Skylight installation starts with what covers your roof. We work around asphalt shingle, architectural shingle, and three-tab shingle on rowhouses, and we re-flash into slate, clay tile, concrete tile, wood shake, and cedar shake.
On metal panel roofs we build a curb, then set it with gasketed fasteners; standing-seam panel and corrugated panel each need their own detail. Flat sections use membrane: TPO, EPDM, or PVC membrane over built-up roof or modified bitumen.
Under the surface, the roof deck matters more than the glass. We inspect plywood or OSB sheathing and sister any sagging board to the nearest rafter, joist, or truss before we cut the opening.
- The ridge and ridge cap get checked first, because a ridge vent that pulls air helps stop condensation on the glass.
- Soffit vent intake and an attic fan move air through the shaft, and that ventilation keeps insulation dry above the ceiling.
- The drip edge at the eave and the rake protects the overhang, where wind-driven rain often finds the first gap.
- Gutters, the fascia behind them, and downspouts carry water away from the curb; a blocked downspout can push water back under the flashing.
- Chimney flashing, pipe flashing, pipe boot, and vent boot get inspected, since a vent boot usually cracks before the shingles do.
- Apron flashing, boot flashing, and verge details differ at a dormer, parapet, coping edge, or scupper.
- On a hip, gable, mansard, or gambrel roof, snow guard and roof anchor placement changes how we tie in the curb.
- A canopy, awning, or deep overhang above the opening shades the glass and changes how much daylight you actually gain.
What's Included
A design consultation and roof inspection first, so we confirm roof pitch, framing, and whether your path under building code needs a permit.
A framed curb set square on the roof deck, because a unit screwed flat to bare sheathing leaks within one season.
Self-adhered ice-and-water shield wrapped up the curb and through the valley, then synthetic underlayment over the field.
Step flashing woven into each staggered course of shingle, plus counter-flashing where the frame meets a wall, chimney, or parapet.
A bead of sealant and mastic at the exposed laps, used as backup only and never as the primary waterproofing layer.
A VELUX or Solatube unit set with its matching flashing kit, plus insulation and a vapor barrier around the interior shaft.
Magnet sweep for nails and screws, debris hauled off in a dumpster, and the written scope handed to you when we finish.
Signs You Need Skylight Installation
Water stains or brown rings on the drywall around the light shaft, which usually means a failed sealant line above.
Condensation or fog between the panes, which tells you the sealed glass unit has failed and no longer insulates.
Damp insulation or a musty attic smell near the curb, where water is wicking past the counter-flashing.
Cracked, cloudy, or hazy glazing that no amount of cleaning fixes, since UV exposure clouds acrylic domes over time.
Lifted, curled, or missing shingles at the frame, where wind uplift has worked the flashing loose.
Daylight at the interior trim, a draft at the shaft, or a drip during heavy rain and nor'easter wind.
Our Skylight Installation Process
We begin with a roof inspection and a written roof estimate that lists the unit, the flashing kit, and labor as separate line items.
We lay out the opening, then tear-off shingles around it with a pry bar and roofing shovel, dropping debris straight into a dumpster.
We cut the sheathing, frame the curb, and check the rafter or truss before we load weight onto a ladder or scaffold.
We set ice-and-water shield and synthetic underlayment, then fasten the curb with ring-shank nails or screws using a nail gun and air compressor.
We install step flashing and counter-flashing, hand-sealing laps with a torch on modified bitumen and built-up roof sections, then caulk the edges.
We insulate the shaft, seal the vapor barrier, reinstall interior trim, and walk the roofline with you before the final inspection.
