A skylight can transform a dark hallway, bathroom or kitchen. A house set into a south-facing slope can get little direct sun through its walls, and a villa with a long central hallway is often dim in the middle. Light from the roof changes that.
A skylight is also a hole in the roof, and in a city where rain often arrives sideways it has to be flashed properly. We install, replace and repair skylights and roof windows across the region, using manufacturer flashing kits matched to the roof profile. If you are planning a new roof, it is the best time to add or replace skylights, and our re-roofing page explains why.
Pricing: every roof gets a free on-site measure and an itemised written quote, with a fixed price agreed before any work starts.
When a skylight needs attention
Skylights tend to fail at the flashing, the seals or the glazing, and the signs are usually visible from inside.
- Drips or stains around the skylight shaft after rain
- Water running down the shaft in strong wind
- Condensation pooling on the frame or sill
- Fogged or cracked glazing
- Rusted or lifted flashings visible from outside
- A skylight that will not open or close properly
- Older plastic domes that have turned yellow or brittle
Types of skylight and roof window
The right product depends on the room, the roof pitch and whether you want ventilation as well as light. We talk through the options on site.
- Fixed skylights for light only
- Opening roof windows, manual or electric, for light and ventilation
- Sun tunnels for small or awkward spaces such as hallways and wardrobes
- Blinds and rain sensors for opening units
- Flashing kits for corrugate, trapezoidal and tile roofs
How It Works
Flashing skylights for wind-driven rain
Most skylight leaks come from the flashing, not the glass. A skylight interrupts the flow of water down the roof, so the flashing has to collect water on the uphill side and guide it around the unit. On a corrugated roof that means a kit designed for the profile, with the roofing sheets cut and turned correctly around it. Sealant-only installs and flashings cut from flat sheet tend to leak once the sealant ages.
Wind makes all of this harder. NIWA's records for Wellington Airport show gusts over 63 km/h on about 166 days a year, and Kelburn recorded 198 km/h in the Wahine storm in 1968. Wind can push rain uphill under a short flashing and into the gap around the frame. We use the manufacturer's flashing kit for your roof profile, fix it to suit your wind zone, and check the underlay and framing around the opening. Our roof flashing repairs page covers flashings in more detail.
Condensation and Wellington winters
Not every wet skylight is a leak. Glass on a cold roof is often the coldest surface in the room, and in winter warm, moist air from a bathroom or kitchen condenses on it and runs down the shaft. Wellington's wettest season is winter, so condensation and leaks can be easy to confuse.
An opening roof window helps vent moisture, double glazing reduces condensation on the glass, and an insulated shaft stops the shaft lining from becoming a cold surface too. We look at the pattern of the water before recommending anything, so you do not pay to fix a leak that is really condensation.
Cost, consent and safety
Skylights are priced after a free measure. The main cost factors are the size and type of unit, whether it opens, the roof profile and pitch, the length and finish of the shaft, and any framing changes needed to form the opening. Access on steep or hillside sites also affects the price.
Work on a roof window in an existing home can be exempt from building consent under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, subject to conditions. The exemption does not cover a unit installed within the last 15 years that has failed, and cutting a new opening that changes the roof structure may need consent. Your council can confirm, and our FAQ page covers consent questions. Skylights are also a fall hazard during installation and maintenance, so we follow WorkSafe's guidance for working on roofs.
Skylights on character and coastal homes
On villas and cottages in suburbs like Thorndon, Mt Victoria and Newtown, a skylight on a street-facing roof plane may be visible from the road. If your house may be in a Wellington City character precinct, check the District Plan before adding one there. On coastal homes from Island Bay to Eastbourne, the flashing kit and fixings should suit the exposure zone, since sites within 500 metres of the sea or harbour are generally Zone D. Our Eastern and Southern Suburbs roofers page covers that coast.
Why Choose Cheeky's Roofers for Skylights
Proper flashing kits
We use the manufacturer's flashing kit for your roof profile, not sealant and a cut sheet.
Leak or condensation, diagnosed
We work out where the water comes from before recommending a fix.
Fixed for the wind
Flashings and fixings suit the wind and exposure zones of your site.
Clean finish inside
Shafts are lined and finished so the skylight looks right from the room.
Skylights FAQs
Why does my skylight leak?
Usually because the flashing has failed, was cut from flat sheet instead of a proper kit, or relied on sealant. Condensation on the glass can also look like a leak.
Can you put a skylight in a corrugated iron roof?
Yes. Manufacturers make flashing kits for corrugate, trapezoidal and tile profiles, and the roofing is cut and turned to suit.
Do I need consent for a skylight?
Work on a roof window in an existing home can be exempt under Schedule 1, subject to conditions. A new opening that changes the structure may need consent. Your council can confirm.
What warranty do skylights come with?
That depends on the manufacturer. VELUX NZ, for example, states a 10-year warranty on skylights and flashings, 7 years on sun tunnels and 3 years on blinds and electronic components.
Is a skylight or a sun tunnel better?
A skylight gives more light and a view of the sky, and can open for ventilation. A sun tunnel suits small or awkward spaces where a full shaft is not practical.
Should I replace skylights when I re-roof?
Often, yes. Old units and flashings rarely match the life of a new roof, and replacing them while the roof is open avoids cutting into new roofing later.
Skylights Across Wellington
We cover every region: Central Wellington, the Eastern and Southern Suburbs, the Western and Northern Suburbs, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, the Kāpiti Coast.
Related Roofing Services
See the roof replacement cost guide or every service we offer.
Sources and further reading
- VELUX New Zealand: product range
- VELUX New Zealand: guarantee
- building.govt.nz: Exemption 3.1 windows and exterior doorways in existing dwellings
- WorkSafe: Working on roofs good practice guidelines
- NIWA: The Climate and Weather of Wellington (2014)
- BRANZ Maps: corrosion and wind zones
- Wellington City Council: 2024 District Plan decisions