Wombwell skylights and rooflights for brick terraces, estate semis and converted lofts
28.3 road miles south of Leeds city centre
Skylight installation in Wombwell starts at the stairhead of a brick terrace or estate semi, where a roof window reaches the part of the house the front and back windows miss.
Where a Wombwell brick house runs out of window
Brick terraces and estate semis are built plain and deep, and the floor plan leaves the same few spots without any glass of their own.
StairheadAt the top of the stairs a small landing sits between closed bedroom doors with no opening above.
Pantry endA galley kitchen with a pantry beyond it leaves the far end of the room windowless.
Converted loftA loft room made from a roof space often has one gable window and a long sloping ceiling.
Units that suit Wombwell's slate and tile roofs
Each is chosen from the room outwards, then checked against the covering, the pitch and the rafter spacing overhead.
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Roof Windows
A window above the stairhead or in a loft room, sized to sit between the rafters that are already there.
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VELUX Windows
VELUX and other makes, ordered by size code so the replacement matches the opening you have.
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Sun Tunnels
A dome and tube for a landing or bathroom beneath a shallow loft where a full window will not fit.
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Flat Roof Rooflights
A flat unit over a utility room or kitchen at the back, set on a kerb in the roof covering.
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Energy Efficient Rooflights
Better glazing for a converted loft, where the room is heated and the glass is the weakest part of the roof.
Wombwell questions on light wells and loft conversions
Each follows a job from a Wombwell house, from a landing ceiling to a loft being turned into a room.
How does a roof window light a Wombwell landing when the ceiling sits below the rafters?
In a typical Wombwell terrace or estate semi the landing ceiling is flat, and the roof slopes above it, with a loft space in between. A roof window in the slope cannot simply be seen from the landing; the daylight has to travel down through the loft. Skylight installation in Wombwell for a landing therefore means building a small shaft from the window to the ceiling.
That shaft is the light well, and its shape governs how much daylight reaches the landing. The light wells and reveals page covers the design in detail.
What a light well is made of
The well is a lightweight timber frame running from the edge of the window opening to the edge of the ceiling opening. Its sides are boarded, insulated and plastered, so the well is warm and clean. The insulation matters, because a cold shaft through a loft would cause condensation on the lining.
Straight or splayed
A well with vertical sides is simple, yet it gives a narrow beam. A splayed well opens out towards the ceiling, so the daylight fans across a wider patch of the landing. In a small landing, the angle of the splay changes the effect more than the size of the window does.
Where the roof is steep and the loft shallow
If the loft is shallow, the shaft is short and the window sits close to the ceiling. If it is deep, the shaft runs further and the sides need more length of lining. Where the shaft would swallow the loft, a sun tunnel may be the better choice, and we compare both for your loft.
What the landing gets
With a splayed well the daylight washes the landing walls and spills down the stairs. Pale paint on the lining and the ceiling helps it travel, and the doors to the bedrooms can be left open in the day so some of that light reaches them too. Without a rooflight, a top-floor landing like this gets very little daylight.
Closing up
Then the unit is glazed and weathered, the well is lined. The stairs are sheeted for the whole flight, because the dust from the ceiling cut falls straight down them.
- Myth: A roof window over a landing needs a loft conversion.
- Fact: A light well and a window can serve a landing under an ordinary loft, with the roof space left unconverted.
- Myth: A bigger window always lights a landing better.
- Fact: The shape of the well and the angle of its sides often matter more than the width of the glass.
How do I find out which size of roof window will fit my Wombwell roof?
Anyone searching for a roof window comes across codes such as MK04 or SK06 early on. They look like a puzzle, though the system is simple. Read left to right, a letter names the width band and the two digits name the height band, so MK04 pairs an M width with a 04 height. We do not quote centimetres from the code, because each maker states its own sizes and the numbers change between ranges.
Replacing a window already in the roof
An existing frame often carries a label on the inside edge, sometimes behind the lining. That gives the code, and a like-for-like replacement slots into the same gap with its flashing. Where the label is gone, we measure the opening from the roof and the loft and work backwards.
A new window in a new place
Where no window exists, the choice of size starts with the rafters. Rafters in a Wombwell roof sit at regular intervals, and a window that fits between two needs no more than a pair of trimmers. A wider unit means cutting into a rafter, and that changes the roof structure, so it is handled as structural work.
