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Skylight Installation & Repair
Daylight through the roof, without the drip.
We install, replace, and repair skylights and sun tunnels as roofers first: flashed into the roof system with the manufacturer kit and ice & water shield, not sealed with a tube of caulk. Serving Quincy and the South Shore.
Start here
Two reasons people call about skylights. Which is yours?
You want more light.
A new skylight over a kitchen or stairwell, a sun tunnel for a dark hallway, or a fogged old unit swapped for one that actually opens. We cut, frame, flash, and finish, and the roof is never left open overnight. A straightforward replacement is usually a one-day job; a new opening with a finished shaft typically takes two to three.
Plan My SkylightYours is leaking.
A stain in one corner, a drip down the shaft, or fog trapped between the panes. Skylight leaks are flashing problems more often than skylight problems, and we repair them the way we repair any roof leak: trace the source, fix that detail, photograph it before and after. If the unit itself has failed, we say so and quote a replacement honestly.
Call About a LeakWhat we install
Four ways to put daylight through a roof.
Name-brand units, VELUX among them, matched to the roof pitch and the room below. These are the four we quote most, and where each belongs.
Deck-mounted skylightsThe standard choice
Fixed or vented units fastened directly to the roof deck with a low profile and the manufacturer’s engineered flashing kit. Laminated or tempered glass, factory blinds if you want them, and the cleanest sightline from the street. The right answer for most pitched asphalt roofs, and the one we install most.
Kitchens, living rooms, stairwellsCurb-mounted skylightsLow-slope & replacement
Units seated on a raised, flashed curb. The standard for flat and low-slope roofs, and the straightforward swap when replacing an older curb-mounted unit on a three-decker or addition.
Flat roofs, older openingsVented skylightsFresh air included
Open manually or electrically to vent steam and summer heat, with rain sensors on powered models that close them when the weather turns. Worth it over kitchens and baths where moisture collects.
Bathrooms, kitchensSun tunnelsSmall roof hole, big light
A rooftop dome, a reflective tube, and a ceiling diffuser that daylight a hallway, closet, or windowless bath through a penetration a fraction the size of a skylight. Installed in under a day.
Hallways, closets, small bathsThe wet skylight question
Leak, or condensation? They fool everyone.
Half the “leaking skylights” we inspect in winter are not leaking at all. Before you budget for a repair, here is how the two tell themselves apart.
It is a leak if…
Water shows up with weather, not with seasons.
- It appears during or just after rain
- One corner or edge stains, not the whole pane
- Water tracks down the shaft or drywall
- The stain grows storm by storm
It is condensation if…
Water shows up with cold, not with rain.
- It appears on cold mornings, rain or not
- An even film or droplets across the glass
- Worst in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundries
- It dries by afternoon without a stain
Not sure which you have? Send a photo with the estimate form and we will usually tell you before anyone climbs a ladder.
How we keep them dry
The four details that keep a skylight watertight for decades.
Manufacturer flashing kit
Every unit goes in with its engineered step and head flashing, not site-bent improvisation and sealant. The kit exists because it works.
Ice & water shield collar
Self-sealing membrane wraps the full opening before flashing, so wind-driven rain and ice dam meltwater meet a second line of defense.
Shingle integration
Flashing is woven course by course into the surrounding shingles, uphill water path preserved, exactly as the roof system was designed.
Finished, insulated shaft
The light shaft is framed, insulated, and finished so the new daylight does not come with winter condensation and heat loss around it.
Reroofing soon? That is the cheapest day to do skylights.
Skylights and roofs age on similar clocks, and every skylight job disturbs the shingles around it. If your roof is within a few years of replacement, adding or replacing skylights during the reroof means one mobilization, one flashing job, and warranties that start together. We will tell you honestly whether to bundle or wait.
A roofer’s rule
“Anyone can cut a hole in a roof. The job is making sure the roof never notices.“
Where we work
Skylight work across Quincy and the South Shore.
From our shop at 100 Hancock St in Quincy we install and repair skylights across the South Shore, from Wollaston capes to Hingham colonials, on the same roofs we shingle, flash, and repair every week. Dark stairwells and north-facing kitchens are the local specialty: houses here were framed long before anyone thought about daylight, and a single well-placed skylight changes how a room gets used.
Straight answers
Skylight questions, answered.
Do skylights always end up leaking?
No. Skylights got that reputation from decades of units installed with roof cement instead of proper flashing kits. A modern deck-mounted skylight installed with its manufacturer flashing kit, ice & water shield, and correct shingle integration is as watertight as the roof around it. The leaks we repair almost always trace to improvised flashing or a unit far past its service life.
Should I repair my skylight or replace it?
If the glass is sound and the unit is under roughly 15 years old, a flashing or seal repair usually solves it. If the unit is fogged between panes, the seals have failed and replacement is the honest answer, because that fog cannot be repaired. We tell you which case you have after inspecting it, with photos.
Can you replace a skylight without replacing the roof?
Yes. We remove shingles around the opening, set the new unit, install the flashing kit and ice & water shield, and weave the shingles back in. If your roof is due for replacement within a few years, we will say so, because doing both at once saves the cost of disturbing the same section twice.
Is it a leak or just condensation on my skylight?
Water appearing during cold snaps, in bathrooms or kitchens, or as an even film on the glass is usually condensation from indoor humidity meeting cold glass. Water arriving during or after rain, staining one corner, or tracking down the shaft usually means flashing. The distinction matters because one is a ventilation fix and the other is a roofing repair.
How long does skylight installation take?
A straightforward replacement in an existing opening is typically done in a day. A new opening through the roof and ceiling, with a finished interior shaft, usually runs two to three days depending on framing and finish work. Either way the roof is never left open overnight.
Do you install sun tunnels?
Yes. Sun tunnels (tubular skylights) bring daylight into hallways, closets, and bathrooms where a full skylight will not fit, with a much smaller roof penetration. They install in less than a day and use the same flashing discipline as everything else we put through a roof.