Skylight installation and repair in New Jersey
A skylight that drips when it rains, a stain around the frame, or a dark room that could use the light. We reseal, reflash or replace leaking skylights, and cut new ones into the roof. We do this on houses in 14 New Jersey counties.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney installs and repairs skylights on houses in 14 New Jersey counties under NJ HIC license 13VH13268400. We reseal, reflash or replace leaking skylights, and cut new skylights into the roof. Many skylight leaks start at the flashing around the frame, not the glass. Every job starts with a free inspection, photos and a written estimate.
Why a skylight leak is usually not the glass
A skylight is a hole in the roof with a window in it. The roof has to carry water around all four sides of the frame, and the metal flashing there does that job. When the flashing lifts or rusts through, water runs in beside the frame and shows up on the ceiling next to it.
Caulk smeared around the frame can stop a drip for a season. It does not fix flashing that is sending water the wrong way.
Signs your skylight needs work
- Drips from the frame or the edge of the opening when it rains.
- Stains or peeling paint on the ceiling or the walls of the skylight shaft.
- Fog trapped between the panes of glass.
- A cracked pane or a cloudy, crazed plastic dome.
- Old caulk or tar smeared around the outside of the frame.
- Water on the inside of the glass on cold days, even when it is not raining.
If the skylight is sound and the roof around it is worn out, fixing the skylight alone will not stop the leaks. We tell you that when we see it, and show you the photos. How roof repair works
How a skylight job works
A skylight job with us runs in six steps. The flashing gets as much attention as the skylight, because that is where many leaks start. Your written estimate lists how long the work will take.
We inspect it, free
We look at the skylight from inside and on the roof, and photograph the frame, the glass and the flashing around it.
You get a written estimate
Reseal, reflash or replace, and the price, on paper. If new flashing will stop the leak, that is what we price.
We open the roof around it
We lift the shingles around the frame so we can see the flashing and the wood underneath.
We fix the flashing
New flashing goes around the frame, lapped so the water runs over it and back out onto the shingles below.
We replace or add the skylight
A skylight that has failed comes out and a new one goes in the same opening. For a new skylight, we cut the opening into the roof and frame it between the rafters first.
We seal it in and clean up
The shingles go back in around the flashing, and we go over photos of the finished skylight with you.
Where a skylight leaks, and where it only looks like it does
The water on your ceiling can come from several places around a skylight. These are the ones we check before we price anything.
Flashing
The metal around the frame. When it lifts or rusts through, water runs in beside the skylight. Many skylight leaks start here.
Glass seal
The seal that holds the glass in the frame. When it dries out and shrinks, water gets in at the edge of the glass.
Glass or dome
A cracked pane or a crazed plastic dome lets water straight through.
The roof uphill
Worn shingles above the skylight send water into it, and the skylight gets the blame for a roof problem.
Condensation
Warm, damp air from the house hits cold glass in winter and drips. It looks like a leak, but the water comes from inside.
Water dripping near the skylight?
Get a free inspection
What else affects a skylight
Where your house is changes the skylight
Farther north and west, in Sussex, Warren, Morris and Hunterdon, snow and ice sit against the uphill side of the frame, and meltwater backs up behind it. Near the shore, in Ocean and Monmouth, salt air eats at metal flashing.
Related work
A leak that is not coming from the skylight: Roof Repair. A lot of condensation on the glass can point to a damp attic: Roof Ventilation. A leak next to the chimney: Chimney Flashing.
Check us out before we cut into your roof
It depends on whether the skylight needs resealing, new flashing or replacing, and on the condition of the roof around it. Adding a skylight where there is none is a different job again. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price after we have looked at it.
Many skylight leaks start at the flashing around the frame, not the glass. Others come from a dried out seal around the glass, a cracked pane, or worn shingles uphill that send water into it. We find which one on the roof before we price anything.
If water shows up on the inside of the glass on cold, dry days, it is usually condensation from warm, damp air in the house. If it only shows up when it rains, or runs down the frame, it is usually a leak. We can tell you which when we look at it.
Often it can be repaired. If the skylight is sound and the flashing is the problem, new flashing stops the leak. If the glass is cracked or the seal between the panes has failed, replacing it makes more sense. We show you the photos either way.
Yes. We cut new skylights into the roof. Where one can go depends on the rafters and on what is under that part of the roof, so we look before we price it. Where it goes and what it costs are written into your estimate.
We install and repair skylights in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. If your town is in one of those, we can come out.
Find out why your skylight is leaking
Tell us what you are seeing. We come out, inspect it for free, and give you photos and a written price. If new flashing will stop the leak, you will hear that from us before anyone talks about a new skylight. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
Open 24 hours · NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured