There’s nothing like the feeling of waking up to the sunlight hitting you from above. But since camping isn’t for everyone (and since winter camping shouldn’t really be for anyone), the modern skylight window is a pretty great source of natural light.
When it comes to roofing work, thoughtful homeowners often ask us about their skylights. Do roofers work around them? Is it safe to replace shingling near a roof skylight? Will my bill be affected by having one or more? These are all great questions and given the rising popularity of this home feature, we imagine there are a lot of folks who need to know what they should expect from a roofing company.
So if you’re planning to have a crew on your roof soon, you might be wondering about this for your own home’s safety. Here are three easy questions you can ask your roofing crew about when the time comes.
What should the roofing crew you hire do when working around your skylight window? There are three essential ticks on the checklist. It is generally the responsibility of a roofing company to ensure the following things: 1. Skylight flashing is correctly installed. 2. Glass is still adequately sealed. 3. Skylight itself has been replaced (In the event of a new roof, this is usually necessary).
3 Safety Checks For Modern Skylight Windows
As a roofing company, we get asked about skylights quite a bit. And for good reason! Folks should want to make sure their “window to the gods” doesn’t come crashing in on them after we leave! So here are the skylight checklist items that a good roofing crew should take care of while they’re up there on your roof.
And you should definitely feel free to ask anyone doing work for you how they deal with skylight windows. It’s no less important than asking about the shingles they’ll be using or their roofing safety equipment they’ll use to keep your property pet-friendly and safe during the project. And beware if their answer doesn’t meet this basic standard!
Flashing
Skylight window flashing is a very important part of the equation, but what is it? Your flashing is “the first layer of defense against rain and wind.” It is a metal material between your roof and skylight window that attaches the frame to the larger roof surface. If you’ve ever had your skylight leak on you, it’s probably because your flashing wasn’t properly installed, got damaged, or is very old. While this is a common reason for leaks in skylight windows, it’s not the only one.
Glass Sealing
The glass sealing itself can also cause your skylight window to leak. Glass seal leaks are less common in modern skylight windows, but they do happen. If you notice condensation forming between the glass layers of your skylight, this may be a sign of a broken glass seal. This seal is very much like what you see with the windows on your home. The only major difference? Gravity.
Skylight Replacement
Replacing a modern skylight window isn’t absolutely necessary every single time a roofer works on your home, but it often is. Generally speaking, if your entire roof is being replaced, you should be getting new skylights too. But if the skylights are pretty new and in good shape, you may be able to get away with checking the flashing and making sure the glass is correctly sealed and without cracks.
The Bottom Line
Whether you need roofing work done because of hail damage or you’re upgrading to a new metal roof, sometimes roofing work is unavoidable. If you have modern skylight windows, make sure your roofers are checking them! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at GPro Exteriors if you ever have any further questions about skylights or roofing.
Back to all posts