Skylight Installation

A fixed skylight is sealed and only brings light, with the best weather sealing for our salt air. A vented skylight opens, manually or with a solar motor and rain sensor, to exhaust heat and humidity from kitchens and baths. A tubular skylight pipes daylight through a reflective tube to a ceiling diffuser, ideal for closets and interior bathrooms with little heat gain or loss.

Yes, that's the ideal time. With the old roofing off and the deck exposed, we can weave the skylight flashing directly into the new underlayment and roofing for a watertight, integrated result instead of a retrofit. You also pay for roof access and setup once. An old skylight under a brand-new roof should be replaced at the same time rather than reused.

Not with the right glass. We specify double-pane, argon-filled, low-E glass that reflects infrared heat while letting visible light through, so you get brightness without a greenhouse effect, especially on south- and west-facing slopes. On rooms that run warm, a vented skylight that opens for ventilation adds another layer of control. We match the glazing to your roof's orientation.

For a single fixed unit on an accessible roof, the on-roof work usually takes one to two days, plus a day or two to build and finish the interior light shaft, drywall, and paint. Tile roofs add time because tiles must be lifted and relayed by hand. Most homeowners have new daylight inside a week of permit approval, weather permitting in our dry season.

Yes. Cutting a structural roof opening requires a building permit through the City of San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon, or the County, and the install must meet Title 24 energy code and overhead-glazing rules. Coastal homes may also fall under a Coastal Commission overlay. We pull the permit, build to current code, and handle the final inspection so it passes the first time.