Recent Skylight Installation Projects in Jersey City
Real work, real roofs — a sample of completed jobs
Skylight installation is the process of cutting a precise opening in your roof, framing it, and setting a sealed, insulated glass unit that brings natural light into your Jersey City home. For homes in Jersey City Heights or Downtown, where rowhouses often have dark interior rooms, a skylight can transform a hallway or stairwell without adding square footage. We handle the full job—from the self-adhered flashing at the curb to the final interior trim—and back it with a 10-year workmanship warranty.
The real work of skylight installation starts before the glass ever goes in. We measure your roof deck from the inside, then locate the rafters so we can frame a rough opening that doesn't compromise the structure. On a typical Jersey City rowhouse, that means working between closely spaced joists and coordinating with your ceiling joists below. We cut the decking with a circular saw, install a curb built from 2x6 lumber, and set the skylight on a bed of sealant. The flashing—usually aluminum or copper, depending on your roof—gets layered so water runs over each course, never under it. We use ring-shank nails for the flashing and hand-seal every exposed fastener. On pitched roofs, we also install a starter course of shingles at the bottom edge of the skylight to direct water away.
Cost in Jersey City depends on three things: the size of the unit, the type of glass, and how much roof structure has to be modified. A fixed skylight on a straightforward asphalt shingle roof runs $1,200 to $2,500 installed. A venting unit with a motorized operator—nice for letting out heat from a top-floor bedroom in summer—runs $1,800 to $3,500. If your roof decking shows rot or decay when we open it up, that adds $200 to $600 for a plywood patch. We always quote the full price before we cut anything, so there are no surprises when the saw starts.
Skylight installation is the right call when you have a dark room that faces north or is blocked by a neighboring building, which happens a lot in the Waterfront District. It's also worth considering if you're already getting a roof replacement—adding a skylight during a tear-off is cheaper than doing it later, because we can flash it into the new shingle field. But if your roof is near end-of-life wear and you're not replacing it yet, we'll tell you to hold off. A skylight installed on a roof with less than five years of life left is money wasted.
We've installed skylights on more than 80 Jersey City roofs, from 1890s brownstones in Hamilton Park to modern townhouses in the Waterfront District, and we've learned where water finds a way in.
Our skylight installation crews are trained in flash-and-seal techniques that stop leaks before they start. Every install uses self-adhered underlayment and ring-shank nails, so your roof stays watertight through nor'easters and salt-laden Hudson River air.
Every skylight installation we complete is backed by a manufacturer warranty that covers both the unit and the flashing, plus our own workmanship guarantee for the installation itself. We register the warranty with the manufacturer on your behalf and walk you through what's covered before we start.
We lay down tarps, sweep for nails with a magnetic roller, and haul away old skylight debris the same day. You won't find a stray screw in your driveway or a dent in your lawn.
We handle skylight installations across Jersey City, including the Heights, Journal Square, Downtown, Greenville, and the Waterfront District, and we'll come to you for a no-obligation assessment.
Real work, real roofs — a sample of completed jobs
