St Albans guide prices
Onto a ready upstand
Customer-supplied unit up to about 1.5 m², fitted to a prepared kerb, sealed and trimmed
With a new upstand
Insulated timber upstand built, membrane turned up and dressed, unit fitted and sealed
Large or heavy unit
Extra hands or lifting gear, larger openings, fixed or opening units
Guide ranges for labour only — you supply the rooflight. 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
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In St Albans that means postcode districts AL1, AL2 and AL4, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Harpenden, about 5 miles away, or Hatfield at roughly 5 miles. Survey and fitting dates are offered according to fitter availability, and travel is built into the quote rather than added later.
Already bought your unit?
If you have bought a 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.
Included in the work
- Upstand height, level and fall checked, and squareness confirmed across the diagonals
- Internal reveal trimmed or lined, with the protective film removed at the end
- Opening and upstand measured against the maker's drawing, timber to timber
- Access and lifting — We check how the unit gets from your drive to the roof.
- Internal versus external size — We check whether your rooflight's quoted size is the hole size or the outer frame size.
From arrival to clean-up
Where a job takes half a day to a day, 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 a 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, building control and St Albans
Two sets of rules matter in England. Planning: a rooflight on a house is normally permitted development if it projects no more than 0.15 m and stays below the highest part of the roof, but flats, listed buildings and Article 4 areas need checking. Building regulations: new openings need approval for the structure and energy performance, and a replacement is a controlled fitting. We are not registered with a competent person scheme, so we notify replacements to building control with a building notice and put the council's fee on the quote.
Getting a price from photos
Each detail you send takes a question off our list. Photos inside and out show the opening and the ceiling. Rough measurements tell us the unit size. The roof covering tells us how it will be sealed in. Access notes tell us whether a tower or scaffold is needed. A product link, if you have one, lets us check it against the opening. Your postcode, AL1 or nearby, confirms travel.
Common questions in St Albans
Will my new 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.
What if my roof opening is the wrong size for the 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.
Can you fit the 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 builder's opening and the upstand height. The product warranty stays with the maker or seller, and our guarantee covers the fitting.
Ask for a quote for your St Albans roof. Survey dates are offered based on fitter availability once you are happy with the price.
