Guides
Rooflight and skylight guides
Our rooflight guides library: longer reads on planning, Building Regulations, sizes, glazing and choosing between products. Each guide sits under the service it relates to.
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Skylights in SwindonRooflight planning permission: what applies to youThe Class C permitted development limits for rooflights in plain words, the situations that remove them, and how to check your own address.
Skylights in SwindonBuilding Regulations for rooflights and roof windowsWhich rooflight and roof window work is notifiable in England, the Part L limits, structure and escape rules, and who signs the work off.
Skylights in SwindonReplacing a rooflight: what the job involvesThe written plan for replacing a rooflight or skylight: identifying the unit, whole unit or glass only, size, flashings, fitting day and notification.
Roof LanternsRoof lantern or flat rooflight: how to chooseA plain comparison of a roof lantern and a flat rooflight: room shape, daylight, heat, permission, structure and what drives the cost.
VELUX WindowsVELUX sizes and size codes explainedHow to read VELUX size codes as a width and height grid, with the sizes, room suggestions, rafter fit and older code equivalents.- Conservation RooflightsWhat makes a rooflight a conservation rooflightThe features councils usually expect from a conservation skylight: flush fit, slim dark frame, glazing bar, top-hung opening, ironmongery and flashing.
Planning, regulations and replacementRoof LanternsFlat Roof RooflightsRoof WindowsVELUX WindowsElectric & Opening RooflightsEnergy Efficient RooflightsMisted Rooflight ReplacementWalk-On RooflightsConservation RooflightsSun Tunnels
Planning, regulations and replacement 3
- Rooflight planning permission: what applies to youThe Class C permitted development limits for rooflights in plain words, the situations that remove them, and how to check your own address.
- Building Regulations for rooflights and roof windowsWhich rooflight and roof window work is notifiable in England, the Part L limits, structure and escape rules, and who signs the work off.
- Replacing a rooflight: what the job involvesThe written plan for replacing a rooflight or skylight: identifying the unit, whole unit or glass only, size, flashings, fitting day and notification.
Roof Lanterns 3
- Roof lantern or flat rooflight: how to chooseA plain comparison of a roof lantern and a flat rooflight: room shape, daylight, heat, permission, structure and what drives the cost.
- Roof lantern sizes: matching the lantern to the roomHow to size a roof lantern: usable roof area, room proportions, wall clearance, joist span, stock versus made-to-measure, and the internal opening on the job plan.
- Aluminium roof lanterns: frames, glass and finishAluminium roof lanterns compared with timber and uPVC: bar profiles, powder-coat colours inside and out, glass choices and the interior finish at the upstand.
Flat Roof Rooflights 3
- Frameless or framed flat rooflights: what to knowFrameless and framed flat rooflights compared: how each is built, how the edge is sealed, glass and thermal options, and which suits which type of roof.
- Flat rooflight upstands: height, fall and finishHow high a flat rooflight upstand should be, builder's kerb against integral upstand, insulation, falls and finishes, and how the job plan records them.
- Flat rooflight sizes and how to measureHow flat rooflight sizes are quoted, how to measure for a flat skylight, stock against made-to-measure units, and how the survey fixes the size.
Roof Windows 3
- Centre-pivot or top-hung: choosing a roof windowCentre-pivot, top-hung, fixed and combination roof windows compared by handle height, cleaning, pitch and room type, with the survey checks that settle the choice.
- Roof windows for a loft conversion: what to planHow to plan roof windows into a loft: count, position, rafter trimming, escape rules, Part L, front slope permission and ordering against the build.
- Roof window or dormer: which suits your loft?Headroom, disruption, permission and the job involved: how to decide between roof windows and a dormer for a loft.
VELUX Windows 3
- VELUX sizes and size codes explainedHow to read VELUX size codes as a width and height grid, with the sizes, room suggestions, rafter fit and older code equivalents.
- Replacing a VELUX: like-for-like or a new sizeHow replacing a VELUX works: reading the plate, like-for-like swaps, changing size, new flashings, timings and the Building Control position.
- VELUX flashings: matching the kit to your roofA plain guide to VELUX flashing kits: EDW and EDL, tiles versus slate, recessed fitting, paired units and replacement.
Electric & Opening Rooflights 3
- Electric, solar or manual: how should it open?Manual, mains electric or solar opening compared: reach, wiring, flat and pitched roofs, and what each choice means on fitting day.
- Rain sensors and controls for opening rooflightsHow a rain sensor closes an electric rooflight, where it sits, and how switches, remotes, timers and phone controls fit around it.
- Access hatch rooflights for reaching a flat roofHinged and sliding access rooflights for reaching a flat roof or terrace: clearances, the way up, powered or manual opening, upstands and regulations.
Energy Efficient Rooflights 3
- Rooflight U-values explained: Uw, Ug and Part LWhat Uw and Ug mean, the Part L 2021 limits for roof windows and rooflights, and how to compare two quotes on the same footing.
- Double or triple glazed rooflights: which to chooseWhat a third pane changes in a rooflight, which rooms and slopes justify it, and when double glazing is the sensible specification.
- Solar control and self-cleaning rooflight glassHow solar control, tinted, self-cleaning and laminated rooflight glass differ, what each costs in light, and which slopes and rooms they suit.
Misted Rooflight Replacement 3
- Misted rooflight: new glass or a whole new unit?How to choose between a new sealed glass unit and a whole new rooflight, covering frame condition, notification, glass specification and lead times.
- Why rooflight glass mists between the panesWhy a misted skylight cannot be wiped clear, what a failed sealed unit loses, how to tell the fault, and the replacement routes.
- Cracked rooflight glass: replacement optionsWhy rooflight glass cracks, how toughened and laminated panes behave, what to specify for a replacement and how the swap is planned.
Walk-On Rooflights 3
- Walk-on rooflight load ratings explainedWalk-on rooflight load ratings in plain words: spread and point loads, commonly quoted domestic figures, glass build-up, support and the engineer's check.
- Rooflights in a roof terrace or balcony floorWhere a skylight in a roof terrace can go, how drainage, falls, kerbs and privacy work, and which permission points to check first.
- Anti-slip and obscured finishes for walk-on glassThe anti-slip, obscured and frame finishes available for walk-on glass, and how each one changes grip, privacy, light and cleaning.
Conservation Rooflights 3
- What makes a rooflight a conservation rooflightThe features councils usually expect from a conservation skylight: flush fit, slim dark frame, glazing bar, top-hung opening, ironmongery and flashing.
- Rooflights on listed buildings: consent and designHow listed building consent works for a new rooflight, what to prepare, how size and position are judged, and the steps to take before ordering.
- Conservation rooflight or a standard roof window?A plain comparison of conservation rooflights and standard roof windows: profile, frame, glazing bar, thermal figures, and the council check for your address.
Sun Tunnels 3
- Sun tunnel or rooflight: which suits the room?How to choose between a sun tunnel and a rooflight by room type, roof space, view and ventilation, with light output given as manufacturer guidance only.
- Rigid or flexible sun tunnels: choosing the tubeHow rigid and flexible tubes compare, which diameter suits which room, what bends do to the light, and how the route is planned.
- Sun tunnels on flat and pitched roofsHow sun tunnels are flashed into tile, slate and flat roofs, which top to choose, and what permission and Building Regulations say.
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