How To Install A Skylight - Installation Tips

The first thing you need to do to prepare for your residential skylights is to acquire all the tools and supplies you need for installing replacement windows. You will need to get up on the roof, cut through it, frame the skylight and rebuild the roof around it, so you will need instruments like a level, a drill, a caulking gun, various saws and a chalk line, among other things.

As for the materials you need, you will of course need the skylight, roof flashing, roof material, framing lumber, a wall board, framing hangers and sheathing material. Ideally, an acrylic skylight is the best option to go with. All of these items will enable you to build the roof up around the skylight and secure the frame so as to avoid water leaks or damage.

How to Install

When you are ready with the proper supplies to install a skylight, you first need to determine where you will place the opening. Try to make sure the area you want to cut in the roof doesn't have an attic between it and the room, otherwise you will need to cut 2 openings, 1 in the roof and 1 in the ceiling leading to the attic.

1. Mark the corners and the center point of the acrylic skylight space with chalk and hammer long nails into the 5 points. You should be able to see them from the other side to determine if any beam is in their way.

2. Make sure there is no wiring, pipes or insulation obstructing the path on the inside.

3. You will need a box frame or curb around the opening before you cut through the roof, unless the acrylic skylight you bought already has an integral curb. This is where you need to know how to frame a window.

4. You will need to check the manufacturer's instructions to determine how much roofing material and flashing you will need to remove to make sure the water runs off properly.

5. Place your curb over the 4 nails you previously hammered in.

6. Make a chalk perimeter line around the curb and use a circular saw to cut through the roofing materials.

7. You will then need to pry out the roof felt and expose the sheathing, and you may want to consider replacing obstructing rafters with double headers.

8. You need to then determine the type of flashing you need, from step flashing to apron flashing, install it and secure the glass skylight in place. You may need to build a frame beforehand if the cut space is larger than the glass.

9. Cutting the hole in the ceiling will be the last step which should be fairly easy because it was previously marked.

The complexities between each step and all the exact measurements to be taken make this job very challenging, so getting professional builders might be the best thing to do. If you compare to glass block installation, this is much more demanding.

You can then benefit from a starry sky at night and bright sun in the day, and you can add your own accessories like skylight shades or blinds to conserve energy. Consider the difficult of the job before planning on how to install a skylight because you don't want to get stuck halfway on your own.

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