Fixed skylights
A sealed unit that does not open. It has no moving parts to fail and is the simplest to flash. It brings in light but not air, and a leak in one is almost always the flashing or the curb.
Serving Forsyth County
Skylight Repair and Installation in Winston-Salem
Skylight leaks are mostly flashing and curb failures; a new opening is a structural change that needs a permit with plans.
- Roof repair and full replacement
- Storm wind, leaks and fallen limbs
- Connected to an independent local roofer
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Skylights
Skylight Repair and Installation: what it covers
Quick answer
Most skylight leaks come from failed flashing, a worn curb or a cracked seal around the glass, not from the glass itself. A new skylight cuts through the roof structure, and in Winston-Salem structural roof changes need engineered plans and a permit. Winston-Salem Roofing connects you with an independent local roofer serving Forsyth County.
A skylight is a hole in the roof with a window in it. Everything that keeps water out of that hole is a detail: the curb that raises the frame above the roof surface, the flashing that steps up and over it, the seal around the glass and the way the shingles are worked in around all of it. When a skylight leaks, the glass is rarely the part that has failed.
That is useful to know before anyone replaces a whole unit. A roofer who reads the leak properly may find a flashing corner that has opened, a curb whose shingles were lapped the wrong way, or condensation that looks like a leak. Replacing a sound skylight to cure a flashing failure is an expensive way to leave the leak where it was.
Installing a new skylight is another matter, because it means cutting a hole through the roof deck and often a rafter. Winston-Salem Roofing is a call line, not a roofer: say whether you have a leak or a plan, and you are connected with an independent local roofing contractor who serves your town.
- Service area
- Winston-Salem & Forsyth County
- Availability
- Call to reach a local roofer
- Phone
- (833) 751-2102
Warning signs
Signs you need skylight repair and installation
Do not stand on or lean against a skylight, and do not climb onto a wet roof to look at one. Glass and plastic domes break under weight and a fall through one is a serious injury. If water is dripping in, put a bucket under it and call.
- A ceiling stain or drip around the light well after rain
- Staining that follows the edge of the skylight frame on the inside
- Water that appears only in heavy, wind-driven rain
- Rust or lifted metal at the corners of the flashing on the roof
- A cracked or hazy seal, or moisture between the panes of glass
- Drips on cold mornings with no rain, which can be condensation instead of a leak
- Shingles around the skylight that have curled, cracked or slipped
Cost
How much does skylight repair and installation cost in Winston-Salem?
No sourced price for skylight repair or installation in Winston-Salem was found, so no dollar figure is printed. The permit side has a published estimate.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Re-flashing or resealing an existing skylight | Quoted on site | Depends on the size of the unit, the roof pitch and the shingle around it |
| Replacing a failed unit or rotted curb | Set by unit and roof | Unit type, size and the condition of the framing under it |
| New opening in a roof, including framing | Quoted on site | Cutting the deck, framing a header and finishing the light well inside |
| Permit and engineered plans for a structural roof change | Estimate: $225 to $900 | Permit-guide estimate for Winston-Salem, about two weeks; the permit office sets the real figure |
These are estimates and drivers, not quotes. The contractor you reach sets the price, and it is confirmed on site before any work starts.
Options
Types and options for skylight repair and installation
Venting skylights
A unit that opens, by hand or by motor, to let warm air out. It adds a gasket and a hinge, which are extra places for water to enter. Roofers often find the failed gasket or latch before they find a roof problem.
Tubular skylights
A small domed collar on the roof with a reflective tube down to a ceiling diffuser. The opening is much smaller than a conventional skylight, so the structural change is smaller, and the flashing collar is the part to watch.
Skip the guesswork. Call for a straight answer.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what skylight repair and installation should cost.
Why does my skylight leak when the glass looks fine?
Because the water is usually getting in around the glass, not through it. Flashing corners open, sealant ages, and shingles lapped around the curb shift. Water then runs down the frame into the light well. Condensation and a failed glazing seal are two other sources that mimic a roof leak.
Think of the skylight as a small roof inside the roof. Water arriving at its upper edge has to be pushed around the sides, and it only works if the metal at the top overlaps the metal at the sides in the right order. A skylight put in with the overlaps reversed can leak from the first storm, and one flashed correctly can still leak when the sealant at a corner ages.
Rain here averages about 2.6 to 3.4 inches a month, and July has the most wet days, so a weak corner is tested often. The roof leak repair page describes how a roofer traces a stain back across the roof, which is the same method used on a skylight.
Does a new skylight need a permit in Winston-Salem?
Yes: a new skylight is a structural roof change. Structural changes such as dormers, pitch changes and skylights need engineered plans in Winston-Salem, with a permit-guide estimate of $225 to $900 and about two weeks. Re-roofing alone needs a permit too. Confirm the real fee and timing with the permit office.
The figures here come from a permit-guide estimate, not from the city's fee schedule, so treat them as an order of magnitude. The Forsyth County Inspections Division is at 100 E. First Street, Suite 328, and it is the office to ask. The roofer can tell you who normally applies, and whether the plans come from an engineer or a design professional.
Outside the city, which department issues the permit depends on whether the address is in a town or in the unincorporated county, so check with the local inspections office before work starts. In Winston-Salem's historic districts there is a second step: roof replacements in West End, Old Salem and the West End Historic Overlay District go through the Historic Resources Commission, so ask the commission's staff before you order a unit whether a new roof opening is reviewed at your address. The historic district roofing page explains the process.
