What Skylight Installation Involves, Step by Step
A skylight is only as good as the assembly around it. We start with a roof inspection inside the attic, checking the roof deck for rot and the framing for sag.
Then we set a ladder or scaffolding, lay a roofing square across the opening, and confirm the curb lands on solid rafters.
- We open the roof deck between two rafters, then sister or replace any rotted joist or truss tail the curb will bear on.
- We frame the curb, wrap it in self-adhered membrane, and run ice-and-water shield up the slope so meltwater can't wick under the field.
- We set step flashing along both sides of the curb and counter-flashing where the unit meets a wall or chimney, hand-sealing every lap.
- We bed the unit on roofing cement and mastic, then restore the drip edge, eave line, and the shingle course above the opening.
- We tie the surrounding asphalt shingle or standing-seam panel course back in at the same head lap so the patch disappears.
- We finish inside with a vapor barrier, fresh insulation, and a drywall return that satisfies the local building code.
Our crew runs a nail gun off an air compressor and tears old units out with a roofing shovel and pry bar. Screws, fasteners, adhesive, and sealant ride on the truck.
A roofer walks the roofline before we call the job done. Debris goes to the dumpster the same day.
Materials We Choose and Why
Fixed skylights are the simpler, cheaper choice and have no vent gasket to fail. Vented skylights pull hot air out of a second-floor hall. Solar-powered blinds cut summer heat gain with no wiring at all. Sun tunnels deliver daylight where the framing won't take a full unit.
We install VELUX and Solatube because their flashing kits are engineered to your roof pitch instead of bent on site. A kit built for the pitch is the difference between real weatherproofing and a repair every spring.
- Architectural shingle and three-tab shingle cover most Newark two- and three-family roofs, so matching the field matters.
- Cedar shake and wood shake need a breather detail so the shingle dries instead of trapping moisture in the substrate.
- Slate wants copper flashing and anchors, never a caulk-and-walk-away patch that peels by December.
- Clay tile and concrete tile take a pan-and-counter-flashing detail, because foot traffic cracks the tile field.
- Synthetic underlayment has replaced tar paper and roofing felt on most of our jobs, and it holds up better as the main waterproofing layer.
- TPO, EPDM, and PVC membrane handle flat and low-pitch rooftops where a curb gets welded, not nailed.
- Built-up roof and modified bitumen take a torch-applied or adhesive-sealed curb, then a coating to slow UV wear.
- Corrugated panel and metal panel roofs need a boot flashing cut to the corrugation profile, not a flat plate.
Vented units plus a reflective roof coating are the cheapest energy efficiency moves here. Standing-seam panel and a cool-rated membrane are where green roofing and sustainability in roofing actually pay you back.
What a Technician Inspects Afterward
Roofing work gets judged in February, not July. We run a second inspection once the field is closed and check every penetration meltwater can reach.
Roofing technology helps here. We take moisture readings at each suspect spot and photograph everything before we quote.
- Chimney flashing is checked at the headwall and sidewall, where a failed apron flashing sends water into the chase.
- A pipe flashing, pipe boot, or vent boot is checked for a cracked rubber collar, our most common leak source.
- Step flashing and counter-flashing get a lap check, and any lifted edge gets fresh sealant and mastic.
- The valley is checked for an open channel, because granular loss and debris dam water at the first freeze.
- Ridge cap and ridge vent are checked together, since poor ventilation cooks underlayment from below.
- Drip edge, fascia, soffit, and soffit vent are checked for rot, and an attic fan shouldn't pull humid air back into that cavity.
- Gutter and downspout pitch are checked, because a backed-up gutter pushes water under the first course.
- A dormer, parapet, scupper, or coping detail gets its own look; flat transitions fail before steep ones.
- A rotted purlin or ridge beam shows as a sag along the ridge, and we brace it before a curb goes on top.
Why Newark Weather Changes the Job
Newark sits in a classic ice dam climate. Freeze-thaw cycles push meltwater under the shingle field and into ceilings near top-floor exterior walls, so we build for that instead of around it.
- Snow guards go above a skylight on north-facing slopes so a snow slide can't tear the flashing loose.
- Ice-and-water shield and synthetic underlayment are specified along the eave and overhang, where an ice dam forms first.
- Steep hip, gable, and mansard or gambrel sections need roof anchors and a safety harness, which adds a day.
- Low-slope runs behind a canopy, awning, or verge need a membrane, since ponding water finds every seam.
- The rake and ridge take the worst wind uplift, so ring-shank nails and a starter course matter more here than inland.
- Old tar and pitch patched over bitumen felt is common on this housing stock, and asphalt cement won't bond to it.
- On tile roofs, a battens and counterbatten grid sits above the decking so the tile breathes, and we rebuild it when it's rotted.
Timelines, Cost Drivers, and What We Won't Do
A curb-mounted unit takes one day on a simple gable roof. Flat curbs, tile, and interior drywall returns push it to two or three. A roof estimate comes down to four things, and we'd rather name them than guess.
- Decking condition: soft plywood or OSB sheathing gets replaced, which adds material and labor.
- Roof type and pitch: clay tile, slate, or a built-up roof takes longer to open and match than asphalt shingle.
- Interior finish: a drywall return plus insulation and a vapor barrier adds a second trade to the schedule.
- Access: scaffolding, a ladder setup, and a dumpster for debris all move the final number.
We're a licensed & insured roofing contractor working Essex County, from the Ironbound and Forest Hill to Weequahic and Vailsburg.
And we'll turn down work when a vent boot or a bead of caulk would fix it. That's a roof repair, not a new skylight.
