Skylight installation and leak repair for Fayetteville roofs
A skylight puts daylight where a window can't. It also puts a hole in the roof. Set with a proper curb and flashing kit it stays dry for years; set with a tube of roofing cement it becomes the first place to leak.
Most skylight leaks are not the glass. They are the flashing around the unit: an older skylight sealed with roofing cement instead of a step-flashing kit, cement that has cracked after a few summers, or shingles cut short against the curb. The giveaway is a leak that shows up only in hard, wind-driven rain, when water is pushed sideways into gaps that a gentle shower never reaches. Reflashing the unit is usually the fix, and it is a fraction of the cost of a new skylight.
Sometimes the water is not a leak at all. A cold pane over a warm, humid room collects condensation that drips onto the sill on chilly mornings, with no rain anywhere. We check from the attic and the roof before quoting anything, because the answer for condensation is airflow and a better unit, not more flashing.
For a new skylight, the opening is framed between rafters and the unit is set with the manufacturer's flashing kit, with underlayment lapped up the sides of the curb and the shingles woven back in. If a rafter has to be cut, that is a change to a load-bearing part of the house, which North Carolina's permit exemption for smaller jobs does not cover, so we check with the inspections office for your address before cutting. The light shaft inside the room is drywall and paint work; we tell you up front who finishes it.
The best time to deal with a skylight is during a roof replacement. If the unit is as old as the shingles coming off, replace it while the roof is open; pulling it out a few years later means cutting into a new roof. And if you no longer want it, we can remove it, frame and deck the opening, and shingle over it to match.
What the job covers
Flashing kit, not caulk
Every unit set with its matching step-flashing kit and underlayment, never just a bead of roofing cement.
Old units judged honestly
If the skylight is cracked, fogged or as old as the roof, we price a replacement next to the repair.
Framing done right
Openings framed between rafters; cutting a rafter is treated as structural work and checked for a permit first.
Swapped during a reroof
Replacing a skylight while the roof is open costs least and keeps the new shingles whole.
Condensation or leak
We work out whether the water comes from outside or forms on cold glass before quoting a fix.
Removed and decked over
Unwanted skylights taken out, the opening framed and decked, and the roof patched to match.
Skylight costs in Fayetteville
| Work | Budget range | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Skylight installation | $1,014 – $2,828 | HomeAdvisor; national average about $1,920 |
| Skylight leak repair | $360 – $1,550 | Angi's national leak repair range |
| Reflashing an existing skylight | $200 – $500 | Angi's national flashing range |
| Skylight replacement during a reroof | Itemized on the roof quote | The lowest-cost time |
| Remove a skylight and deck over | Quoted after inspection | Includes framing and patching |
| Interior light shaft finishing | Quoted separately | Drywall and paint inside the room |
Installation and repair ranges come from HomeAdvisor and Angi. We look at the unit, the flashing and the framing first, then write the price down before anything is scheduled.
On the job
Skylights: what people ask us
Why does my skylight leak only in heavy rain?
Wind-driven rain finds flashing gaps that a light shower doesn't. That points to the flashing around the unit, not the glass, and reflashing is usually the fix.
Is it condensation or a leak?
Water on cold mornings with no rain is likely condensation on the glass. Water during storms is a leak. We check from both the attic and the roof.
Should the skylight be replaced with the roof?
If it is about as old as the roof coming off, yes. Pulling a skylight out later means cutting into new shingles.
Can you add a skylight to my roof?
Yes, on most shingle roofs. We frame the opening, set the unit with its flashing kit and weave the shingles back in.
Does a skylight need a permit?
Smaller jobs often fall under North Carolina's permit exemption for single-family work of $40,000 or less, but cutting a rafter is structural work. We check with the inspections office for your address before we cut.
Can I get rid of a skylight?
Yes. We remove it, frame and deck the opening, and patch the roof to match. Inside, the ceiling needs drywall finishing.