Skylights and rooflights in Brandon, County Durham
Brandon is a village in County Durham, 19.6 road miles south of Newcastle. Whether you want a first skylight in a dark room or a new rooflight to replace a misted old one, we survey the roof before we say a word about price.
The old rooflight that has gone cloudy
Brandon grew from farmland into a mining district once collieries, coke works and fireclay works arrived, and its houses have been altered ever since. A rooflight put in some years ago may now be fogged between the panes, stained, or cold to stand under. Replacing it is a chance to choose better glass and the right size, and to settle any permission question at the same time.
Rooflights for Brandon homes
Each type below can be a first installation or a replacement for something old. Roof lanterns, Flat roof rooflights, Roof windows, VELUX windows, Electric rooflights, Energy efficient rooflights, Misted rooflight replacement, Walk-on rooflights, Conservation rooflights, Sun tunnels.
New or replacement
A dim room, a tired rooflight and the way forward
Two starting points feed one process in this Brandon read: a room with no skylight whatever, and a room whose old unit has stopped doing its job. It looks at the room, the product, the permission and the day of the fitting.
Which room in my Brandon house or flat should get the rooflight?
Short answer
Pick the room that needs daylight most: an inner landing, a bathroom, a loft room or a kitchen at the back. If a room already has an old unit that has misted or gone cold, that is a candidate too, and the survey decides what replaces it.
There are two ways to find the right room. One is to look for the space that has no daylight at all. The other is to look for the room with a rooflight that has stopped doing its job. Brandon homes can have either, and sometimes both under the same roof.
The room with nothing
Switch off the lights at midday and see where you are left in the dark. The usual suspects are the stair head, a bathroom with no outer wall, and a bedroom in the middle of the house. If the roof is above it, a skylight can reach it. If another storey sits above, a sun tunnel or a different route is needed, and the survey will say so.
The room with an old unit
An older rooflight can fog between its panes when the sealed glass unit fails, or its frame can warp and its seals can harden. Light still comes in, but the glass is cloudy, the room feels colder beneath it and condensation forms. Our guide to why rooflights mist up explains the causes. When a unit reaches that point, we replace the whole thing or, where the frame is sound, the glass alone, and we say which in the quote.
Starting with the history
The village was a farming area before mining arrived. Collieries opened, among them Browney colliery, where sinking began in 1871, and coke and fireclay works followed. We do not build any assumptions on that. Houses of every age can have been altered since, and the roof over your dark room is what we care about.
Flat or house?
Say which you live in when you get in touch. It does not change what daylight can do, but it changes who must agree to the work, as chapter three explains.
Ask yourself before the survey
- Which room stays dark at midday, or which unit has clouded?
- Directly above, is it a loft, a flat roof or the floor of another flat?
- Is fresh air wanted too, or only daylight?
- Do you want the same size or a larger opening?
- If it is a flat, who owns the roof?
What should I put in place of an old or misted rooflight?
Short answer
Follow the roof. Pitched slopes want roof windows, level roofs want rooflights or lanterns, and loft-filled spaces want sun tunnels. Replacement lets you upgrade the glass to current Part L limits and choose a better frame and opening style.
A replacement is a chance to get things right. The old unit tells us what the roof can hold, and a new one can improve on it in several ways.
On a pitched roof
A roof window in a slate or tile roof sits in a frame flashed to the covering. Modern units are far better sealed than ones from earlier decades, with thermal glass and a tighter frame. If you want the same position and size, we measure the existing opening and match it. If you want larger, the opening in the roof changes. Our roof windows page goes through the options, and the VELUX windows page covers that make and its size codes.
On a flat roof
An older flat rooflight is often a domed plastic or glass unit on a timber kerb. The newcomer might be a modern flat rooflight with double or triple glazing, or a roof lantern if you would like the room to feel more open. The upstand beneath is checked at the survey, because manufacturers set minimum heights, commonly around 150mm above the finished roof.
What to expect from a new frame
An old frame may be timber, aluminium or plastic, and each ages differently. Timber can swell or rot at the corners, aluminium can lose its seals, and plastic can discolour. A new frame brings fresh seals, a tighter fit and a flashing kit made for your covering. The survey notes what you have now and the quote names what goes in.
Glass, frames and extras
New rooflights in existing homes must meet Part L. The limiting U-value is 2.2 W/m²K for a rooflight and 1.4 W/m²K, or WER Band B, for a roof window. Glass over a living space has a laminated inner pane. You can add solar control coatings for a sunny slope, a blind, and an opening or electric mechanism with a rain sensor.
New glass or a whole new unit
Sometimes the frame is sound and only the sealed glass has gone. Whether that is worth doing depends on the frame, the age and the glass specification you want. Read new glass or a whole new rooflight for the trade-offs. We recommend after we have seen the frame, never before.
Does swapping an old rooflight need anyone's permission?
