Skylight Installation Costs

What is the average cost for skylight installation? There’s no question that a skylight can transform a room by adding up to 30% more light than a window, but before we can give you a quote, there are a few questions we’ll need to ask you.

Concerns:

First, let’s address the most common concern homeowners have regarding installing skylights – leaks. Most skylights come with an installation flashing kit that prevents leaks so in recent years this has been a non-issue.

Factors That Influence Cost

An estimate on the cost for skylight installation will be based on a number of factors that usually include more materials and labours so will cost more.

Framing

How is your roof framed? Depending on the size of the skylight you want, a roofing truss may need to be cut which might require a structural engineer approve the changes to ensure structural stability. An option might be to install a series of side-by-side skylights that fit between trusses so you get the effect of a wider skylight without cutting and trusses.

Attic

Installing a skylight could require moving electrical, HVAC, or other components in the attic to accommodate a skylight in the chosen location. If this is needed, there would be additional expense to hire an electrician, etc.

Roofing Material

Most skylights are intended to be installed on an asphalt shingled roof. If your roof has shakes, or a metal roof, this will increase the cost on installation because the job will be more complex. If you plan to replace the shingles on your home, this is the most cost-effective time to install a new skylight as the crew is already on the roof and can integrate the skylight into the roofing job.

Building A Chase

The tunnel that’s built between the skylight and the ceiling of the room below is called a chase. For a house with a full attic it can take a whole day just to build the chase (frame, insulate, drywall) so this will impact the cost of installing the skylight. If your home has a post and beam (cathedral) roof no chase is needed.

Type of Skylight

There are a wide variety of skylights available on the market. The most common are fixed skylights designed to stay closed and provide light only. From there you can upgrade to units intended to give ventilation that open by hand, by remote, that are thermostat controlled, come with blinds, etc.

Replacing A Skylight

Replacing a skylight is much cheaper because all that needs to be done is replace the unit. The framing and chase is already complete. This is a great time to upgrade if that’s desired.

So, the cost of installing a skylight can vary depending on the various factors outlined above.

Give the Watershed Roofing expert team a call for a free estimate.