What are skylight blinds & solar control?
Across Oxfordshire, our skylight blinds & solar control work covers electric blinds, blackout and solar-control upgrades for rooflights. Survey first, fixed price second, fitting third.
Across the South East, single-storey kitchen extensions on 1930s semis and post-war detached houses are where most flat rooflights and lanterns go. Period cottages and conservation-area streets are common in the South East, so slim conservation rooflights are often the right choice.
Towns in Oxfordshire
Specification options in Oxfordshire
- Insect screens on opening units
- Solar-control glass replacement
- Electric pleated or roller blinds
- Solar-powered remote blinds
- Integral blinds within the glass
- Electric or solar-powered operation
- Retrofit to most rooflights
Planning and building rules in England
In England a rooflight on a house is usually permitted development under Class C if it projects no more than 150 mm beyond the roof slope and sits no higher than the ridge. A rooflight on a side-facing slope must be obscure-glazed, and fixed shut unless the opening part is more than 1.7 m above the floor.
For English homes the energy rules ask for rooflights of 2.2 W/m²K or better and roof windows of 1.4 W/m²K (or WER Band B); most modern double glazed units meet both. In an extension, glazing including rooflights is normally limited to 25% of the new floor area plus any windows or doors the extension covers, unless a whole-house calculation shows otherwise.
Guide prices
Prices below are shown including and excluding VAT. In Oxfordshire, as elsewhere, making good inside and access equipment are the main variables.
| Option | Guide price inc VAT | Ex VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Integral blind in a new glass unit | £715 – £1,435 | £595 – £1,195 |
| Electric or solar blind Typical | £595 – £1,075 | £495 – £895 |
| Manual pleated or blackout blind | £355 – £595 | £295 – £495 |
How the job runs
- Tell us about the roof. Send the postcode, rough sizes and a photo or two through the form, WhatsApp or the guide-price tool.
- Free survey. For new installations a surveyor measures the opening, checks the roof build-up and talks through glass and options.
- Fixed written quote. You get the product, the work and the price in writing. Nothing is ordered or paid for until you agree.
- Fitting and handover. We fit, seal and make good, then hand over product data, warranties and any certificate paperwork.
Blinds & solar control in nearby areas
Common questions
Can I get full blackout?
Blackout fabrics in side channels give near-total darkness.
Will a blind stop a rooflight getting hot?
An internal blind helps with glare but some heat still gets in behind it. Solar-control glass or an external shade does more for heat.
Can you fit a blind to my existing rooflight?
Usually, yes — if there is enough depth in the reveal for the cassette and rails. We measure first.
Do blinds work on roof lanterns?
Lantern blinds exist but are complex; solar-control glass is often the better answer.
Will I need planning permission in Oxfordshire?
English householder permitted development (Class C) normally covers rooflights that stand no more than 0.15 m proud of the roof plane and stay below the highest part of the roof.
