Quick replies
Skylight and rooflight answers
Short replies to single questions, each one opening with the answer itself and then giving the reasons and the rules behind it.
- How Long Does Fitting a Skylight Take?What sets the time a skylight takes to fit, and why the lead-up often takes longer.
- Do Skylights Leak in the End?Why a well-fitted skylight stays dry, and how to tell a leak from condensation.
- Can You Add a Skylight to an Existing Roof?Whether a roof can take a new skylight, and what the structure and the rules need.
- Does a Roof Lantern Need Planning Permission?When a roof lantern is permitted development on a house, and why a flat must apply.
- Can a Roof Lantern Go on an Existing Flat Roof?When an existing flat roof can take a lantern, and what the survey looks at first.
- Roof Lantern or Flat Rooflight: Which Is Better?Lantern or flat rooflight: how each differs in light, height, look and planning.
General 3
- How Long Does Fitting a Skylight Take?What sets the time a skylight takes to fit, and why the lead-up often takes longer.
- Do Skylights Leak in the End?Why a well-fitted skylight stays dry, and how to tell a leak from condensation.
- Can You Add a Skylight to an Existing Roof?Whether a roof can take a new skylight, and what the structure and the rules need.
Roof lanterns 3
- Does a Roof Lantern Need Planning Permission?When a roof lantern is permitted development on a house, and why a flat must apply.
- Can a Roof Lantern Go on an Existing Flat Roof?When an existing flat roof can take a lantern, and what the survey looks at first.
- Roof Lantern or Flat Rooflight: Which Is Better?Lantern or flat rooflight: how each differs in light, height, look and planning.
Flat roof rooflights 3
- What Fall Does a Flat Rooflight Need?How fall works around a flat rooflight: the deck, the upstand and the glass itself.
- Why Is There Condensation on My Flat Rooflight?Why moisture forms on a flat rooflight, in which of three places, and what fixes it.
- Can a Flat Rooflight Go on a Back Extension or Outrigger?How the planning route differs for a flat rooflight on a house extension and a Tyneside flat offshoot.
Roof windows 3
- Can a Roof Window Be a Fire Escape?When a roof window counts as an escape window, and why a taller house needs a stair.
- Can I Fit a Roof Window in an Upstairs Tyneside Flat Loft?Why an upstairs Tyneside flat needs planning permission for a roof window, and who must agree.
- How Many Roof Windows Does a Loft Room Need?Why no fixed number of roof windows applies to a loft, and how room length and use decide.
VELUX windows 3
- Can You Replace a VELUX in the Same Opening?When a like-for-like VELUX swap works and when the opening has to change.
- How Long Does a VELUX Window Last?What wears out first in a VELUX window and when replacement makes sense.
- VELUX or Another Roof Window Brand?How to weigh VELUX against other roof window makers for a particular roof.
Electric rooflights 3
- Can a Fixed Rooflight Be Made to Open?Why a fixed skylight is normally swapped for an opening unit, and what that swap involves.
- Do Electric Rooflights Need an Electrician?Which parts of an electric skylight need a qualified electrician and which come as a ready kit.
- Can a Rooflight Double as a Roof Access Hatch?When an opening rooflight can serve as a roof hatch, and the safety and planning points to check.
Energy efficient rooflights 3
- Does a Rooflight Make a Room Colder?Why a rooflight can feel cold, and what a modern, well-fitted unit does about it.
- Do I Need Solar Control Glass in a Rooflight?How solar control glass cuts incoming sun heat, and which rooflights are worth it.
- Will a Rooflight Overheat a Loft Room in Summer?What makes a loft room warm in summer and how to plan the rooflight so it stays comfortable.
Misted rooflight replacement 3
- How Long Does Swapping an Old Rooflight Take?The stages between survey and finished swap, and what stretches or shortens each.
- Can a Plastic Dome Rooflight Be Swapped for Glass?Whether a plastic dome can give way to flat glass, and what the kerb and rules decide.
- Is a Misted Rooflight Still Safe?Why a fogged sealed unit is usually a comfort problem, and what would make it a safety one.
Walk-on rooflights 3
- Is Walk-On Glass Slippery When Wet?Why untreated glass slips, how the grip finish on walk-on glass works and how to keep it.
- Can a Walk-On Rooflight Go in a Roof Terrace or Balcony?Whether a walk-on rooflight suits a roof terrace, and what planning and Building Control say.
- How Thick Is Walk-On Rooflight Glass?Why walk-on glass is a stack of laminated layers, and what decides how thick it ends up.
Conservation rooflights 3
- Conservation Rooflights on Listed BuildingsWhy listed building consent decides a rooflight on a listed house, and what to prepare.
- Do Conservation Rooflights Need a Glazing Bar?No rule forces a glazing bar on a conservation rooflight. It is a choice of look and construction.
- What Sizes Do Conservation Rooflights Come In?Conservation rooflights are made to order, so the rafter spacing and the roof set the size.
Sun tunnels 3
- How Far Can a Sun Tunnel Run?What limits the length of a sun tunnel run, and what to do if the route is long.
- Can a Sun Tunnel Go in a Flat Roof?Yes, on a raised base: how the flat roof build-up, height and drop affect a sun tunnel.
- Do Sun Tunnels Need Planning Permission?When a sun tunnel is permitted development on a house, and why a flat must apply.
What these are
What is an answer page?
A short page that deals with one question only, with the reply at the top and a few notes underneath.
Some questions do not need a long read. Does a lantern need permission? What do the letters in a roof window size code mean? Each gets its own page, with the reply first.
Where a question needs more room, the answer links across to the matching guide. Answers are filed with the service they belong to, so a question about glass sits near the product it concerns. They are written for people who have a single doubt and want it settled quickly, without reading a long page.