Is it a leak or is it condensation?
Condensation forms on glass or framing when warm, moist indoor air meets a cold surface, and it shows up on cold mornings with no rain. A leak shows up during or after rain and leaves stains that spread. Moisture between the panes of a double-glazed unit means the seal has failed.
In a humid climate the difference is easy to miss. July is the muggiest month here, with an average high of 87 F, and winter brings a snowy period from about November 29 to March 16. A skylight sees both: cold glass in winter, and humid air inside a house with the air conditioning running in summer.
A roofer reading a drip looks for the pattern. If it follows rain, the flashing is suspect. If it follows temperature and is worst in the morning, ventilation or humidity is more likely, and the attic ventilation page covers that side. If the drip is between the panes of glass, the roof is not the problem at all and the unit needs repair or replacement.
Our process
How our skylight repair and installation visit works
Look at the light well and the attic
The roofer starts inside, looking at where the water shows and at the framing in the attic. A stain on one side of the light well often points to flashing on that side.
Check the flashing and the curb from the roof
Step flashing along the sides, head flashing at the top and sill flashing at the bottom each have their own failure. Corners, sealant joints and the shingles lapped over the metal are checked in turn.
Rule out condensation and glass failure
Moisture between the panes means the glazing seal has failed, and water on the glass inside on a cold morning may be condensation. Neither is cured by new flashing.
Repair, re-flash or replace
A repair may be a resealed joint or a re-flashed side. If the unit itself has failed, or the curb is rotten, replacement becomes the sensible option, and the roofer explains why.
For a new skylight, plan the structure and the permit
A new opening interrupts rafters and needs a header. In Winston-Salem that is a structural roof change that needs engineered plans and a permit, and the roofer tells you who applies.
Forsyth County
Why skylight repair and installation is different in Piedmont Triad
The houses most likely to have a skylight in Winston-Salem are the ones with later alterations: a 1970s or 1980s house where an owner added a light to a dark hallway or kitchen, or an older house whose attic was finished. The city's median home was built in 1977, so a skylight installed in the 1980s is now a roof detail that has been through several decades of sun, rain and freeze-thaw winters.
Skylights also appear on bigger projects, such as a Buena Vista mansion with a complex roofline or a commercial building near Hanes Mall with a low-slope roof. A skylight on a low-slope roof is flashed differently from one on a shingle roof, and the flat and low-slope roofing page covers that difference.
Where we work
Skylight Repair and Installation across Forsyth County
- Skylights in Downtown & West End (Winston-Salem)
- Skylights in Ardmore & Hanes Mall area (Winston-Salem)
- Skylights in Buena Vista & Reynolda (Winston-Salem)
- Skylights in North Winston-Salem
- Skylights in Southeast Winston-Salem
- Skylights in Northwest Winston-Salem (Reynolda Road corridor)
- Skylights in Walkertown
- Skylights in Bethania
- Skylights in Wallburg
- Skylights in Pfafftown
- Skylights in Kernersville
- Skylights in Rural Hall
- Skylights in Clemmons
- Skylights in Lewisville
- Skylights in Germanton
- Skylights in Belews Creek
- Skylights in Tobaccoville
- Skylights in Advance
- Skylights in King
- Skylights in Welcome
- Skylights in Colfax
- Skylights in High Point (northwest edge)
- Skylights in Lexington
- Skylights in Oak Ridge
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Roof Leak Repair
Tracing and fixing roof leaks on Winston-Salem homes, from ceiling stains to flashing, vent pipes and worn shingles.
Roof Flashing Repair
Why leaks start at flashing on older Winston-Salem rooflines, and what repairing walls, valleys and vent boots involves.
Roof and Attic Ventilation
A roofer looks at intake and exhaust, insulation and moisture sources so the attic can move heat and humidity out.
Guides
Read before you book
FAQ
Skylight Repair and Installation FAQs
Can a leaking skylight be repaired without replacing it?
Often, if the unit and curb are sound. Re-flashing a corner, resealing a joint or fixing the shingles around it can stop the leak. If the glazing seal has failed or the curb has rotted, replacement makes more sense. A roofer should explain which applies and show you the cause.
Why does my skylight drip on cold mornings but not in the rain?
That pattern points to condensation, not a leak. Warm indoor air meets a cold surface and water forms. Better airflow or a change in indoor humidity may help more than sealant. A roofer or an installer can tell the two apart by looking at when and where it happens.
How long does it take to get a permit for a new skylight in Winston-Salem?
A permit-guide estimate puts a structural roof change at about two weeks, with plans required. That is an estimate from an aggregator, not a commitment from the city. Ask the permit office for the current timing, and expect the roofer to schedule work after approval.
Can I add a skylight to a historic house?
It may need approval before it can be built. Roof replacements in West End, Old Salem and the West End Historic Overlay District go through the Historic Resources Commission, and a new roof opening may be treated as a change to the exterior. Ask the commission's staff about your address first.
Is a tubular skylight easier to install than a regular one?
The opening is smaller, so the structural change is smaller, and the roofer often does not have to frame a large header. It is still a hole through the roof with a flashing collar, and it can still leak. Whether it needs a permit is a question for the permit office.
What should I do while a skylight leak waits for a roofer?
Put a bucket or towels under the drip, move furniture away and take photographs of the stain. If it is raining hard, a roofer may suggest a temporary cover. Do not go onto the roof yourself. Keep the photographs to show what you saw and when.