Short answer
It depends on the home and on whether the new unit matches the old opening. A house is normally covered by permitted development within limits; a flat needs planning permission from Durham County Council. A larger opening is new building work notified to Building Control.
People often assume that putting a new rooflight where an old one was needs nothing at all. Sometimes the answer is simple, and sometimes it is not, so it is worth checking the facts rather than the assumption.
If you live in a house
Most rooflights on houses fall under permitted development within set limits, so no application is needed if the new unit stays inside them. The planning side is explained in our planning permission guide. An Article 4 direction, or a condition on an earlier planning permission, can remove that allowance, and Durham County Council can tell you if either applies to your address. A listed house is different: almost any rooflight needs listed building consent from Durham County Council.
If you live in a flat
A flat has no householder permitted development, which covers either half of a Tyneside flat, a converted flat and a flat in a block. Durham County Council handles the planning application for a new rooflight. Whether a straight swap for an existing unit counts as new is something the council answers, and we help you put the question plainly. What the lease or title says about roof ownership, and about the other owner's say, comes before anything else.
The Building Regulations side
Cutting a new opening in a roof is building work, notified to Building Control, the local authority or a registered building control approver. Enlarging an opening does that. Putting a unit in exactly the old opening is a different question, which the survey and the council between them answer. If a notification is called for, we send it.
| Your home | Who to check with | Before the order |
|---|---|---|
| A house | Durham County Council, only if an Article 4 direction or old condition might apply | Confirm no restriction applies |
| Either half of a Tyneside flat | Their co-owner first, after that Durham County Council | Planning permission in hand |
| Any other flat | Whoever your lease names, then Durham County Council | Planning permission in hand |
| A listed house | Durham County Council | Listed building consent granted |
How does a replacement or new fitting run from survey to guarantee?
Short answer
The survey is free. A fixed written quote follows, naming the product, size and glazing. For the fitting itself, the old unit is lifted out or a fresh opening is formed, then the frame goes in, weathertight, and the inside is lined. Ten years of guaranteed workmanship are set down in writing.
Whether the job is new or a replacement, the sequence is the same, and it starts with someone coming to look.
The survey
First the roof is examined from outdoors, and after that the room it covers. We record the roof finish, the pitch and the aspect of the slope, and for a replacement we add the old frame, its flashing and the roof around it. Inside we check the ceiling reveal and, in the loft, the timbers around the opening. Trussed rafters need an engineered answer if the opening is to grow.
Your price in writing
A fixed quote in writing comes back to you, listing the unit, dimensions, glazing and labour. A larger opening or a different product would count as a change; otherwise the price stands. For a flat, the order waits for planning permission.
Fitting day, replacement
Out comes the old unit, along with its flashings or kerb. The opening is checked and made good. The new frame is set in place and weathered with a flashing kit on a pitched roof or onto an upstand on a flat one. Inside, the reveal is finished and lined to suit.
Fitting day, a new opening
The roof finish is lifted, the timbers are trimmed, the frame is secured and the surrounding roof is made watertight. Then the inside is formed and lined. For a sun tunnel the parts are a roof dome, some reflective tube and a ceiling diffuser.
How long it takes
A swap takes less time than a new opening, because the roof is already cut. Our page on how long swapping a rooflight takes goes through the stages. A new opening takes longer, since the structure is trimmed and finished inside as well.
Afterwards
We notify Building Control where the work is notifiable and give you a 10-year workmanship guarantee in writing. The guarantee page sets out what the document says. Ushaw Moor is covered as well, and our quote page is where to start.
Before you replace anything in Brandon
Why has the glass in my rooflight gone cloudy?
Usually the seal around a double glazed unit has failed, letting moisture in between the panes. That is not something you can wipe away. The cure is a new sealed unit or a whole new rooflight, and which suits depends on the frame. We assess it at the survey and state the choice in the quote.
Can I make the new rooflight bigger than the old one?
Often yes, if the roof structure allows it. A larger opening is new building work, notified to Building Control, and it may bring in planning for a flat. The survey checks the rafters or trusses around the opening before we propose a size.
Will a new rooflight be warmer than my old one?
A modern unit has to meet current Part L limits for an existing home, 2.2 W/m²K for a rooflight and 1.4 W/m²K, or WER Band B, for a roof window. An older unit with failed seals or single glazing will usually lose more heat. The quote states the glazing you are getting.
Is Brandon in Durham County Council's area?
Yes. Brandon, County Durham falls under Durham County Council, so any planning permission for a flat or listed building consent for a listed house is applied for there. It is 19.6 road miles south of Newcastle, inside the area we cover.
How do I get someone to come and look at the rooflight?
Message 07880 284133 on WhatsApp or email info@quaysideskylightsnewcastle.co.uk. Give us your address and home type, and say if you want a first rooflight or a new one in place of an old one. A photo of the unit or the dark room helps. The survey is free.