Veteran Discounts Available
Home
About us overviewOur TeamCommunity InvolvementCareersReviews
Services overviewRoof RepairRoof ReplacementRoof InspectionStorm DamageGuttersDecksProperty Management ServicesPaintingJunk RemovalEmergency Roof RepairDumpster RentalSoffit & FasciaCommercial RoofingMetal RoofingGutter CleaningSignage
Homeowners overviewRoof ColorsInsurance ClaimsFinancingWarrantyGuidesFAQ
Recent Projects
Areas We Serve overviewRaleighDurhamCaryClaytonKnightdaleGarnerApexWake ForestZebulonYoungsvilleLouisburgCreedmoorRocky MountGreensboroWinston-SalemLexingtonThomasvilleCharlotteAll areas we serve
Contact
Schedule Appointment Call (984) 224-7182
Guide

Skylight Types, and What Each One Costs Installed

Four options, cheapest first. The price spread is mostly the opening and the interior finish rather than the skylight itself, which is why a tubular unit costs a fifth of a fixed one.

The table

Four skylights, installed

Installed means the unit, the opening, the flashing and the interior finish, because that is what you actually pay.

TypeInstalled costBest for
Tubular skylight$500 to $1,000cheapest daylight, least risk
Fixed skylight$1,500 to $4,000most light per dollar
Vented skylight, manual$1,600 to $4,700best for a bathroom or kitchen
Vented skylight, solar or electric$4,250 to $7,250best to actually use once it is in

Cost ranges from HomeGuide's 2026 skylight installation data.

In detail

What each type gives you

The real decision is light only, or light plus ventilation, and then whether you will actually open a manual unit on a vaulted ceiling.

1. Tubular skylight, cheapest daylight, least risk

$500 to $1,000 installed including the opening, flashing and interior finish.

A reflective tube from a small dome on the roof down to a ceiling diffuser. It needs no framing, no drywall work and no structural change, which is why it costs a fraction of a real skylight and goes in during a single morning. For a hallway, a bathroom or an interior closet it is the right answer.

The catch. You get light and nothing else. No view, no ventilation, and the diffuser reads as a light fitting rather than a window.

2. Fixed skylight, most light per dollar

$1,500 to $4,000 installed including the opening, flashing and interior finish.

A sealed glass unit that does not open. Fewer moving parts means fewer things to fail, and with no operating hardware to pay for you get the largest glass area for the money. On a vaulted ceiling or a dark north-facing room this is what transforms the space.

The catch. It cannot vent heat, and a large fixed unit on a south or west slope will cook the room below in a Carolina August unless it is specified with the right glazing.

3. Vented skylight, manual, best for a bathroom or kitchen

$1,600 to $4,700 installed including the opening, flashing and interior finish.

Opens on a crank or pole, so it exhausts steam and hot air as well as letting light in. In a bathroom that is a genuine functional gain, because the moisture goes out through the roof instead of into the ceiling.

The catch. A crank on a vaulted ceiling is a pole you have to find every time, and an opening unit has gaskets and hardware, which are the parts that eventually need attention.

4. Vented skylight, solar or electric, best to actually use once it is in

$4,250 to $7,250 installed including the opening, flashing and interior finish.

The same unit with a motor, a rain sensor and a remote. The difference is not luxury, it is use: a manual skylight on a high ceiling gets opened twice a year, and a powered one gets used. Solar models need no wiring run to them.

The catch. The most expensive option here by some distance, and the electronics are a service item on a unit that is otherwise good for decades.

The reputation

Why skylights got the name for leaking

Skylights leak when they are flashed badly. That is almost the whole story, and it is why a product that works fine on millions of houses has the reputation it has.

The units we get called out to are nearly always one of two things. An old plastic dome whose seal has gone, or a unit bedded in roofing cement instead of the manufacturer's step flashing kit. Cement is a repair material, not a flashing method, and it fails on a predictable schedule.

Done properly, a skylight gets a flashing kit matched to the unit and the roof covering, with self-adhering leak barrier wrapped around the curb underneath it. There is no reason for it to leak for as long as the roof lasts.

The one piece of advice worth more than any of this: replace the skylight when you replace the roof. The flashing comes apart anyway, the crew is already there, and a twenty year old skylight under a new roof is the first thing that will fail.

Dormer and skylight detailing on a Raleigh roof
Questions

Skylight questions

How much does a skylight cost to install?

A tubular unit runs $500 to $1,000, a fixed skylight $1,500 to $4,000, a manual vented unit $1,600 to $4,700, and a solar or electric vented unit $4,250 to $7,250. The spread is mostly the interior work, not the skylight.

What type of skylight is best?

A fixed unit gives the most light per dollar and has the least to go wrong. A vented unit is worth the extra in a bathroom or kitchen where you want the moisture out. A tubular is the right answer for a hallway or any room with no vaulted ceiling to work with.

Do skylights always leak?

No. Old skylights leak and badly flashed skylights leak, which between them created the reputation. A current unit installed with the manufacturer's flashing kit and leak barrier around the curb does not, and the ones we are called out to are almost always units fitted with roofing cement instead of a kit.

Should I replace a skylight when I replace the roof?

Yes, nearly always. The flashing has to come apart to reroof around it anyway, the labor is already on site, and a twenty year old skylight under a new roof is the one thing on that roof guaranteed to fail first.

Curb-mount or deck-mount?

Deck-mount sits lower and looks cleaner on a shingle roof, and it is what we fit on most houses. Curb-mount sits on a built-up frame and is the right choice on a low slope or where an existing curb is already there.

Will a skylight make the room too hot?

It can, on a south or west slope. The fix is specification rather than shade: laminated low-E glazing cuts the heat gain substantially, and a vented unit lets what does build up escape. Ask for the solar heat gain number, not just the size.

How long do skylights last?

A good glass unit runs 20 to 30 years, and the seal around the glass usually goes before anything else. Plastic domes are shorter lived and cloud over. The flashing, done properly, lasts as long as the roof.

Keep reading

Related guides and calculators

Skylights are a flashing job. These cover the rest of that work.

Roof repair

Including skylight flashing that was never done properly.

Free on-site inspection

Get your skylight or roof assessed, free

We get on the roof, photograph what is actually there, and hand you a written report with a price. No charge, and no obligation to book the work with us. If the roof has years left in it, that is what the report will say.

  • Free inspection, no obligation to buy
  • Personalized written estimate
  • Financing and insurance claim support
  • Residential and commercial properties
Call (984) 224-7182

Give us a call or fill out our form today to schedule your free inspection!

Whether you need a roof replacement, roof repair, or annual inspection, we’ve got you covered.

(984) 224-7182 Schedule Appointment
Call Now Free Inspection