Skylights for Mid-City homes
Mid-City is a neighborhood of bungalows, Spanish-style duplexes and small apartment buildings, mostly built in the 1920s and 1930s, between Koreatown and Culver City. Many of these homes have rooms in the middle of the floor plan that never see daylight. Many also have older skylights that are leaking, cracked or cloudy. We do both: new skylights and sun tunnels to bring light in, and repairs and replacements on the skylights that are already there.
The housing stock
Typical Mid-City streets, from Pico and Venice up toward Olympic, are lined with one-story California bungalows, Craftsman houses and 1920s Spanish duplexes. Nearby historic neighborhoods such as Victoria Park, Lafayette Square and Arlington Heights have larger period homes, and several are Historic Preservation Overlay Zones. Most houses have pitched composition shingle roofs over a shallow attic; the duplexes and apartments often have flat roofs behind parapets.
Bringing light into a bungalow
A bungalow’s center hallway, back bedroom or interior bathroom is the classic place for a skylight. Between evenly spaced rafters and with a shallow attic, a glass skylight with a short light shaft puts a lot of light into the room below. For a small bathroom or closet, a sun tunnel is a quicker, less expensive option that fits through a small ceiling opening.
ADUs and garage conversions
Mid-City lots are often deep enough for a backyard ADU or a garage conversion, and those small units can be short on windows because of setbacks and privacy. Skylights solve that. If the skylight is part of a larger ADU project, it should be on the project’s plans, and we can work as a subcontractor to your builder.
Duplexes and small apartment buildings
Flat roofs behind parapets are common on Mid-City duplexes and fourplexes. Older domes on those roofs crack and leak, and the wood curbs under them rot. When we replace one, we check the curb and rebuild it if needed, and make sure the roofing is properly sealed up the curb. See dome replacement.
HPOZs and permits
Mid-City is in the City of Los Angeles, so permits go through LADBS. If your house is in an HPOZ, visible exterior changes may need review by City Planning’s preservation staff. A skylight on a rear slope or a flat roof behind a parapet is usually not visible from the street. We check the address on the City’s zoning map before quoting, and we handle the permit and inspection.
Mid-City skylight FAQ
Skylight or sun tunnel for a hallway?
A sun tunnel is often enough for a narrow hallway. For a kitchen or living area, a skylight gives more light and a view of the sky.
Can you work on a duplex where the tenants are home?
Yes. Most of our work is on the roof, and the interior part of a replacement is usually short.
My house is in an HPOZ. Can I still add a skylight?
Usually, especially on a slope or roof section that isn’t visible from the street.
What does it cost?
A sun tunnel is roughly $1,500 installed; a new skylight opening is roughly $4,000. See the cost guide.
Call us at (213) 334-3947 for a free Mid-City skylight estimate.
Nearby areas: Koreatown · Culver City · South LA · Beverly Hills
Related reading: Residential skylights · New installation · All service areas