What the job costs in Irlam
Timber upstand
Treated timber kerb built square and level to the maker's size
Insulated upstand
Kerb with insulation and the roof membrane turned up and dressed
Large or with trimming
Bigger kerbs or where joists need trimming first
Guide ranges for labour and materials, rooflight not included. 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 M44 and neighbouring districts
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In Irlam that means postcode districts M44, M31 and M41, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Urmston, about 3 miles away, or Sale at roughly 4 miles. Survey and fitting dates are offered according to fitter availability, and travel is built into the quote rather than added later.
What we do on the day
- Fall built into the kerb where the rooflight needs one
- Diagonals measured so the kerb is square before anything sits on it
- Insulation fitted to the upstand faces to limit heat loss
- Energy limit for site-built kerbs — We insulate upstands to meet the limit for site-built upstands, which is 0.35 W/m²K in England and Wales.
- Size tolerance on the kerb — We build kerbs to a tight tolerance because rooflight glass is made to order and cannot be trimmed on site.
How a fitting day runs
The fitters measure twice before cutting: the opening, the rooflight's kerb size and the finished roof level. The kerb is built, packed level or to the maker's fall, insulated and weathered into the roof covering. You are left with an upstand ready for the rooflight, and a note of the sizes it was built to.
Planning, building control and Irlam
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.
Details that speed up your quote
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, M44 or nearby, confirms travel.
Common questions in Irlam
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.
Does a rooflight need building regulations approval?
A new opening usually needs building regulations approval. A replacement is a controlled fitting: it must be self-certified by an installer registered with a competent person scheme or notified to building control. We are not registered with a scheme, so replacements we fit are notified to building control with a building notice, and the council's fee is shown on your quote.
Do you cover Irlam?
Yes. Fitters travel to addresses in Irlam and the surrounding districts, including M44. We do not run an office there; the survey and the fitting happen at your property. A few island and remote postcodes are covered by arrangement; if yours is one, we confirm travel and dates before quoting.
Send a few photos and your M44 postcode, and we will put together a written quote for the job.
