01The quote
Why there is no price list on this page
Two skylights of the same size can cost very different amounts to fit, so the only number worth planning around is the one on your written quote.
People search "skylight cost Essex" hoping for one tidy figure. We get it. You want to know if the idea is worth chasing before anyone climbs a ladder. The trouble is that the glass you see from the room is only part of the bill. What sits around it, under it and above it does a lot of the pricing.
A roof window going into a loft room with a scaffold already up is one job. The same window cut into a tiled roof over a conservatory, with no easy way up and a ceiling that needs a new lined shaft, is another job entirely. Same product, different day, different number.
So this page does two things. It walks you through what actually moves the cost of a rooflight or skylight job, so you can read any quote with your eyes open. Then it gives some broad UK market guidance, clearly marked as general, so you have a sense of scale. Neither of those is our price. Our price comes after a free survey, in writing, with every line spelled out.
The glass you see from the room is only part of the bill; what sits around it does a lot of the pricing.
02Cost factors
The nine things that move the price
Every rooflight quote is built from the same handful of parts, and knowing them lets you compare two quotes fairly.
When a quote looks high or suspiciously low, it is usually because one of these items has been included, left out or priced on a different assumption. A cheap figure that skips the kerb insulation or the lining is not cheap once you add them back. Equally, a bigger number that includes scaffolding and Building Control may be the better deal.
Ask any installer which of these are in their figure. A good one will tell you straight away.
| Factor | What pushes it up | What keeps it down |
|---|---|---|
| Product type and size | Roof lanterns, walk-on glass, bespoke sizes | A standard size roof window or fixed flat rooflight |
| Glazing spec | Triple glazing, laminated inner pane, solar coatings | Good double glazing with low-e glass |
| Kerb or upstand | A new timber kerb built and insulated on site | A factory insulated upstand on a sound deck |
| Roof type | Slate, plain tiles, a roof that needs new covering | Interlocking tiles or a recent flat roof |
| Access | Tall elevations, tight sides, no ground for a tower | Low bungalow eaves, a clear garden |
| Scaffolding | Full scaffold over a conservatory or a busy path | Fitting from inside, or a small tower |
| Internal finish | New shaft, plasterboard, skim and decoration | A loft room where the lining is simple |
| Electrics | Electric opening, rain sensor, new cable run | A fixed or manual opening unit |
| Old unit and paperwork | Removing a large old dome, Building Control fee | A brand new opening with no strip-out |
03Ballpark
General UK market ranges, for a sense of scale only
These are broad guidance figures for the UK market as a whole, not our prices, and any real job can land outside them.
Please read this section as a rough map, nothing more. The figures below are rough ranges from published UK cost guides, not our prices, and real jobs often fall outside them. They depend on every factor in the table above, on the brand and on the time of year. They do not include big extras such as a whole new flat roof.
Some jobs come in under these. Plenty come in over, especially large lanterns and anything bespoke. If a number here looks attractive, hold on to it loosely until a surveyor has stood in the room. The figure that counts for your home is the written quote after a free survey, and nothing on this page replaces it.
For context on the products themselves, our pages on roof windows, flat roof rooflights and roof lanterns explain what you get at each level.
Typical UK fitted ranges (general guidance, not our prices)
- Sun tunnel
- Typically £500 to £1,200, depends on length and roof
- Like-for-like roof window swap
- Typically £800 to £2,000, depends on size and access
- New roof window cut into a pitched roof
- Typically £1,200 to £3,000, depends on lining and scaffold
- Fixed flat roof rooflight
- Typically £1,500 to £4,000, depends on size and kerb
- Electric opening flat rooflight
- Typically £2,500 to £6,000, depends on controls and wiring
- Roof lantern
- Typically £3,000 to £8,000 or more, depends on size and frame
04Roof and access
How your roof and its access change the job
The roof covering and how we safely reach it often decide more of the cost than the rooflight itself.
On a pitched roof, the tiles or slates around the new window have to come off, be cut back and go back on around a flashing kit (the shaped metal and rubber collar that sheds rain around the frame). Interlocking concrete tiles are quick to work with. Small plain tiles and natural slate take longer, and slate breakages need replacing.
On a flat roof, the question is the deck and the covering. A sound EPDM, GRP or felt roof can take a new opening and upstand without much fuss. A tired roof that is near the end of its life may need to be dealt with first, and that becomes a separate line on the quote.
