The short answer: Skylights and rooflights are fitted by specialist rooflight installers, roofers and some general builders. The right person is whoever can do the roof work, the structural trimming, the weathering and the paperwork as one job. Ask who will reach the roof, who applies for any licence, and who handles Building Control, because a good installer answers all three in writing.
A rooflight is a small piece of glass that sits on top of several trades. Someone has to get up there, someone has to cut and support the roof structure, someone has to make the edges watertight, and someone has to deal with the council. Who installs skylights and rooflights depends on how many of those jobs a firm takes on. The home page shows what we install across Brighton and Hove.
The trades that fit rooflights
You will meet a few types of firm when you start asking for quotes. Each has strengths, and each leaves some gaps for you to fill.
| Type of firm | Good at | Check that they cover |
|---|---|---|
| Rooflight specialist | Choosing, measuring and fitting the unit | Scaffold, licences, the surrounding roof covering |
| Roofer | Tiles, slates, membranes, flashings | Glazing choice, energy rating, Building Control |
| Builder | Structure, lofts, extensions | Weathering detail at the unit edge |
| Window fitter | Glazed units and frames | Working on the roof itself |
A specialist usually has the closest knowledge of the units, the kerbs and the ratings, and a roofer knows the covering best. A builder is often involved when a loft is being converted. The point is not that one is right. It is that the whole chain has to be covered by someone, and the quote should show who.
What a competent installer must handle
Whoever you choose, there are several jobs inside a rooflight installation that cannot be skipped.
- Surveying the roof. Checking what the unit is fixed to, how the roof is built and whether it will take a new opening.
- Specifying the right unit. A roof window and a flat roof rooflight follow different energy standards, and the size and glazing need to match the room.
- Trimming and framing. Rafters or joists cut for an opening must be supported properly, with trimmers or a kerb.
- Weathering. The edge of the unit has to shed water for decades. Flashings, upstands and membrane dressing are where leaks begin when the detail is poor.
- Safe access. Reaching the roof legally and safely, which often means a scaffold or platform.
- Notifying Building Control. Cutting a new opening, or swapping a whole existing unit for another, counts as building work and must be notified wherever it is notifiable.
Our guide to the Building Regulations for skylights and rooflights explains the standards, and how the replacement of a whole unit is treated.
Why one point of contact helps
Splitting a rooflight job between several firms is possible, but it multiplies the places where something can go wrong. If the roofer lifts the tiles on Monday and the window fitter is due on Thursday, the roof sits open between them. If the builder frames the opening to one size and the unit arrives in another, the day is wasted. When a single firm measures, orders, frames, fits and weathers the unit, the sizes agree and the roof is not left open between trades.
One contact also means one written price and one guarantee, so if a question comes up later you know who to ring.
Questions to put to any installer
You do not need technical language to find out whether a firm has thought the job through. These questions do most of the work.
- How will you reach the roof? Scaffolding at the back, a tower on the pavement or a mobile platform each bring different costs and permissions.
- Who applies for the scaffold licence? On a street with permit-only parking, the answer may also include a parking bay suspension.
- Who handles Building Control? The installer should tell you whether the council or a registered building control approver receives the notification.
- What happens if the unit is in a flat? A converted building usually needs the freeholder's consent, and neighbours should be told.
- What is guaranteed, and for how long? Ask to see it in writing.
For city roofs the access questions are not minor. See scaffold licences and parking suspensions for the practical side, and rooflights in flats and leasehold buildings if your roof is shared.
How we work
Coastlight Skylights installs and replaces skylights and rooflights in Brighton and Hove and up to 30 miles around by road. Our range includes roof windows, flat roof rooflights, roof lanterns, electric and opening units, and conservation rooflights. Where a unit has misted or failed, we replace it.
Every job starts with a free survey and a fixed written quote. In that quote is a page we call the access plan, which spells out how the roof will be reached, who asks the council for any scaffold licence or bay suspension, the freeholder's consent and neighbour notice for converted buildings, the Building Control route, and the price. You can read what goes into it on the access plan page.
Where the job is notifiable, the Building Control notification is ours to deal with, and the installation is backed by a 10 year workmanship guarantee, set out in our guarantee. We have no public premises, so every visit is booked in advance and nobody turns up unannounced.
Choosing for your own roof
If the job is a straight like-for-like swap on a roof you can reach, the choice is about the unit and the finish. If the roof is a tall terrace, a mansard or a butterfly roof, access carries more weight than anything else, so favour the firm that has planned it on paper. If you are unsure whether you need a new opening at all, read about adding a skylight to an existing roof, or how long the fitting takes.
When you want a fixed price in writing, book a survey through the quote form or call 01273 282313. You can also go back to the hub page to see every type of unit.
