Guide prices
Per flat rooflight
Fit a supplied unit to your prepared upstand, sealed and trimmed
Per roof lantern
Assemble and glaze a supplied lantern on your upstand
Two-person day rate
Fitting team for multi-unit or mixed work
Guide ranges for labour only, ex VAT for trade accounts. 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 Dorchester that means postcode districts DT1, DT2 and DT3, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Weymouth, about 7 miles away, or Yeovil at roughly 18 miles. Survey and fitting dates are offered according to fitter availability, and travel is built into the quote rather than added later.
What the job includes
- Upstands built by us where you would rather not
- Flat rooflights fitted, sealed and trimmed on your kerbs
- Supplied units checked against your schedule before fitting
- Upstand ready and to size — We ask for the upstands to be built to the maker's drawing before we arrive.
- Who weathers the roof — We agree who turns the roof covering up the kerb before we book.
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 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 and building rules in England
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 on trade replacements we agree up front who notifies building control, 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.
Before you get in touch
Each detail you send takes a question off our list. Photos inside and out show the opening and the ceiling. Rough measurements tell us the unit size. The roof covering tells us how it will be sealed in. Access notes tell us whether a tower or scaffold is needed. A product link, if you have one, lets us check it against the opening. Your postcode, DT1 or nearby, confirms travel.
Common questions in Dorchester
What upstand height and roof pitch does rooflight 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.
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.
Running a job in Dorchester? Send the drawings or unit details and we will price the fitting, plus VAT, in writing.
