Skylights in South Los Angeles
South LA covers a lot of ground, from the historic neighborhoods around West Adams and Jefferson Park to Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, Hyde Park, Vermont Square and Watts, plus unincorporated areas like View Park-Windsor Hills and Westmont. Most of the homes are single-family houses from the 1910s through the 1950s, and many have rooms that get little daylight. We install new skylights and sun tunnels, repair leaking skylights, and replace old domes that have cracked or gone cloudy.
The houses
In West Adams, Jefferson Park and the streets around USC, you’ll find some of the city’s oldest houses: Victorians, Craftsman homes and early bungalows, several neighborhoods of them protected as Historic Preservation Overlay Zones. Leimert Park and the surrounding blocks are mostly 1920s and 1930s Spanish and Mediterranean homes. Farther south, there are post-war bungalows and small ranch houses on regular lots. View Park and Baldwin Hills have mid-century homes on hillside streets.
Most of these homes have pitched roofs with composition shingle or tile and a shallow attic. Center hallways, interior bathrooms and kitchens blocked by the house next door are the usual dark spots.
Skylight or sun tunnel
A skylight between the rafters gives the most light and a view of the sky. Where the framing is tight, the attic route is awkward, or the room is small, a sun tunnel brings in daylight through a small ceiling opening and costs less. We’ll recommend the one that fits the room and your budget.
Repairs on older skylights
Many South LA skylights are acrylic domes from the 1970s to the 1990s. They turn yellow, crack in the sun and leak at the flashing. If the curb is sound, a new dome or glass unit goes on the same curb. If the leak is in the flashing rather than the skylight, we fix the flashing. See skylight repair.
Which permit office
South LA isn’t one jurisdiction. Most of it is in the City of Los Angeles, where permits go through LADBS. View Park-Windsor Hills, Westmont, West Athens, Florence-Firestone, Willowbrook and other unincorporated communities go through Los Angeles County Building and Safety. We confirm which one applies to your address before quoting, and we handle the permit. In an HPOZ, visible exterior changes may also need City Planning review.
Commercial and flat-roof buildings
Along the commercial corridors, flat-roof shops and light-industrial buildings often have old skylights that leak or need safety screens. See commercial skylights.
South LA skylight FAQ
Is my house in the City or the County?
Your property tax bill or the County’s assessor map will show it. We check before we quote.
Can a cloudy dome be replaced without new framing?
Usually, if the curb is in good shape.
Do you give written estimates?
Yes. Every job gets a written estimate before work starts, priced on the actual scope.
What does it cost?
A standard dome replacement is roughly $600 to $1,200; a sun tunnel is roughly $1,500. See the cost guide.
Call us at (213) 334-3947 for a free South LA skylight estimate.
Nearby areas: Mid-City · Downtown LA · Culver City · East LA
Related reading: Residential skylights · Dome replacement · All service areas