 10-year workmanship guarantee.
