How Much Does it Cost to Replace a Skylight?
Its only been a few years that insurance companies required impact skylights. It's as if they were over looked and not required for some time. That's changed. All insurance companies require homes that have skylights, be impact rated. This is because there is no way to install a shutter over them.
Permitting a Skylight
But before we get to far into this, lets get the permit thing out of the way. A skylight is part of the building diaphragm. Its just like a window. It keeps the rain out and protects against damage during hurricanes. Replacing skylights always require a building permit, ALWAYS.
Skylight Approvals
In order for any building material or component to qualify for high velocity wind zones, they must be tested in a wind tunnel and exposed to 180 mph winds. If the system survives, it receives what is known as a Notice of Award or Dade County Product Approval. The Product Approval is many pages and contains every detail of the instillation. This includes things like the nails and screws. How big they are and more importantly, who makes them.
I bring this to your attention because many homeowners insist they just want to replace the glass or dome on the skylight only. In order to do this, the new dome has to be listed in the NOA, if your existing skylight has one. Chances are your replacing the skylight because it is not impact rated. So a new dome wont help. But if it where, the new dome would have to be listed as part of the assembly. Unfortunately, there is no way of telling who made your skylight. There is no imprinted stamp and if a sticker was on there, its long ago been washed off. Customers are always insisting I climb on their roof to look. But, there is no sense in that, there is just not going to be anything there. So its not possible to by just a new dome from them.
Just want some to come look and give you a price on the skylight ? Here
Installing Skylights
Now that you know the skylight dome alone can be replaced, its easier to understand that a detailed roof repair is actually going to take place. That means all of the roofing material around the skylight has to be removed to the exposed plywood sheathing.
Cost to Install Skylights
Since the cost for skylight instillation is dependent on the cost of a roof repair, here it is.
Shingle roof repair at $850.00 plus $500.00 for a 2' x 4' skylight - $1350.00
Tile roof repair at $1250.00 plus $500.00 for a 2' x 4' skylight - $1750.00
Flat roof repair at $1250.00 plus $500.00 for a 2' x 4' skylight - $1750.00
The prices above include some rotten wood replacement. If your skylight has been leaking there will be some and the roof repair will include it. Furthermore, these prices assume we are replacing an existing skylight. If your adding a new skylight there is additional work required. Specifically, a hole in the drywall ceiling will be cut. Framing and finishing the opening can be messy and takes time.
