New rooflight in an existing roof in Kensington

Guide prices in Kensington

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.

Covering W8 and neighbouring districts

Kensington and the districts around it, W8, SW5 and SW7, all sit inside our working area. So does the ground between Kensington and Bayswater (1 mile), and on towards Notting Hill (1 mile). 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.

What we check on a supplied unit

A damaged delivery is a frequent snag on fit-only work. Before the day, unpack a new rooflight, photograph it, and tell the seller about any cracks or scuffs, because claims are much easier made early. We will also ask for the model or a link, so we can read the maker's instructions and check the builder's opening size and the upstand height it expects. If everything lines up, we fit it. If not, we explain what needs changing first.

Included in the work

• Joists or rafters trimmed with new timbers to carry the load around
• Roof membrane, felt or tiles made good and dressed up the upstand
• Survey of joist direction, roof build-up, ceiling void and access
• Warm or cold roof build-up — We find out whether the roof is insulated above or between the joists before designing the upstand.
• Upstand energy performance — We build the upstand to meet the energy limit for site-built upstands, not just to hold the rooflight up.

What happens on the day

Fitting days start with a look at the sky. If rain is due, the order of work changes so the roof is never left open to it. A typical day for a new rooflight runs like this: set up access, protect the room, open up the roof or prepare the existing kerb or frame, check sizes, fix, seal, then finish inside. On jobs that take more than a day, the opening is weather-sealed overnight. The last hour goes on tidying, waste removal and a walk-round with you.

Planning, building control and Kensington

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.

What to send for a quick 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 W8, and we can price it.

Common questions in Kensington

Planning a new rooflight in Kensington? Tell us about the roof and we will come back with a clear price in writing.