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.
Covering DH5 and neighbouring districts
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In Houghton-Le-Spring that means postcode districts DH5, DH4 and SR3, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Chester-le-Street, about 5 miles away, or Washington 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.
On the day, we cover
- Insulation fitted to the upstand faces to limit heat loss
- Treated timber frame fixed down to the deck and joists
- Fall built into the kerb where the rooflight needs one
- 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.
- 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.
Fitting your rooflight upstand, step by step
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 Houghton-Le-Spring?
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
What we cannot see, we have to guess, and guesses make quotes wider. So the more you send, the tighter the price. Useful: shots from the roof or garden, shots from the room underneath, a rough width and length, the roof finish, any access problems, and the product page if you have already ordered. Add the property postcode around DH5 and we will come back with a quote or a survey date.
Common questions in Houghton-Le-Spring
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.
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 offer trade rates for builders and roofers?
We carry out subcontract fitting for builders, roofers, extension companies and commercial contractors. Pricing is per job or per schedule of units, agreed in writing before we start. We can work to your programme, fit on your upstand or build our own, and leave the opening ready for the next trade. Send drawings or a unit schedule and we will come back with a trade quote.
Tell us your postcode, DH5 or close by, and what you want fitted. We will reply with the next steps and a quote.
