What the job costs in Newtownabbey
Small fixed unit
Opening cut, joists trimmed, upstand built, roof covering made good, plasterboard reveals ready for decoration
Medium fixed unit
As the small unit, with a larger opening up to about 1 × 2 m and additional trimming
Large or opening unit
Bigger structural work or an electric opening unit
Guide ranges for supply & fit, including structure and making good; building control or warrant fees extra. 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 Newtownabbey and nearby
Covering Newtownabbey means covering the people who live and work there, not a single postcode. We take on domestic and commercial jobs in BT37, BT36 and BT15, and are happy to quote further out in Belfast and Carrickfergus. 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 rooflights or ours
There are two ways to do this. Supply and fit means we source a new 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.
What we do on the day
- Joists or rafters trimmed with new timbers to carry the load around
- Rooflight fitted, sealed and checked for even clearance on every side
- Roof membrane, felt or tiles made good and dressed up the upstand
- Cables, pipes and ceiling fittings — We look into the ceiling void for anything in the way of the new opening.
- Upstand energy performance — We build the upstand to meet the energy limit for site-built upstands, not just to hold the rooflight up.
Fitting your 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 a new 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 Newtownabbey?
For a home in Northern Ireland, check planning first: rooflights are excluded from permitted development in conservation areas and within the curtilage of listed buildings, and elsewhere must keep 0.5 m clear of the ridge, eaves and verges. Then building control: a new opening alters the roof structure, so expect a building control application and confirm with your council, and the glazing must achieve WER Band C or 1.6 W/m²K. We check both for your address before quoting.
Getting a price from photos
What we cannot see, we have to guess, and guesses make quotes wider. So the more you send, the tighter the price. Useful: shots from the roof or garden, shots from the room underneath, a rough width and length, the roof finish, any access problems, and the product page if you have already ordered. Add the property postcode around BT37 and we will come back with a quote or a survey date.
Common questions in Newtownabbey
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 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.
Get in touch with the details of your Newtownabbey property and we will explain what the job involves and what it costs.
