answers
skylight & rooflight questions answered
One question per page, answered in the first few lines, with the detail below for anyone who wants it.
A place to start
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthHow Long Does Skylight Installation Take?Why a straight roof window swap is often one visit, what stretches a job beyond that, and where your quote states the time.4 min read
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthCan a Skylight Be Replaced Without a New Roof?When a new rooflight fits the existing opening, what the roof covering around it needs, and which jobs do reach into the roof structure.4 min read
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthSkylight or Rooflight: Is There a Difference?Why the two words describe the same opening, where British trade language draws finer lines, and which term to use when you ask for a quote.4 min read
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthWhat Happens at a Rooflight Survey?The visit step by step: what we ask, what we measure up in the loft and on the roof, and the written survey sheet you receive.4 min read
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Roof LanternsDoes a Roof Lantern Need Planning Permission?Why a lantern is tested against the 150 mm projection limit, what changes for flats and listed buildings, and how to check before you order.4 min read
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Roof LanternsHow Long Does a Roof Lantern Take to Fit?The stages of a lantern fit from survey to making good, which ones set the length of the job, and where the quote states the time.4 min read
General 4
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How Long Does Skylight Installation Take?Why a straight roof window swap is often one visit, what stretches a job beyond that, and where your quote states the time.4 min read
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Can a Skylight Be Replaced Without a New Roof?When a new rooflight fits the existing opening, what the roof covering around it needs, and which jobs do reach into the roof structure.4 min read
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Skylight or Rooflight: Is There a Difference?Why the two words describe the same opening, where British trade language draws finer lines, and which term to use when you ask for a quote.4 min read
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What Happens at a Rooflight Survey?The visit step by step: what we ask, what we measure up in the loft and on the roof, and the written survey sheet you receive.4 min read
Roof Lanterns 4
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Does a Roof Lantern Need Planning Permission?Why a lantern is tested against the 150 mm projection limit, what changes for flats and listed buildings, and how to check before you order.4 min read
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How Long Does a Roof Lantern Take to Fit?The stages of a lantern fit from survey to making good, which ones set the length of the job, and where the quote states the time.4 min read
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Can a Roof Lantern Go on an Existing Flat Roof?What the existing joists, build-up and covering must offer a lantern, how the opening is formed, and which flat roofs need extra work first.4 min read
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Do Roof Lanterns Make a Room Cold?How much heat a roof lantern really gives up, what sets that, and the choices that keep the room below comfortable.4 min read
Flat Roof Rooflights 4
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What Size Flat Rooflight Do I Need?How the room, the joists and the kerb together fix the size of a flat rooflight, with an example reading.4 min read
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Can a Rooflight Go on a Fibreglass Flat Roof?How a rooflight is fitted into a GRP roof, why the kerb is laminated over, and what we check on the existing fibreglass first.4 min read
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Can a Rooflight Go on an EPDM Rubber Roof?How a rooflight is fitted into an EPDM rubber membrane roof, and the points that decide how the rubber is dressed around the kerb.4 min read
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What Fall Does a Flat Rooflight Need?Why a flat rooflight must not sit dead level, where the fall comes from, and how it is measured at the survey.4 min read
Roof Windows 4
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What Is the Minimum Roof Pitch for a Roof Window?How roof pitch limits which roof windows will fit, how we measure it, and what to do when a roof is shallower than a window's range.4 min read
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Centre-Pivot or Top-Hung Roof Window?How the two opening actions differ in headroom, view, cleaning and furniture clearance, and which one fits which room.5 min read
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How Many Roof Windows Does a Loft Room Need?No rule fixes the number. Room size, use, headroom, escape and the rafter layout set it, and the survey puts a figure on your loft.5 min read
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Can a Roof Window Be Fitted From Inside?What can be done from inside the room, what the fitter reaches through the opening, and when a tower or ladder is still part of the job.4 min read
VELUX Windows 4
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Which VELUX Flashing Kit Do I Need?The kit is chosen from your roof covering, its profile depth, the size code and the layout, all read on the roof at the survey.4 min read
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Can You Fit a Bigger VELUX in the Same Roof?Taller and wider are different jobs. Height gives more room to move, width runs into the rafters, and the survey reads the gap.4 min read
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How Long Does a VELUX Take to Fit?A matched VELUX swap is one visit. Size changes, new openings, groups of windows and electric units add stages, all stated in the quote.4 min read
