Guide prices
Small opening
Up to about 1000 × 1000 mm with actuator, rain sensor and switch or remote
Medium opening
Larger units, wall switch and remote
Large opening
Big or heavy units, extra actuators
Guide ranges for supply & fit; the electrician's final connection is quoted separately. 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
Jobs across DH1, DH7 and DH6 are part of our normal cover for Durham. We are not an office on the high street. Our fitting teams come out to the property from wherever they are working that week. Neighbouring places such as Spennymoor and Chester-le-Street are covered on the same terms, so a house on the edge of town is no harder to book than one in the centre.
Fit-only or supply and fit
If you have bought an electric opening 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 upstand height above the finished roof. 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 the job includes
- Cable route planned through the kerb or reveal before the lining goes on
- Upstand checked or built to suit the unit and its actuator housing
- Unit fitted, sealed and weathered like a fixed flat rooflight
- Opening onto a side slope — We check where the opening part will sit if the roof is pitched or the unit faces a neighbour.
- Rain sensor position — We place the rain sensor where rain will reach it quickly and debris will not cover it.
Fitting your electric opening rooflight, step by step
On the day, you need to be in at the start and at the end. In between, the fitters get on with it. They will want the room below cleared where possible, a parking spot if you have one, and somewhere to set the unit down safely. After checking the opening and the upstand or flashing, they fix an electric opening rooflight, seal it and finish the inside. Packaging and any old unit leave with them unless the quote says otherwise.
Do you need permission in Durham?
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.
Before you get in touch
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, DH1 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Durham
What upstand height and roof pitch does electric opening rooflight fitting need?
It depends on the product. Manufacturers usually specify a minimum upstand height above the finished roof surface, and a minimum pitch on the glass so rain runs off. We follow the maker's figures for your unit rather than a rule of thumb. If your existing kerb or roof falls short, we explain the options, such as raising the upstand or choosing a unit with built-in pitch.
Do you make good inside after fitting?
Yes, where the quote includes it. Internal finishing usually means lining the reveal with plasterboard, taping or skimming, and fitting trim where it meets the ceiling. Some people prefer their own plasterer or decorator to finish off, which is fine. The written quote spells out exactly where our work stops, so nobody is left guessing about who does what once the unit is in.
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.
For a free, no-obligation quote in Durham, use the form or call us with the details of your roof.