Why a bigger window is not always better
More glass admits more light, and more heat leaves through it on a winter night. The glazing specification therefore counts for as much as the size. Our VELUX window page compares the families by their codes and sizes.
What the room needs
The room under the window sets the size more than the catalogue does. A landing wants a narrow shaft with a wide splay. A loft bedroom wants glass at a height where a person can open it. A study wants even light on a desk, away from the screen. Once the room has been thought through, the code follows.
Pitch and the kit
Every window has a range of roof pitches it suits, and the flashing kit has its own range. Slate and tile each need their own kit as well. The pitch is measured at the roof before an order is placed.
Reading a VELUX size code
| Part of the code | What it gives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The letter | The width of the unit | M in MK04 |
| The digits | The height of the unit | 04 in MK04 |
| The two together | The size name used to order | MK04 |
We are converting the loft of our two-storey Wombwell house. Can a roof window serve as the fire escape?
A loft conversion turns spare roof space into a bedroom or study. The conversion adds a storey, and a new storey carries rules about getting out in a fire. Approved Document B is the part of the Building Regulations that deals with it.
People often assume the roof window doubles as a fire exit. That holds for a bungalow or chalet bungalow, where the room in the roof is close enough to the ground. It does not hold for a two-storey house, because a window high up in the roof is too far from the ground for anyone to use safely.
What the stair has to do
The route from the new loft room down to the front door has to be protected. The regulations assess the stair, the doors off it and the way down to the final exit. This is a question for the design of the conversion, long before any window is chosen, and your builder or designer will deal with it.
What the roof window is for
The roof window lights the new room and lets stale air out, and an opening model suits a bedroom. The size of the window comes from the room, the roof and the rafters, with the glass chosen for a room that will be heated.
Planning for the work
A rooflight let into the back slope of a house is generally permitted development while it stays inside the limits, and the planning guide sets them out, while we notify Building Control as well. Questions about a particular house go to Barnsley Council, and so does any application for a flat.
The glass in a heated loft room
A converted loft is heated like the rest of the house, so the glass carries the same expectations as any wall window. A unit with several panes and a coated inner surface keeps the room comfortable on a cold morning, and our energy efficient rooflights page explains what each layer does.
Our part in a conversion
We fit the roof windows to a conversion your builder is running, and we work to the opening the plans show. A roof that has already been framed for the windows is straightforward to complete.
Fire safety words in a loft conversion
- Protected stair
- A stair enclosed in fire-resisting walls and doors that leads to a final exit.
- Escape window
- A window large enough to climb through, serving a storey close to the ground.
- Approved Document B
- The part of the Building Regulations that covers fire safety in buildings.
- Final exit
- The door at the end of an escape route that leads out to open air.
From Brampton to Cudworth around Wombwell
A ten-year guarantee covers our workmanship on each Wombwell installation, and we also work in Brampton, Darfield, Hoyland, Worsbrough, Birdwell and Cudworth. Ring 0113 436 0654 to talk it through.
Wombwell answers about attics and utility rooms
Can a rooflight go into the flat roof of a utility room?
Over a utility room or back kitchen a flat roof can carry a rooflight raised on a kerb, and that kerb is weathered in whatever the roof is covered with. A small fixed unit lights the room, while an opening one also helps with steam and laundry damp.
Does a loft room need an opening roof window?
An opening window lets stale air out and brings fresh air in, which suits a bedroom. A fixed rooflight lights the room but does not ventilate it. The Building Regulations have their own ventilation rules for habitable rooms, and the window is picked to satisfy them.
Will the old tiles around a new window be reusable?
Tiles lifted from the opening are kept and relaid up to the flashing, as long as they are sound. A cracked tile is swapped for one that matches, and the courses on either side are checked so they sit properly after the work.
Can I choose the finish of the lining inside the roof window?
The reveal is plastered and either painted or left ready for you to decorate, as agreed beforehand. White is the usual choice because it reflects the most light from the glass, and that helps a small landing.
How do I know if my rooflight is leaking or only misted?
A leak shows as a stain or drip around the frame in wet weather, while a misted unit has fog between the panes and stays dry. Wiping the glass tells you which it is: condensation on the room side clears, and fog inside the sealed gap does not. Brown marks on the lining after rain also point to the flashing. They have different causes, and the remedies differ too: a leak points to the flashing, and mist to a failed seal in the glass.
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