Commercial skylight work is a different animal from residential. The units are bigger, the roofs are flat and often hard to access, and the stakes, leaks over inventory, fire-code compliance, fall-protection liability, are higher. We handle commercial and industrial skylight work across Los Angeles: replacement, glass, domes, smoke vents, and rooftop safety.
What we do for commercial buildings
- Dome and skylight replacement for warehouses, retail, and industrial buildings, the big acrylic domes and glass units that have yellowed, cracked, or started leaking over your floor.
- Custom and architectural glass replacement for failed or broken glass units on commercial skylights and atriums.
- Architectural glass reseal for fogged, seal-failed insulated units on commercial glazing.
- Smoke vent testing and certification, the fire-code-required vents that have to actually work when they are needed.
- High-pile storage compliance, the skylight and smoke-vent requirements that come up when you store inventory high.
- Fall protection and safety screens, meeting the Cal-OSHA requirement to protect workers from skylight fall hazards.
- Roof hatches for safe, secure rooftop access.
Commercial skylight repair
A lot of commercial calls start with a leak or a cracked dome, and not every one of them needs a new skylight. Here is what we usually find on a commercial roof, and what we do about it.
Cracked or brittle domes. Once an acrylic dome has cracked or gone brittle from the sun, there is nothing left to patch. We replace the dome like-for-like in the existing curb, so the roof is opened up no more than it has to be. See commercial dome replacement.
Fogged or broken glass on atriums and glass skylights. If the frame is sound, you don’t need a new skylight. We replace only the failed or broken glass units and match them to the existing glass. See commercial glass reseal and commercial glass replacement.
Smoke vents that stick or won’t open. We free up and adjust what we can, and flag worn springs, corroded hardware or failed links that need replacing. See smoke vent testing.
Rusted, leaking roof hatches. An old hatch that leaks and won’t latch gets replaced with an insulated hatch that seals and locks. See roof hatches.
Water coming in around a skylight that’s otherwise fine. Sometimes the skylight isn’t the problem; the roof around it is. We’ll tell you when that is the case, and when it’s a job for your roofer.
Warehouse and industrial skylights
Warehouses and industrial buildings are usually topped with rows of acrylic domes that went up decades ago. On a roof like that the work gets planned rather than done one unit at a time. We survey and count the units, replace them in a sequence that keeps the building running, and take care of the safety side at the same time:
- fall protection screens over the openings,
- skylight security bars where break-ins are a concern,
- and working smoke vents if your storage height brings in high-pile requirements.
One visit, the whole roof
The advantage of bringing in one company for the rooftop glazing and safety scope is that we can look at all of it at once, the skylights, the smoke vents, the fall protection, the hatches, and tell you what needs attention now and what can wait. For a facility manager juggling compliance deadlines, that is one call instead of five.
Who we work with: Property managers, facility managers, building owners, and general contractors. We are comfortable with the realities of commercial work, access, scheduling around operations, and the documentation you need for your records.
How commercial pricing works
Commercial work is scoped per project. If there are building plans to bid from, we work from those. If not, we start with a site visit and a conversation with the building representative about what needs to be done. As the project moves forward we field-measure every opening to confirm scope, and assess roof access, load, and the safety requirements the job will need. There is no flat commercial rate, every roof and every building is different.
How commercial work goes
It starts with a site visit. We get up on the roof, look at the full scope, and put together a written estimate. Commercial units and custom glass are ordered to spec and can take time to fabricate, so we plan the schedule around your operations. We are straight about what is glazing work and what belongs to your roofer.
Recent commercial work
Nine nearly 100-year-old skylights on a business building. A business asked us to replace its original skylights, close to a century old. We worked out the right combination of units for all nine openings to keep the job within budget without cutting corners on the result.
What commercial customers say
“Hollywood Skylights was the best choice for us to replace our almost 100 yr old skylights on our building. Mark helped us find the right combination for the 9 replacements and everyone at our business is really pleased with the result. Mark really helped us stay within our budget while also helping us achieve an optimal result. We are a very satisfied customer!”
— Google review, December 2023
Commercial skylight FAQ
Do you repair commercial skylights, or only replace them?
Both. If the frame is sound we replace just the failed or broken glass, and we free up and service smoke vents that stick. When a dome is cracked or brittle, a new dome in the existing curb is the real fix, and we’ll tell you that up front.
Do the skylights on our roof need fall protection?
Usually, yes. Cal/OSHA (Title 8, Section 3212) requires anyone working within 6 feet of a skylight to be protected from falling through it. The approved methods include a rated screen, a guardrail or a personal fall protection system. A standard dome on its own usually doesn’t count, unless its manufacturer documents that it meets Cal/OSHA’s strength rules for covers. We install skylight screens and railings, typically $300 to $600 per unit depending on quantity and the curb.
Can our existing security bars count as fall protection?
Sometimes. Cal/OSHA lets screens under the skylight, including burglar bars, count only if they meet its strength requirements and sit close enough below the roof surface. Many older bars don’t. We’ll look at what you have and tell you honestly. See skylight security bars.
How often do smoke vents need to be tested?
It depends on your building, its occupancy and your local fire authority or insurer, so we won’t guess at a number on a web page. We test each vent, service what we can, and give you written documentation for your compliance file. If your fire marshal or insurer has a specific requirement, we work to it. See smoke vent testing.
Can you work around our operations?
Yes. Commercial units are ordered to spec, so we know the schedule well ahead of time and plan it around your hours. On larger roofs we replace units in a sequence that keeps the building running.
Do you do the roofing too?
No. We’re a glazing company, so we handle the skylights, the glass, the curbs when needed, and the rooftop safety items. If the real problem is the roof, we’ll say so, and that’s a job for your roofer.