Skylight Installation & Replacement in New Jersey
Bring daylight in without bringing water in. We install new skylights and replace aging ones — unit and flashing as a system, so the leak actually stops.
Skylights Done Right: Unit + Flashing as a System
Here's the open secret of the skylight business: most skylight leaks aren't the skylight. They're the 20- or 25-year-old flashing around it — step flashing that was installed wrong the first time, counter-flashing that pulled away, or the all-too-common bead of tar that somebody smeared around the curb and called waterproofing. The glass is fine. The frame is fine. The water is coming in around the edges because the flashing failed years ago. We lead with this because it changes what you should buy: a skylight project is a flashing project that happens to include a skylight, and any contractor who quotes you a new unit without talking about the flashing kit is planning your next leak.
That said, there are plenty of times the unit itself is the problem. Double-pane seals fail — you'll see fogging or condensation between the panes that never clears. Old acrylic dome skylights yellow, craze, and crack under NJ's UV and freeze-thaw cycles. Frames corrode. And the curb-mounted boxes from the 80s and 90s were often built from untreated lumber that's now soft. When we inspect a leaking skylight, we assess the unit and the flashing independently and tell you which one actually needs money.
Replacement vs. new installation
Replacing an existing skylight is straightforward: we remove the old unit, inspect and rebuild the curb if needed, install the new skylight with its factory flashing kit woven into the surrounding shingles, and integrate it with the existing roof. Typical cost: $1,000–$2,500 installed, depending on size and whether the curb needs rebuilding. Fixed units run less; vented (opening) units run more.
Cutting a new skylight into an existing roof is a bigger job: framing the opening between rafters, building the curb, roofing integration, and interior drywall and trim finishing. Typical cost: $2,000–$4,500+. The interior finish work is what surprises people — the roof side is half the project. And the absolute cheapest time to add or replace skylights is during a full roof replacement: the shingles are already off, the flashing labor overlaps, and you get a 25-year roof around a new skylight instead of a new roof around a dying one.
Choosing the right skylight for a NJ home
For pitched asphalt-shingle roofs — most of North Jersey — a deck-mounted unit with the manufacturer's step-flashing kit is the standard, and it works when it's installed by someone who actually follows the flashing sequence. For flat and low-slope roofs, you want a curb-mounted unit on a tall, properly flashed curb; low-profile units on flat roofs are leak invitations. Glass matters too: modern low-E, argon-filled double-pane units cut the heat gain that made old skylights into summer saunas, which matters in a NJ July. In bathrooms and kitchens, a vented unit that opens gives you real moisture ventilation — often better than the exhaust fan that's been undersized since 1987.
Placement is the other half of the decision. South-facing skylights deliver the most light and the most heat — great in a dark north-side room, punishing in a bedroom in August. We talk through orientation honestly rather than just cutting where you point, because a skylight you end up shading closed all summer was the wrong skylight.
- Free inspection: we assess the unit and the flashing separately
- Factory flashing kits installed to spec — never tarred
- Curb rebuilds when the old wood is soft or out of square
- Flat-roof skylights on tall, properly flashed curbs
- Bundled pricing when done with a full roof replacement
When to Call Us About a Skylight
- Water stains around the skylight shaft — flashing failure until proven otherwise; we trace it before quoting
- Fogging between the panes — the seal has failed; the unit needs replacing even if the flashing is fine
- You're re-roofing — the cheapest possible time to replace aging skylights (roof replacement costs →)
- You want daylight in a dark room — new installations with proper framing, flashing, and interior finish
- Old acrylic dome is yellowed or cracked — upgrade to modern low-E glass
Skylight Leaking — or Ready for Daylight?
We'll inspect the unit and the flashing, tell you which one actually needs work, and quote it itemized. Free inspections, no pressure.
(973) 653-8456Tap to call nowSkylight FAQs
How much does skylight installation cost in NJ?
Replacing an existing skylight typically runs $1,000–$2,500 installed including new flashing; cutting a brand-new skylight into an existing roof runs $2,000–$4,500+ because it involves framing, roofing integration, and interior finishing. Fixed skylights cost less than vented (opening) models. Doing skylights during a full roof replacement is the cheapest timing — the roof is already open.
My skylight leaks. Do I need a whole new skylight?
Usually not the glass — usually the flashing. If the skylight unit itself is sound (no fogging between panes, frame intact), re-flashing with a proper step-flashing kit often solves it for far less than replacement. But if the unit is 20+ years old with failing seals, replacing the unit and flashing together is the smarter money — you don't want to pay for flashing labor twice.
What's the difference between curb-mounted and deck-mounted skylights?
Curb-mounted skylights sit on a raised wood curb you build on the roof — common on older installs and flat roofs, and they shed water well when flashed right. Deck-mounted (curb-free) skylights sit flush on the roof deck with a factory flashing kit — cleaner look, standard on modern pitched-roof installs. We match the type to your roof rather than forcing one system.
Fixed vs. vented skylight — which should I choose?
Fixed skylights are cheaper, simpler, and can't leak through an opening mechanism — the right call for most living spaces. Vented (manual or electric opening) skylights add real ventilation to kitchens and bathrooms, which matters in NJ's humid summers, but they cost more and have more parts that can eventually fail. For a bathroom without a good exhaust fan, vented is often worth it.
Can you install a skylight on a flat roof?
Yes — with a curb-mounted unit on a properly built and flashed curb, or a specialized flat-roof skylight with a tall curb. The detailing is different from pitched roofs and it's where cheap installs fail, so this is not a handyman job. More on flat roofing →
Is it better to replace skylights during a roof replacement?
Almost always yes. The shingles around the skylight are already off, the flashing has to be redone anyway, and you avoid paying for the same labor twice. Putting a 25-year roof around a 25-year-old skylight just schedules your next leak. We bundle skylight replacement into re-roof quotes whenever the units are aging.