Then there is getting up there safely. A bungalow with low eaves and a clear garden might need only a tower. A two-storey house with a conservatory in the way, a shared path or a steep drop at the side will need proper scaffolding, sometimes with a licence if it goes on the pavement. Some roof windows can be swapped from inside the room, which can save the scaffold altogether; see whether a roof window can go in without scaffolding.
Pitched roof
Cost leans on the tile or slate type, the flashing kit, the height of the eaves and whether the window can be fitted from inside. The lined shaft down to a ceiling below adds time if there is a loft void in between.
Flat roof
Cost leans on the state of the deck and covering, the kerb or upstand and the size of the opening cut through the joists. Bigger openings may need a new trimmer joist to carry the load around the hole.
05Inside work
The inside work people forget to price
Lining, plastering, insulating the reveals and any wiring all happen in the room, and they are where cheap quotes tend to say nothing.
Once the rooflight is in, the hole in your ceiling needs finishing. That means framing the shaft, insulating its sides so the reveal does not become a cold band around the glass, boarding, skimming and leaving it ready for paint. In a loft room the lining is short and simple. Through a pitched roof with a loft void above a bedroom ceiling, it is a proper little build of its own.
Opening rooflights add another layer. A manual unit has no wiring. An electric opening rooflight needs a power supply, often a switch or remote and sometimes a rain sensor that closes it when the weather turns. Running a new cable neatly to the frame is part of the cost, and so is the electrical sign-off.
Because our whole angle is bright rooms that stay warm, the insulation in the kerb and reveals is never an optional extra in our quotes. It is how the job should be done. You can read exactly what goes into that on our warm specification page.
- Shaft framing and plasterboard lining from glass to ceiling
- Insulation in the reveal sides, not just the roof around them
- Skim coat and making good to the existing ceiling
- Power, switching and any rain sensor for opening units
- Floors and furniture protected while the dust is flying
- Clearing up and taking away all waste at the end
06Paperwork
Building Control and taking the old one out
Fitting a whole new or replacement rooflight is usually notifiable, and removing an old unit is real work that should appear on the quote.
Under Building Regulations, a new rooflight and a full replacement of frame and glass both count as fitting a controlled fitting, so the work needs to be notified and meet current thermal standards. Swapping only the sealed glass unit inside a sound frame is not notifiable. If the job needs notifying, we deal with Building Control on your behalf, and its fee appears as one of your quote lines. Council fees vary, so we show the actual figure on your quote rather than guessing it here. Our guide to whether rooflights need Building Regulations sets out the detail.
Old units take time to get out. A 1980s plastic dome is often screwed to a rotten timber kerb that has to go too. An old roof window may have a flashing that is bedded into the tiles. Both mean more labour and more waste to take away. If you are swapping an old unit, our page on replacing an old rooflight explains what is involved.
07Your survey
How you get a real number for your home
A free survey turns all of the above into one written quote you can hold us to.
We come out, look at the room, the roof and the way up, and talk about what you want the space to feel like on a cold morning as well as a bright one. Then we write it up. The quote lists the product, the glazing, the kerb, the access, the inside finish, any electrics and the paperwork, so nothing turns up later as a surprise.
The same fitting team does the job from start to finish, and the work carries our 10-year workmanship guarantee, explained on our guarantee page. When you are ready, the form on get a quote books the visit.
- Send us a few lines and photos through the quote form or WhatsApp.
- We book a survey at a time that suits you, at no charge.
- We measure, check the roof and access, and look at the ceiling build-up.
- You get a written, itemised quote with no obligation to go ahead.
- If you say yes, we agree a date and handle any Building Control notification.
What pushes a quote up or down
Can you give me a price over the phone?
We can talk through the general factors, but a fair price needs someone to see the roof, the access and the ceiling. That is why the survey is free and the quote is written.
Is triple glazing much dearer on a rooflight?
It adds to the product cost and the unit is heavier. Whether it is worth it depends on the room, the size of the glass and how you heat the house. We explain the trade-off at survey rather than pushing one answer.
Does a bigger rooflight always cost more to fit?
Usually the product costs more, but the fitting may not rise in step. Access, the roof covering and the lining can matter more than an extra few centimetres of glass.
Why do two quotes for the same skylight differ so much?
One may include scaffolding, the kerb insulation, the lining and the Building Control fee, and the other may not. Line the two up against the cost factors table on this page and the gap usually explains itself.