New Skylights and Sun Tunnels in Philadelphia
Deep, narrow rowhomes and twins often have a top-floor hallway, stairwell or bathroom that never sees daylight. A skylight or sun tunnel fixes that, as long as the new opening in the roof is framed and flashed properly.
A new skylight in Philadelphia is a new opening in the roof, so it needs a full building permit rather than the city's simpler re-roofing permit. National published figures put skylight installation between $450 and $5,260 and sun tunnels at about $600 to $1,100 each, depending on size, type and the ceiling work inside.
What Installing a Skylight Involves
Installing a skylight means cutting through the roof deck, sometimes a rafter, and the ceiling below. The rafters on each side get doubled or headered, the unit is set on the deck or a curb, and flashing and ice barrier are woven into the roof around it.
Inside, a light shaft is framed and finished between the roof and the ceiling. Where it goes matters: above a stairwell, landing or bathroom, a modest skylight changes the whole floor. Most of our installs are Velux units, flashed into the roof covering around them, whether that is GAF or CertainTeed shingles or a Firestone membrane.
What Sets the Price of a New Skylight
- Unit typeFixed, vented, electric, solar or tubular.
- SizeLarger openings need more framing and bigger flashing kits.
- FramingCutting a rafter means headers and more labor.
- Light shaftShaft length and drywall finish inside add cost.
- Roof typeShingle, flat and slate roofs flash differently.
The national published ranges above, $450 to $5,260 for skylights, are for planning only and are not our quote.
Fixed Skylight Installation
A fixed skylight does not open. It is the simplest unit, the least expensive, and the least likely to leak through its own frame, which makes it a good fit over stairwells, landings and hallways where the goal is daylight rather than fresh air. We install deck-mounted units with the manufacturer's flashing kit and ice and water barrier around the opening. Velux is the brand we install most often, because its flashing kits are made to fit each unit size exactly.
Vented Skylight Installation
A vented skylight opens, by hand crank, electric motor or solar-powered motor, to let heat and steam out. Over a bathroom or a top-floor bedroom that runs hot in summer, that ventilation is worth the higher price. Electric units need a power run; solar units do not. Many include rain sensors that close the window when it starts to rain. The roof-side installation is the same as a fixed unit, with added care around the operator and its wiring or solar panel.
Sun Tunnel Installation
A sun tunnel, or tubular skylight, is a small dome on the roof connected to a reflective tube that carries daylight to a round diffuser in the ceiling. It needs no light shaft framing and usually fits between rafters without cutting one, so it suits closets, hallways and bathrooms where a full skylight would not fit. It brings in a surprising amount of light, but no view and no ventilation. National published figures put a professionally installed sun tunnel at $600 to $1,100 each.
Brands we install and service
What a Skylight Installation Includes
Quotes differ most on what is left out. Ours covers the whole opening.
- Building permit filed for the new opening
- Roof and ceiling opening cut
- Rafters doubled or headered
- Unit set on deck or curb
- Manufacturer flashing kit installed
- Ice and water barrier around the unit
- Shingles or membrane relaid
- Light shaft framed and drywalled
- Debris removed and site cleaned
Top floor too dark?
Call and we look at where a skylight or sun tunnel would work.
What We See on Philadelphia Roofs
Philadelphia's EZ re-roofing permit covers replacing a roof covering, but not work that creates a new opening in the roof, and a skylight does exactly that. A new skylight therefore goes through a fuller permit review with Licenses and Inspections before the roof is cut. We file it as part of the job. Adding the skylight during a planned roof replacement puts both under one permit and one tear-off.
How a New Skylight Gets Installed
- 1
Pick the spot
We check rafters, attic space and where the light will land.
- 2
Choose the unit
Fixed, vented or tubular, and the size.
- 3
Permit
Filed with Licenses and Inspections for the new opening.
- 4
Cut and frame
Opening cut, rafters headered, unit set.
- 5
Flash and roof
Flashing kit, barrier and roofing woven in.
- 6
Finish inside
Shaft framed, drywalled and ready for paint.
Skylight Installation Questions
Yes, on a raised curb with membrane flashing, or as a sun tunnel with a flat-roof flashing.
Installed with the matching flashing kit and ice barrier, it should not. Most skylight leaks trace to shortcuts at install.
They can. Low-E glass, a north-facing slope, or a vented unit with blinds keep heat down.
It is the best time. The roof is already open and both go under one permit.
It still cuts a new opening, so plan on the same permit review as a skylight.
More Replacement & Installation Work in Philadelphia
From our guides: Philadelphia Roof Permits, Explained for Homeowners
Bring Daylight to the Top Floor
Call to plan a skylight or sun tunnel. We handle the permit, the framing and the flashing.