guides
skylight & rooflight guides
Longer reads for when you want to understand the decision before anyone visits. Grouped by the type of rooflight they belong to.
Start with these
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthRooflight Planning Permission: When You Need ItThe permitted development rules for rooflights, where they stop applying, and how to check your own house before any work is booked.10 min read
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Skylights & rooflights in BournemouthRooflights and Building Regulations ExplainedWhich rooflight jobs need Building Regulations approval or notification, the thermal figures a new unit must reach, and the loft escape rules.10 min read
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Roof LanternsRoof Lantern Sizes: Measuring the OpeningThe four measurements behind a lantern size, how makers use each one, and how the opening is read on the roof before anything is ordered.10 min read
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Roof LanternsRoof Lantern or Flat Rooflight?A side-by-side look at lanterns and flat rooflights on a flat roof: light, ceiling height, outside profile, ventilation and upkeep.8 min read
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Flat Roof RooflightsRooflight Upstand Height: Getting the Kerb RightHow tall a flat rooflight kerb needs to be, what adds to it, and the readings taken on the roof before the kerb is ordered.9 min read
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Flat Roof RooflightsFlat Rooflight Glazing OptionsThe glass choices for a flat rooflight, from double and triple units to solar control, laminated inner panes and self-cleaning coatings.9 min read
General 2
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Rooflight Planning Permission: When You Need ItThe permitted development rules for rooflights, where they stop applying, and how to check your own house before any work is booked.10 min read
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Rooflights and Building Regulations ExplainedWhich rooflight jobs need Building Regulations approval or notification, the thermal figures a new unit must reach, and the loft escape rules.10 min read
Roof Lanterns 2
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Roof Lantern Sizes: Measuring the OpeningThe four measurements behind a lantern size, how makers use each one, and how the opening is read on the roof before anything is ordered.10 min read
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Roof Lantern or Flat Rooflight?A side-by-side look at lanterns and flat rooflights on a flat roof: light, ceiling height, outside profile, ventilation and upkeep.8 min read
Flat Roof Rooflights 2
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Rooflight Upstand Height: Getting the Kerb RightHow tall a flat rooflight kerb needs to be, what adds to it, and the readings taken on the roof before the kerb is ordered.9 min read
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Flat Rooflight Glazing OptionsThe glass choices for a flat rooflight, from double and triple units to solar control, laminated inner panes and self-cleaning coatings.9 min read
Roof Windows 2
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Roof Window Sizes and Rafter SpacingHow roof window sizes fit between rafters, when a rafter has to be trimmed, and the loft measurements taken before a size is chosen.9 min read
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Roof Windows for Chalet BungalowsWhere roof windows go on a chalet bungalow: sill heights on sloping ceilings, escape windows, shared slopes and the light each upstairs room gets.10 min read
VELUX Windows 2
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VELUX Size Codes ExplainedDecode any VELUX size code: the first letter gives the width, the digits give the height, with both tables and worked examples.8 min read
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Replacing an Old VELUX WindowWhat replacing an old VELUX window involves: matching the size code, a new frame and flashing, the interior lining and the regulations that apply.8 min read
Electric & Opening Rooflights 2
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Electric or Manual Opening Rooflights?Winder pole, hand-reach handle, wall switch or remote: how each opener behaves in a real room, and which suits which position.10 min read
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Rain Sensors on Electric RooflightsWhat an electric skylight rain sensor detects, where it is placed, how it signals the motor and what it cannot do for you.8 min read
Energy Efficient Rooflights 2
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Rooflight U-Values ExplainedWhat a skylight U-value measures, why centre-pane and whole-unit figures differ, and how to read two data sheets side by side.8 min read
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Double or Triple Glazed Rooflights?What a third pane adds to a rooflight, what it costs you in weight and light, and when double glazing already does the job.10 min read
Misted Rooflight Replacement 2
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Signs a Rooflight Needs ReplacingThe visible signs that an old rooflight or skylight has reached the end of its life, what each one points to, and what to check next.8 min read
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New Glass or a Whole New Rooflight?When a new sealed glass unit in the existing frame is enough, when the whole rooflight should come out, and how the paperwork differs.8 min read
Walk-On Rooflights 2
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Walk-On Rooflight Load RatingsHow a walk-on rooflight load rating is stated, what it assumes about span and support, and how to read the figures against your own roof.8 min read
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Walk-On Rooflights for Roof TerracesFitting a walk-on rooflight into a roof terrace: the build-up around the glass, falls, privacy, guarding and what to check before the terrace is laid.8 min read
Conservation Rooflights 2
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Conservation Rooflight Rules for Your StreetThe rules for a rooflight in a conservation area vary street by street. How councils assess one, and the documents that set out your street's rules.9 min read
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Rooflights for Listed BuildingsHow a rooflight is handled on a listed house: the consent route, the units that suit old roofs and what the application needs from the survey.9 min read
Sun Tunnels 2
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Sun Tunnel or Roof Window?Two ways to bring daylight through a pitched roof, compared on light, view, air, roof work and the rooms each one suits.8 min read
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Where Sun Tunnels Work BestThe rooms a sun tunnel lights well, the ones it does not, and the roof and loft conditions that make the difference.8 min read
Each guide is written from what we measure on real roofs, and links to the shorter answers on the same subject. If you have a question a guide does not cover, the answers section may have it, or you can ask us at the survey.