Skylights and rooflights for brick terraces and post-war semis in Hemsworth and the old coalfield villages

Why a hip changes things

A hipped roof slopes on three or four sides, and the roof slope above a semi's landing is often a hip or a short run beside one. A roof window needs clear covering above, below and on both sides, so it needs a slope of a certain length. We measure what is available before choosing a size.

Tile and its flashing

Concrete tiles lie in overlapping courses, each with a profile that the flashing kit has to match. The kit sits under the tiles at the top and sides and over them at the bottom. A roof window frame is fixed between the rafters, and the tiles are cut and relaid to the frame so rain is carried over it. VELUX flashings for slate and tile explains the kits.

The light well in a low loft

Between the frame and the landing ceiling lies the loft. In a semi that gap can be short, and a short well delivers light more strongly than a tall one. The sides are plastered and painted white, and the bottom edge is shaped to spread the light along the landing and down the stair.

Permission in a semi

Houses usually fall under permitted development for a rooflight, and our planning guide gives the conditions. For a listed house or one in a conservation area, ask Wakefield Council.

When the hip is too short

Some Hemsworth semis are hipped, and in a pair the two halves may be mirror images, which means a neighbour's roof sits a few feet away. The frame is placed away from the party line, and the working is planned so nothing is stored on the neighbour's side.

When there is not room for a roof window, a sun tunnel may do the job. It needs only a small patch of roof and passes between the rafters, so a landing under a short hip can still be lit. We say which suits the roof once we have looked at it.

Roof windows as an escape

Approved Document B lets a roof window act as the escape window for a room above a bungalow's ground floor, as long as the room stays within the reach of the ground that the document allows. The document sets the minimum opening size, and the window has to open far enough to climb through. That favours a window that opens wide, and a top-hung or centre-pivot window can each be chosen to suit.

Light for the room

A bungalow roof room usually has a gable window, and the middle of the room is dim. A pair of roof windows, one on each slope, lights the middle and gives a cross-flow of air. They are sized to the rafters, and a bed is placed where the glass will not be in your eyes.

Floor and stair

Turning a loft into a room is not only a window job. The floor has to carry people and furniture, the stair needs a route up through the ceiling, and the work is structural. The window side is covered under roof window installation, and the rest is for a builder to design with the structure in mind.

Insulation and heat

A roof room is the part of the house nearest the weather, and a window there adds a pane of glass to a thin ceiling. Glazing with a coated pane keeps the warmth in on a cold night. In summer, the sun on a slope heats the room, and a blind or a solar-control pane helps. The guide to summer heat under a rooflight goes through it.

Windows that open

Some owners want the roof room to have fresh air as well as light. A roof window opens by a handle at the top or bottom of the sash, and the choice between top-hung and centre-pivot depends on whether furniture sits under it. Either type can be fitted with a blind in the same colour as the frame.

Making good

Each reveal is plastered and finished as described in the written quote, which names the windows and their sizes. A bungalow roof room has little space for dust to settle, so the floor is covered and the room is cleaned out before we leave.

Cutting into the deck

A flat roof is built from joists and a deck, and the opening is framed so the cut joists are carried on trimmers. The kerb is timber, built up from the deck to a height that allows the covering to rise clear of any standing water. Where a roof falls to one side, the kerb is levelled so the rooflight sits square.

What the covering is made of

A felt roof is covered in layers that are bonded to each other and turned up the kerb. An EPDM rubber roof is a single sheet wrapped up the same way. A GRP fibreglass roof is laid up in resin and glass. The covering sets the detail, and the rooflight maker's skirt is dressed over it.

Choosing the rooflight

A fixed rooflight gives light only. An opening one gives ventilation as well, and on a switch it can be worked from the floor. The steps are laid out in fitting a rooflight to a roof that is already built.

Glass for a kitchen

A kitchen is warm and damp, so glass that stays warm on its inner face resists condensation. A coated pane set in a frame that has a break in its metal is a good match. A solar-control pane can take the edge off a hot afternoon.

Where the light falls

The sky over a flat roof is wide open, so a rooflight there collects strong daylight for its size. A modest unit above the worktop can light the whole room, and a second over the dining end covers the far wall. The position is set from a plan of the kitchen, drawn on site.

Keeping it working

A flat roof needs the occasional look. Leaves and dirt settle against the kerb, and a clear drain keeps water moving away. Flat rooflight maintenance lists what to look at.

Where the old felt is worn out, the best moment for a rooflight is when the roof is re-covered, because the new covering can be laid straight up the kerb. Tell us if a re-roof is planned.