Guide prices
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.
Areas around St Albans we cover
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In St Albans that means postcode districts AL1, AL2 and AL4, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Harpenden, about 5 miles away, or Hatfield at roughly 5 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
- Fall built into the kerb where the rooflight needs one
- Treated timber frame fixed down to the deck and joists
- Roof membrane turned up, bonded and finished at the kerb top
- Height above the finished roof — We set the upstand so it stands at least 150 mm above the finished roof, measured from the top of any ballast, paving or walkway.
- Roof covering compatibility — We check what the roof is covered in before choosing how the membrane meets the kerb.
From arrival to clean-up
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.
Do you need permission in St Albans?
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
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, AL1 or nearby, confirms travel.
Common questions in St Albans
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.
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 St Albans?
Yes. Fitters travel to addresses in St Albans and the surrounding districts, including AL1. 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.
Questions before you commit? Send them over with your St Albans postcode and we will answer them plainly, with a quote alongside.
