What the job costs in Tunbridge Wells
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.
Fitting across Tunbridge Wells and nearby
Covering Tunbridge Wells means covering the people who live and work there, not a single postcode. We take on domestic and commercial jobs in TN1, TN3 and TN4, and are happy to quote further out in Tonbridge and Crowborough. If your address sits between towns, tell us and we will confirm whether it falls in our normal area or needs travel set out separately on the quote.
Your conservation rooflights or ours
There are two ways to do this. Supply and fit means we source a conservation rooflight that suits your roof and install it, so one company answers for both the product choice and the fitting. Fit-only means you buy the unit and we install it. With fit-only, the product warranty stays with the maker or seller, and our written guarantee covers the fitting work. Both routes get the same checks on the opening, the upstand and the maker's instructions before anything is fixed.
On the day, we cover
- Rafters trimmed with timbers that suit the existing roof
- Rooflight set low so it sits close to the line of the roof
- Slates or tiles lifted carefully and kept for reuse where possible
- Conservation area rules by nation — We check the permitted development position for your nation before the rooflight is ordered.
- 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.
From arrival to clean-up
Fitting days start with a look at the sky. If rain is due, the order of work changes so the roof is never left open to it. A typical day for a conservation rooflight runs like this: set up access, protect the room, open up the roof or prepare the existing kerb or frame, check sizes, fix, seal, then finish inside. On jobs that take more than a day, the opening is weather-sealed overnight. The last hour goes on tidying, waste removal and a walk-round with you.
Planning, building control and Tunbridge Wells
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.
Details that speed up your 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, TN1 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Tunbridge Wells
Do I need planning permission for a rooflight in Tunbridge Wells?
Often not. Many rooflights fall under permitted development, provided they do not project beyond the national limit and meet the other conditions that apply in England. Conservation areas, listed buildings and some flats are different and may need consent. Because the rules depend on the property, we confirm what is likely to apply at your address and point you to the planning authority where an application is needed.
Do you need scaffolding to fit a rooflight?
Not always. Single-storey roofs can often be reached safely with ladders, a tower or edge protection. Higher roofs, steep pitches and large units usually need scaffold or a mobile platform, and heavy glass may need a crane. We assess access from your photos or at the survey, and any scaffold or lifting cost is shown as its own line on the written quote.
Will my new conservation rooflight leak?
A correctly fitted unit should not. Leaks usually trace back to the detail around the frame: an upstand that is too low, a membrane or flashing that is not dressed properly, sealant applied to a damp surface, or water ponding against the kerb. We fit to the maker's instructions and check each of those points. The fitting carries a written workmanship guarantee, with its terms set out on your quote.
Ask for a quote for your Tunbridge Wells roof. Survey dates are offered based on fitter availability once you are happy with the price.
