Skylight and rooflight guides
Straight answers on cost, planning, building regulations and getting the details right — reviewed October 2026.
How much does a skylight cost in the UK? (2026 prices)
Typical 2026 UK supply-and-fit prices for flat rooflights, roof lanterns, roof windows, walk-on glass and sun tunnels, and what pushes the…
Flat rooflight or roof lantern: which is better?
How flat rooflights and roof lanterns compare on light, looks, height, heat, cost and planning — and how to choose for your extension.
Do skylights need planning permission? England, Wales, Scotland and NI
When a rooflight or roof window is permitted development and when it needs planning permission or listed building consent, nation by nation.
Building Regulations for rooflights and roof windows (2026)
U-values, extension glazing limits, purge ventilation, guarding, fire and self-certification rules for rooflights in England, Wales…
What size rooflight do I need?
How to size a rooflight for a room: rules of thumb, structural openings, standard sizes and when to choose two units instead of one.
Why do flat rooflights need an upstand?
What a rooflight upstand does, how high it should be, how it is insulated and waterproofed, and why most 'rooflight leaks' start here.
Walk-on rooflights: load ratings, safety and costs
How walk-on rooflights are designed, what load ratings mean, how anti-slip glass works and what they cost to fit.
Opening or fixed rooflight: which do I need?
When to choose an electric opening rooflight over a fixed one: ventilation, purge rules, rain sensors, costs and security.
Why does my skylight get condensation — and how do I stop it?
The causes of condensation on rooflights and roof windows and the practical fixes: ventilation, insulation, warm-edge glass and heating.
Leaking skylight: causes and how it is repaired
How to trace a leaking rooflight or roof window, the common causes, and when to repair or replace.
Roof windows or flat rooflights: what is the difference?
Pitched roof windows and flat rooflights compared: where each fits, how they are weathered, U-value rules and costs.
Conservation rooflights for listed buildings and conservation areas
What makes a rooflight 'conservation', when consent is needed, and how to choose one a conservation officer is likely to accept.
Sun tunnels: do they work, and are they better than a skylight?
How tubular skylights work, how much light they give, where they suit, costs and limitations versus rooflights.
Rooflight glass explained: double, triple, solar control and safety
Glass choices for rooflights and roof lanterns: double vs triple, toughened and laminated panes, solar control, self-cleaning and acoustic…
Smoke vent rooflights (AOVs): standards and maintenance
What automatic opening smoke vents are, which standards apply, who must maintain them and how often they are tested.
What happens when a skylight is installed?
The skylight installation process step by step: survey, ordering, structural opening, upstand, fitting, waterproofing and making good.
Plan the light before you build
Send a photo or a rough sketch of your roof and we will come back with options, a guide price and a free survey date.