What the job costs in Dover
Compact sliding
Motorised sliding unit for a stair or hatch opening
Standard sliding
Larger opening onto a roof terrace
Large sliding
Big spans, lifting gear and longer installs
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?
Covering Dover means covering the people who live and work there, not a single postcode. We take on domestic and commercial jobs in CT17, CT16 and CT15, and are happy to quote further out in Folkestone and Deal. 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.
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
- Cable routed to the motor, ready for the electrician's final connection, quoted as a separate line
- Frame fixed and weathered with the membrane dressed up the kerb
- Upstand checked for strength, square and level along its full length
- Guarding on the terrace — We look at how the roof terrace will be guarded before the rooflight is fitted.
- Weight and lifting — We plan the lift for a sliding rooflight before it is ordered.
A typical installation 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 sliding 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 Dover
In England, a new rooflight opening generally needs building regulations approval because the roof structure is altered and the glazing must meet energy rules: 2.2 W/m²K for a rooflight in an existing home, or 1.4 W/m²K (or WER Band B) for a roof window. Planning is often not needed on a house: permitted development covers rooflights that stand no more than 0.15 m proud of the roof slope and sit below the highest part of the roof. Flats, listed buildings and areas with an Article 4 direction are different, so we check your address first.
Getting a price from photos
For fit-only work, the product details matter most: the link, the spec sheet, or a photo of the label on the box. Alongside that, send pictures of the roof and the ceiling below, approximate opening sizes, the type of roof covering, and how someone would get onto the roof. For supply and fit, the same photos and sizes do the job. Finish with your postcode, such as CT17.
Common questions in Dover
What is included in the price?
The written quote lists it line by line. Typically that covers fitting labour, fixings, sealants, membrane or flashing materials, any upstand work, internal finishing if agreed, and taking away the waste. For supply and fit, the unit itself is included too. Scaffold, lifting gear and any third-party fees, where needed, are shown separately so you can see what each part of the job costs.
Can you fit a rooflight in winter or when it is raining?
Yes, within limits. Cold is less of a problem than wet, because membranes, primers and sealants need a dry surface to bond. We plan fitting days around the forecast and may move a date if heavy rain is due. If the roof has to be opened up, it is not left overnight without a temporary weather seal, so the room below stays dry while the work is finished.
Do you make good inside after fitting?
Yes, where the quote includes it. Internal finishing usually means lining the reveal with plasterboard, taping or skimming, and fitting trim where it meets the ceiling. Some people prefer their own plasterer or decorator to finish off, which is fine. The written quote spells out exactly where our work stops, so nobody is left guessing about who does what once the unit is in.
Tell us your postcode, CT17 or close by, and what you want fitted. We will reply with the next steps and a quote.
