What the job costs in Braintree
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.
Coverage in and around Braintree
Braintree and the districts around it, CM7, CM77 and CM8, all sit inside our working area. So does the ground between Braintree and Witham (7 miles), and on towards Chelmsford (10 miles). When a fitting team is booked, their travel is already in the quoted price, so it does not turn up as a surprise line on the final bill.
Buying your own, or letting us supply
Your unit or ours, the fitting standard is the same. For supply and fit we choose an electric opening rooflight to suit the roof and price it with the installation. For fit-only we work with what you have, after confirming it arrived undamaged, that it matches the builder's opening, and that the upstand will sit at the height the maker asks for. Report any transit damage to the seller, as the product cover is theirs and the maker's. Our written guarantee applies to the fitting itself.
What the job includes
- Rain sensor positioned where it will get wet when rain starts
- Cable route planned through the kerb or reveal before the lining goes on
- Unit fitted, sealed and weathered like a fixed flat rooflight
- Cable length and size — We check the cable run against the maker's limits before planning where the controls go.
- Who makes the final connection — We confirm who will connect the rooflight to the mains before booking.
What happens on the day
Arrive and agree the plan. Sheet the floor and furniture. Set up the ladder, tower or scaffold. Check the opening, the upstand or flashing, and the unit against the paperwork. Fix and pack an electric opening rooflight level. Seal it into the roof. Line the reveal or fit the ceiling trim. Clean the glass, clear the waste, and talk you through it. That is the shape of most fitting days, and for this type of job it usually takes one day, plus the electrician's connection.
Planning, building control and Braintree
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
Start with your phone. Take a picture of the roof where the unit goes or already sits, then one from inside looking up. Measure what you can, even roughly. Tell us what the roof is covered with and how a fitter would reach it: ladder, garden access or scaffold. Bought it already? Send the link or spec. Add your full postcode, for example in CM7, and we can price it.
Common questions in Braintree
What if my roof opening is the wrong size for the electric opening 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 Braintree?
Yes. Fitters travel to addresses in Braintree and the surrounding districts, including CM7. 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.
What is included in the price?
The written quote lists it line by line. Typically that covers fitting labour, fixings, sealants, membrane or flashing materials, any upstand work, internal finishing if agreed, and taking away the waste. For supply and fit, the unit itself is included too. Scaffold, lifting gear and any third-party fees, where needed, are shown separately so you can see what each part of the job costs.
Send a few photos and your CM7 postcode, and we will put together a written quote for the job.