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Can VELUX Blinds Be Fitted at Installation?Blinds ordered with the window arrive matched to its size code and go up at the end of the visit. Here is how the timing and choices work.4 min read
Electric & Opening Rooflights 4
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Can an Electric Rooflight Run on Solar?Solar rooflights charge a small battery from a cell on the unit, which removes the cable. Here is where that works and where mains is the better route.4 min read
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How Far Does an Opening Rooflight Open?Pivot, top-hung and hinged rooflights open in different ways. The opening angle or stroke is on the maker's data sheet and is checked against your roof.4 min read
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Can a Fixed Rooflight Be Swapped for an Opening One?Swapping fixed for opening is usually a unit replacement in the existing opening. What the survey checks, and where it grows into more work.4 min read
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Does an Electric Rooflight Need an Electrician?The mains connection to an electric rooflight is electrician's work. Here is what goes where, and when a battery or solar unit removes the need.4 min read
Energy Efficient Rooflights 4
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What U-Value Must a New Rooflight Meet?The two figures for England, the difference between a rooflight and a roof window, and how to read the number on a data sheet.4 min read
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Do Rooflights Cause Condensation?Where rooflight condensation forms, how glazing and ventilation change it, and when a damp pane points to a failed unit instead.4 min read
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What Does Solar Control Glass Do on a Rooflight?How solar control glass limits heat from the sun, what it does to daylight and winter warmth, and which roofs benefit.4 min read
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Does a New Rooflight Reduce Heat Loss?When a new rooflight lowers heat loss, how to work out the saving for one opening, and why the fit around the frame counts.4 min read
Misted Rooflight Replacement 4
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Why Is My Rooflight Misted Between the Panes?How a sealed rooflight unit comes to mist between the panes, how to confirm it, and the two ways to replace it.4 min read
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Does Rooflight Replacement Need Building Control?When a rooflight swap is notifiable, when new glass alone is exempt, and how the completion certificate arrives.4 min read
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Can a Rooflight Be Replaced With a Bigger One?When an existing rooflight can be swapped for a larger one, what happens to the rafters and kerb, and what changes inside.4 min read
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How Long Does Rooflight Replacement Take?How long a glass unit swap, a like-for-like rooflight and a rebuilt kerb each take, and what moves the date.4 min read
Walk-On Rooflights 4
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Can You Walk on a Walk-On Rooflight Every Day?What daily foot traffic asks of walk-on glass, what the load rating covers, and what wears with use.4 min read
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Are Walk-On Rooflights Slippery?How anti-slip finishes work on walk-on glass, how slip resistance is rated, and what changes when the glass is wet.4 min read
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How Thick Is Walk-On Rooflight Glass?Why walk-on glass has no single thickness, how the layers are built up, and what sets the depth for your opening.4 min read
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Can a Walk-On Rooflight Sit Flush With Paving?How a flush walk-on rooflight is built into paving, why drainage is the hard part, and what the survey measures.4 min read
Conservation Rooflights 4
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What Makes a Rooflight a Conservation Rooflight?The features that mark a conservation rooflight: a low profile, slim frame, centre bar and a finish that follows the old pattern.4 min read
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Can a Conservation Rooflight Be Double Glazed?Yes, slim double glazed units fit conservation frames. How thin the glass can go, and what to check on a listed or protected roof.5 min read
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What Colours Do Conservation Rooflights Come In?Dark slate-tone finishes are the common choice, but makers offer more. How to match a frame to your roof covering and the glazing bars.4 min read
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Why Do Conservation Rooflights Have a Centre Bar?The bar copies Victorian cast-iron rooflights and carries the glass over larger openings. When one bar suits and when none does.4 min read
Sun Tunnels 4
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How Long Can a Sun Tunnel Be?Each maker sets a maximum tube length per diameter. Length and bends both cut the light, and the survey measures your run.5 min read
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Do Sun Tunnels Work on Cloudy Days?A sun tunnel collects diffuse daylight as well as direct sun, so it still lights a room under cloud. What changes, and what to expect.5 min read
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Can a Sun Tunnel Go Through a Flat Roof?A flat roof suits a sun tunnel, with a straight vertical tube. How the dome is weathered into the covering, and what the survey checks.4 min read
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What Diameter Sun Tunnel Do I Need?How the gap between rafters caps the tube size, why bigger is not always the answer, and what a wider tunnel adds to the job.4 min read
For the bigger picture behind any of these, the guides go into each topic at length. And if your question is really about your own roof, the quickest answer is a measured survey.