What the job costs in Swansea
About 1 × 2 m
Aluminium lantern, double glazed, fitted and glazed on a ready upstand
About 1.5 × 3 m
Mid-size lantern, solar-control glass options
2 × 4 m and over
Large lanterns, lifting gear on the day
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?
If you also own a property or a business unit in Clydach, Briton Ferry or Gorseinon, that is no problem. We can survey and quote both, and where it suits, line the fitting days up together. Every address is reached by fitters travelling to it from their current jobs, and SA1, SA2 and SA5 sit comfortably within that pattern.
Buying your own, or letting us supply
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 the job includes
- Internal trims fitted to the ring beam or upstand
- Caps, end closures and ridge trims fitted and sealed
- Frame assembled on the kerb in the maker's set order
- Level, not to a fall — We set or check the kerb level unless your lantern's maker says otherwise.
- Following the build order — We assemble lanterns in exactly the sequence the instructions give.
Fitting your roof lantern, step by step
Protection comes before tools. Floors, furniture and stairs get covered, and the ceiling below the opening is sheeted to catch dust. Up top, the fitters confirm the opening is square and the upstand or flashing suits what the maker specifies. Fixing follows, then weather-sealing into the membrane, felt or tiles. Only once the roof is tight do they turn to the internal reveal. Time on site for a roof lantern: one to two days, weather permitting.
Do you need permission in Swansea?
For a Welsh home, start with where the house is. In a conservation area, National Park, AONB or World Heritage Site, a rooflight needs planning permission; outside those, permitted development usually covers one that projects 150 mm or less. Side-facing roof windows within 10.5 m of a boundary must be obscure-glazed and fixed. New openings need building regulations approval, and replacements we fit are notified with a building notice, as we are not registered with a competent person scheme. We confirm all of this for your address.
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, SA1 or a neighbouring district.
Common questions in Swansea
Will my new roof lantern 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.
Can you fit the roof lantern 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.
What upstand height and roof pitch does roof lantern fitting need?
It depends on the product. Manufacturers usually specify a minimum upstand height above the finished roof surface, and a minimum pitch on the glass so rain runs off. We follow the maker's figures for your unit rather than a rule of thumb. If your existing kerb or roof falls short, we explain the options, such as raising the upstand or choosing a unit with built-in pitch.
Questions before you commit? Send them over with your Swansea postcode and we will answer them plainly, with a quote alongside.
