Is installing skylight expensive?

It depends, take several quotes first. The Maitresse de Maison deemed that we needed a skylight above the landing at the top of the stairs. This was not unreasonable as the area was always dismal at any time of the day despite my installing additional lighting. Consequently, I approached a local builder who duly surveyed the property and quoted £2,100 for the job which I considered a 'little steep'. On the recommendation of a friend, I contacted an Eastern European builder who had apparently done some very satisfactory work for my colleague at a very reasonable price. This man quoted £900 for the job including the Velux skylight, fitting kit and sealant etc., a quote which I accepted with a little trepidation. I thought that I may have ended up paying for the job to be done again, properly this time, and so should have accepted the local builder's estimate in the first place. But no, the EU guy turned up dead on time with all the kit, for which I had offered to pay in advance and for which he declined advance payment. He, and his colleague, worked from 8.00am to 8.00pm without a break, except that the Maitresse supplied some tea and biscuits, and when the job was finished I was astounded at the high standard of workmanship and diligence these two guys had applied to the task. The work could not be faulted. So going by my experience, depending on where you need the skylight fitting, for an aperture approximately 90cm x 30cm I would suggest a price between £850 & £1,000 would be worth considering.

I suppose I should just add that I am located in the middle of Lincolnshire, so the prices mentioned may vary depending on the area your property is located.

Edited By Chris Crew on 10/12/2021 20:48:38

Nationality aside the real arguments should be how much is a builder's time worth per day and cost of materials, wear on tools.
I wasn't familiar with velux prices but see that they have units from £153 to over £1K depending on type, flashing kit and glazing.
My local difficulty is getting people to actually come and do a job - ring 4 or 5 and 2 might rock up to quote and rarely does it get further without constantly chasing them and perhaps have one turn up at some indefinite time in the future with or without short notice.

pgk

I have specified dozens of skylights. Recently I have been involved in construction. I have always used Velux, some types open some are fixed, manual or automatic.

In my view blinds are essential to keep out summer heat, Velux supplied blind kits are likely to be half the cost of having a local blind company make one to fit a skylight. Depending on the area insect screen as well if they open.

Take note that the roof angle has to be considered, not all types will not work with with all angles. check the angle first.

Cutting the opening to fit a skylight is easy, Velux supply flashing kits for most roof types. The local Velux sales office should have a list of installers. for DIY You can download very detailed installation instructions.

Light? Don't over specify check how much you actually need. Beware of creating a heated greenhouse!

I have no connection with the Velux company.

Edited By John McNamara on 11/12/2021 06:21:58

These tubular lights are very efficient to light dim areas of a bungalow or upstairs if in a house that has a tiled or even flat roof area.

Emgee

**LINK**

This thread was started by a spammer so I'm locking it.

I suppose there is always someone uninsured who will shin up a ladder and do the job cheaply for cash

Although it may be easy to cut the hole for a Velux type unit is is the trimming and trimmed rafters or even steelwork that take the work and drive the cost up unless you are fitting a very small one. Plus very unlikely you could fit to many properties with out scaffold in following HSE. Though I have done them from the inside.

All the jobs I've been involved in in the last 6-7 years with skylights have been the flat type with some being walk over ones which I think were about £2k per unit and four were used supported in structural steel so without knowing type or building details who can really put a price on the job blind.

Edited By JasonB on 11/12/2021 07:19:52

Edited By JasonB on 11/12/2021 07:20:44