Skylight installation in Opelousas & Lafayette

Brighten up your space with our professional skylight installation services. Adding a skylight floods your home with natural light, adds ventilation, and boosts energy efficiency.

Most skylight leaks are flashing problems, not glass problems. We flash every unit to the roof it sits in.

For a new skylight, we start in the attic and the room below. We find where the rafters run, check for wiring, ducts or plumbing in the way, and look at how the light shaft would reach the ceiling. On the roof, we look at the condition of the shingles around the spot and which way that slope faces the sun.

For a skylight that already leaks, the first job is finding out why. Water can come through cracked glass, a failed seal in the frame, or, most often, flashing that has rusted, lifted or been caulked over. We take photos of what we find either way.

You get a detailed written estimate with transparent pricing and no hidden fees that explains what is included, on the roof and inside. Then the opening is framed or the old unit comes out, the new skylight is set, underlayment and flashing are lapped in with the shingles, and we clean up thoroughly before we leave.

• Inspection on the roof, in the attic and in the room below
• Photos and a written estimate
• Opening framed between rafters, or the old unit removed
• Skylight set and sealed to the deck
• Underlayment and flashing lapped in with the shingles
• Clean-up inside and out

Skylights wear out like any other part of the roof. These are the signs an existing unit needs attention:

If you do not have a skylight yet, the sign is simpler: a dark hallway, bathroom or kitchen that needs a lamp on in the middle of the day.

• Drips or water stains around the skylight shaft
• Fog or condensation trapped between the panes
• Cracked, crazed or yellowed glazing
• Rusted, lifted or caulk-covered flashing around the frame
• Mold or peeling paint on the drywall around the opening
• An old skylight on a roof that is about to be replaced

We install materials from GAF, CertainTeed and Owens Corning on the roof around every skylight. The skylight itself comes down to how you want to use the light and air.

• Fixed skylights: sealed units that let in light but do not open
• Vented skylights: open to let hot, damp air escape, useful in kitchens and bathrooms
• Tubular skylights: a small dome on the roof and a reflective tube that brings light into hallways, closets and small rooms
• Deck-mounted units: sit low on the roof deck with a fitted flashing kit
• Curb-mounted units: sit on a raised frame, common on low-slope roofs and older installs
• Low-E and laminated glass: cut heat gain and hold together if the glass is struck

In south Louisiana, the sun is the reason to add a skylight and the reason to choose it carefully. Low-E glass and thoughtful placement keep a skylight from turning a room into a hothouse in July. A slope that faces north brings in steady, softer light with less heat.

Afternoon thunderstorms and hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, test the flashing more than the glass. Wind pushes rain up and around the frame, which is why the flashing has to be lapped in with the shingles above and below, not sealed with caulk alone.

Live oaks and pines create one more problem. Leaves and needles collect on the uphill side of a skylight and form a dam that holds water against the frame. Keeping that area clear, and placing the skylight away from heavy debris paths where possible, helps it stay dry. In humid weather a vented skylight also lets moist air out of kitchens and bathrooms.