If you are adding a skylight where there was not one before, that is new installation. It is the smaller part of what we do, about a quarter of our residential work, but it is the most fun, because you are taking a dark room and giving it daylight for the first time.
When new installation makes sense
A windowless bathroom. A dim hallway with no exterior wall. A kitchen that never gets direct light. A stairwell at the center of the house. A new addition or remodel where daylight is part of the design. These are the rooms a skylight transforms.
Glass skylight or sun tunnel?
Not every dark room needs a full glass skylight. For a small interior space, a sun tunnel can bring in surprising amounts of daylight through a much smaller roof penetration. For a larger room, or where you want a view of the sky and real architectural presence, a glass skylight is the answer. We will tell you which fits the room and the budget.
What goes into a new install
A new skylight is a new opening in your roof, so it has to be done right. We cut the opening, build the curb, set and flash the unit, and finish the interior light shaft so it looks clean from below. We handle the skylight and glazing side of this expertly. Where a job needs structural or roofing work beyond our scope, we are straight with you about it.
- Fixed or venting. Light only, or light plus ventilation. Venting units are great in kitchens and baths.
- Glass spec. Tempered and laminated safety glass, low-E coatings to manage heat and glare.
- Shaft finish. Straight, angled, or splayed light shafts shape how the light spreads into the room.
A typical job: A 1950s home with a black-hole hallway in the center of the floor plan. No windows, no way to add one. We put in a fixed glass skylight with a splayed shaft, and the hallway went from needing the light on at noon to bright all day.
What it typically costs
A basic 2×4 new installation, cutting a new opening, roofing around it, framing the light shaft, and finishing the drywall, runs around $4,000. It is a multi-day job involving more than one trade. Compare that to a straightforward replacement of an existing skylight, usually $800 to $900, because replacement only involves one trade and one visit.
How it goes
Same honest process as all our work. We come look at the room and the roof, talk through whether a glass skylight or a sun tunnel fits best, and work up an estimate. Once you approve it, we order the unit and schedule the install when it arrives.