Skylights leak atthe flashing, not the glass

Nine times out of ten it is not the glass. The usual faults are a flashing lap that runs the wrong way or is too short for wind-driven rain, a roofing membrane that was never turned properly up the curb face, a curb sitting too low above the roof surface, or a perimeter glazing seal that has hardened and split. Water then tracks along the framing before it shows on a ceiling, which is why the wet patch is rarely under the fault. Inspecting from the roof and from inside at the same time is what separates the four.

No. Overhead glass sits above people, and a crack in it is a fracture waiting to propagate under thermal stress, snow load or wind pressure. Adhesives and films do not restore the strength of a cracked pane, they just hide it. We replace the glazing with a compliant sloped-glazing unit and keep your existing frame, curb and flashing where they are sound.

Because of what happens when it breaks. Sloped and overhead glazing rules — IBC 2405 and IRC R308.6.2 for dwellings — call for the inboard lite of a multiple-layer unit to be laminated, so a fracture is held on the interlayer rather than dropping into the room below. The outboard lite is normally fully tempered to take hail and debris. Between them the unit fails safely from either direction.

Yes, with the fall protection, anchorage and staging the pitch and height call for, plus roof protection so we do not damage the covering getting to the opening. Houses, multi-storey buildings and commercial roofs are all routine for us.

Almost always, and it is the moment to do it. A modern replacement can carry a Low-E coating on surface two, an argon fill and a warm-edge spacer, on top of the laminated inboard lite the code requires. Overhead glazing sees far more solar load than a wall window, so the coating specification matters more here than anywhere else in the house.

Most glass replacements are a single visit of two to four hours depending on roof access and how much flashing work comes with it. Custom units take three to five business days to fabricate after measurement. For an active leak we can weatherproof the opening the same day and come back with the glass.

If several went in at the same time and more than one is showing seal failure or flashing wear, doing them together means one set-up on the roof, one measure and one visit. If only one has failed and the others are sound, there is no reason to disturb them. We tell you the condition of each and let you decide.

Both, though repair and glass replacement is the bulk of what we do. A new opening means cutting the deck, framing and heading off the structure, building a curb to the right height, flashing it into the roof covering and finishing the light well inside — so it is coordinated with your roofer and whoever is doing the interior work rather than done in isolation.