Guide prices in Chatham
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.
Areas around Chatham we cover
Distance is rarely the deciding factor. A roof in Rochester, 1 mile from Chatham, gets the same survey, the same written quote and the same fitting process as one in ME4, ME7 and ME1. What changes the price is the job itself: size of unit, roof type, access and lifting. Gillingham, around 1 mile out, is treated the same way.
What we check on a supplied unit
Supply and fit tends to suit people who would rather not pick a unit from a catalogue. We look at the roof, the opening and how you use the room, then put an electric opening rooflight on the quote that fits all three. Fit-only suits people who already know what they want, or have one on site. We are happy with either. The difference is who stands behind what: on fit-only, the maker or retailer covers the product, and our workmanship guarantee covers the installation.
On the day, we cover
- Cable route and controls set up ready for the electrician's final connection, quoted as a separate line
- Upstand checked or built to suit the unit and its actuator housing
- Unit fitted, sealed and weathered like a fixed flat rooflight
- Rain sensor position — We place the rain sensor where rain will reach it quickly and debris will not cover it.
- Cable length and size — We check the cable run against the maker's limits before planning where the controls go.
From arrival to clean-up
Where a job takes one day, plus the electrician's connection, the split is usually structural work first and finishing second. Early on, the fitters cut or prepare the opening, trim where needed and prepare the upstand or flashing. Then an electric opening rooflight is lifted in, fixed and made weathertight so the roof is sound before anyone moves inside. Plasterboard, trim and filler for the reveal come after. Each evening the work area is swept, and at the end the glass is cleaned and the team talks you through what was done.
Planning and building rules in England
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.
Getting a price from photos
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, ME4 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Chatham
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.
Can you fit a rooflight in winter or when it is raining?
Yes, within limits. Cold is less of a problem than wet, because membranes, primers and sealants need a dry surface to bond. We plan fitting days around the forecast and may move a date if heavy rain is due. If the roof has to be opened up, it is not left overnight without a temporary weather seal, so the room below stays dry while the work is finished.
Will my new electric opening 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 Chatham roof. Survey dates are offered based on fitter availability once you are happy with the price.
