Guide prices
Entry-level hatch
Polycarbonate or entry-level hinged hatch on gas struts, fitted to a new or existing upstand
Glazed manual hatch
Double-glazed hinged hatch on gas struts, upstand and weathering
Electric glazed hatch
Push-button glazed hatch with rain sensor; electrician's connection quoted separately
Guide ranges for supply & fit. 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.
Is your address covered?
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In Thatcham that means postcode districts RG19, RG18 and RG14, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Newbury, about 3 miles away, or Tadley at roughly 7 miles. Survey and fitting dates are offered according to fitter availability, and travel is built into the quote rather than added later.
What we check on a supplied unit
Which works out better, buying your own or letting us supply? It depends on what you value. Buying your own gives you control of the product and what you pay for it. Letting us supply puts the whole job, unit and fitting, under one written quote. On a customer-supplied unit we still measure it against the opening, look at the upstand, and inspect the condition it arrived in. Warranty on the product sits with whoever sold it, while the fitting carries our own guarantee.
What we do on the day
- Gas struts or actuator fitted and adjusted for full opening
- Kerb checked or built square, level and to the maker's height
- Opening and closing tested and the controls explained
- Safety at the roof edge — We ask how often people will use the roof and for what.
- Energy performance of hatches — We check the hatch's published U-value against the limit that applies.
From arrival to clean-up
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 a roof access hatch 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.
Regulations for Thatcham properties
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, RG19 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Thatcham
Can you remove and dispose of the old rooflight?
Yes. Taking out the old unit is part of any replacement job, and it leaves with the rest of the waste unless you ask to keep it. Old domes, glass and frames go through proper waste routes. If removal turns up a rotten kerb or damaged decking, we show you what we have found and agree the repair with you before going any further.
Do you offer trade rates for builders and roofers?
We carry out subcontract fitting for builders, roofers, extension companies and commercial contractors. Pricing is per job or per schedule of units, agreed in writing before we start. We can work to your programme, fit on your upstand or build our own, and leave the opening ready for the next trade. Send drawings or a unit schedule and we will come back with a trade quote.
Can you replace an old dome without redoing the whole roof?
Usually, yes. If the existing kerb is sound, level and tall enough, a new unit can often sit on it with a fresh seal to the roof covering. If the kerb is rotten or too low, we rebuild it and patch the covering around it rather than stripping the whole roof. This is checked at the survey and included in the written quote, so you know the full scope first.
Ask for a quote for your Thatcham roof. Survey dates are offered based on fitter availability once you are happy with the price.
