Guide prices in Cowes
Small conservation unit
Low-profile unit with glazing bar, slate or tile flashing
Medium unit
Larger opening, lead or matching flashings
Large or bespoke
Larger or made-to-order units for listed or sensitive roofs
Guide ranges for supply & fit. Your price is fixed in a written quote after we have seen photos or surveyed. Scaffold, access towers or a crane are priced separately if the job needs them, and building control fees, where a job needs them, are shown as their own line.
Where our fitters travel
Distance is rarely the deciding factor. A roof in Newport, 4 miles from Cowes, gets the same survey, the same written quote and the same fitting process as one in PO31, PO32 and PO30. What changes the price is the job itself: size of unit, roof type, access and lifting. Ryde, around 6 miles out, is treated the same way.
What we check on a supplied unit
If you have bought a conservation rooflight yourself, we check four things before fitting. First, the delivery: open it, look for chips, cracks and bent frames, and report any damage to the seller straight away. Second, the size, measured against the builder's opening rather than the external frame. Third, the flashing kit and the roof pitch range. Fourth, the maker's instructions, which set the fixings and sealing. Product warranty claims go to the seller and maker; our guarantee is for how it was fitted.
What we do on the day
- Slates or tiles lifted carefully and kept for reuse where possible
- Inside lining fitted to suit the room's ceiling or exposed rafters
- Slates or tiles made good around the frame with tidy cuts
- Glazing bar and frame detail — We check whether the council has asked for particular details, such as a central glazing bar or a dark frame colour.
- Listed building consent — We confirm listed building consent is in place before fitting any rooflight on a listed building.
What happens on the day
Morning first: the team arrives, introduces itself and walks through the job with you. Dust sheets go down in the room below and along the route in. Then the opening and upstand, or the flashing on a pitched roof, are checked against the unit's measurements. A conservation rooflight goes in, is fixed to the maker's pattern and sealed into the roof covering. Inside, the reveal is finished as quoted. Before leaving, the team clears debris and talks you through what was done. Most jobs of this type take one day.
Regulations for Cowes properties
Replacing a rooflight in an English home is a controlled fitting: it has to be self-certified by a scheme-registered installer or notified to building control. We are not registered with a competent person scheme, so replacements we fit are notified with a building notice, and the new unit has to meet current energy limits. Adding a new one usually means a building regulations application, because joists or rafters are trimmed. On the planning side, most house rooflights are permitted development if they project 0.15 m or less; on a side slope the glass must be obscured and fixed unless the opening part is over 1.7 m above the floor.
What to send for a quick quote
A fast quote needs five things: a photo of the roof from outside, one from the room below, rough sizes of the opening or the space, the roof covering (felt, single-ply, fibreglass, tiles, slate or metal), and a note on access. If you have already bought the unit, add the product link or spec sheet. And give us the postcode, PO31 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Cowes
What if my roof opening is the wrong size for the conservation rooflight?
We find out before the fitting day, not on it. If the opening is slightly out, it can usually be adjusted by trimming or by packing out the upstand. If it is a long way off, the choice is between altering the opening and changing the unit. Bear in mind that rooflights are often sold by builder's opening size rather than external size, so check which one your measurement refers to.
Do you cover Cowes?
Yes. Fitters travel to addresses in Cowes and the surrounding districts, including PO31. We do not run an office there; the survey and the fitting happen at your property. A few island and remote postcodes are covered by arrangement; if yours is one, we confirm travel and dates before quoting.
Can you fit the conservation rooflight I bought online?
Yes, fit-only is one of our core services. Send the product link or spec, photos of the roof and rough sizes, and we can usually price it from those. Before fitting we check the delivery for damage, which should be reported to the seller, plus the size against the opening, the flashing kit and the roof pitch. The product warranty stays with the maker or seller, and our guarantee covers the fitting.
Got a unit waiting to go in, or need one sourced? Either way, start with your Cowes address and a couple of photos.

