Skylight Cost Calculator

About $2,060 for a standard fixed skylight cut into an asphalt roof above an attic space — a range of $1,648 to $2,781 once bids vary. HomeGuide's 2025 data puts typical installed skylights at $1,600–$4,200 with a $2,900 national average; vented models and larger glass push the upper end.

Yes — a 10"–14" tube needs a small hole, no rafter work and no framing beyond the ceiling trim on a direct mount. Our model prices a direct-to-vaulted-ceiling install at about $910 — inside HomeGuide's $500–$1,000 tubular range — while a tube that has to chase through an attic lands at the top of that range or slightly past it (about $1,210 here). You give up the view: a sun tunnel lights a room but doesn't open or show sky.

Almost every skylight leak is a flashing failure, not the glass. Modern deck-mounted units (VELUX, FAKRO) integrate with their own engineered step-flashing kits, which is why we price a premium all-weather kit (+$120) for metal roofs, heavy snow or ice-dam climates. Retrofitting flashing after a leak costs far more than the kit upgrade — re-flashing means pulling back the surrounding roofing.

Deck-mount units sit flush with the roof sheathing on pitched roofs (3:12 and up) and are the standard choice. Curbs are required under 3:12, add roughly $400 for lumber, cap flashing and carpentry, and are also worth considering on tile roofs where a raised curb simplifies flashing. Curb units accept standard factory curbs, so replacement decades later is cheaper.

Cutting a new structural opening in the roof almost always requires a building permit (we carry $150 for the first unit, plus $50 each additional) because rafters or ceiling joists usually need headering. Like-for-like replacement of an existing unit generally doesn't. Check with your local building department — permit fees run $100–$500 nationally.

About $995 less than a new cut-in — roughly $1,065 all-in for a like-for-like fixed swap — because the opening, curb and shaft already exist (HomeGuide pegs replacements at $800–$2,400). Budget for new flashing regardless: reusing 20-year-old flashings is how leaks start. Two timing notes: the cheapest moment to replace is during a reroof, when the crew and staging are already up and the surrounding shingles are open anyway; and match the new unit to the old opening's dimensions — resizing turns the swap back into a cut-in.

Steep pitches (9:12+) add about $275 in staging and fall-protection labor, metal and tile roofs need custom flashing, powered venting adds an electrician, and long or bent light shafts add framing and drywall. Two-story homes and bedrooms over finished space — where the shaft runs through a closet or soffit — land at the high end.

Powered venting adds roughly $600–$1,300 installed over a fixed unit (unit premium plus the electrician line). It earns its keep over kitchens and bathrooms, where venting hot, humid air out the roof beats pushing it into an attic, and solar units avoid new wiring because the panel powers the motor. One caution: solar skylights were long marketed as eligible for the 30% federal residential clean-energy credit, but VELUX has since withdrawn its manufacturer certification and now says it cannot certify those products for the credit — don't build that discount into your decision without checking current status. Fixed units remain the value pick for living rooms, hallways and stairwells.