Homeowner Question: Can Skylights Be Removed? PLUS: How To Begin The Process

Skylights can be a great addition to your home. Giving you a stream of natural light and amazing views of starry nights, what’s not to love? Well, like most things in a home, there are situations where homeowners wish to get rid of these fixtures. But the question many ask is: can skylights be removed? Short answer: yes, removing skylights is possible.

What to Know About Skylight Removal

Skylights are used as a creative way to allow streams of natural light into homes and increase the possibility of some solar heating in winter. Installed and maintained properly, these fixtures create well-lit interior spaces without allowing snow or water to seep into your home. 

But because skylights are tricky to install and older versions of skylights were much less efficient, they can easily cause problems when installed incorrectly. These may include:

• Leaks: Wear and tear after years of exposure to the elements can lead to water leakage around a skylight. Seals, sealants, rubber gaskets, flashing, and adhesives can also age and fail, causing water leaks.
• Energy loss and overheating: A skylight installed on the sunny side of your home will allow too much light and add to interior heat. 
• Cloudy view: Condensation or fog occurs when moisture accumulates in the skylight’s glass. When this happens, the glazing seals have significantly deteriorated, allowing moisture inside the glass or your home.

Many building experts view skylights as the weak link in a homework’s framework because of their exposure to the elements. This is not the case with skylights with the latest modern technology. 

Sometimes, homeowners consider removing skylights due to annoying experiences. In other cases, they don’t like these fixtures based on their décor and personal preferences. If you are considering purchasing a home with skylights or the skylights in your current home have become quite problematic, you can have them removed. You’ll then need to decide whether you’d like to replace them.

Your roofing contractor will remove the roof covering surrounding the bottom of the skylight, pry away the brackets securing the skylights, and lift the skylight away from the roof opening. After removing the skylight, you’ll have to decide what you’d like a contractor to do with the ceiling.

What Options Do You Have After Removing Skylights from the Ceiling?

You’ll need to devise a solution to fix the gaping hole left in your ceiling. Some of the best techniques include:

Alternative Lighting Options

You don’t have to cover up the entire hole after skylight removal, necessarily. You can use that hole to your advantage by installing lighting to add character and mood to the room. Since your room will be much darker once the skylight is removed, you can install a new lighting source instead.

Cove lighting is one of the most popular lighting options. These recessed lights allow you to control the brightness in your room to suit your needs. If you have a limited budget, you could install pendant lights in the area where you removed your skylight. You’ll still have abundant light and alleviate the oddness of ceiling holes.

Seal Up the Skylight Hole

When your skylight is removed from the ceiling, the rafters and trusses will become exposed. Your roofing contractor will look for any water damage, rot, mold, or anything that may have weakened the structural integrity of your roof.

Your roofer will set wooden decking material over the roof to serve both as a platform for the roofing materials and the ceiling for the room below. A reliable roofer will know to make the new patch of roof blend in with the original. They will also know to match the roofing material to what you currently have.A vapor barrier and other waterproofing solutions will also be required to prevent air and water leakage.

Install Stained Glass

You may want to consider installing stained glass paneling if you’d like to customize your home and keep some natural-looking light without using a skylight. Stained glass paneling with backlighting behind it will add considerable charm and character to your home. However, you want it to accommodate the hole in your ceiling to look completely natural and as if it was meant to be this way from the beginning, not something you did to cover up the nasty ceiling hole.

Install New Skylights

Once the old skylight is removed and homeowners realize how dark that area of their home is without it, many people opt to install a modern skylight. TriCo Exteriors installs Velux skylights. Velux’s superior technology and design ensure you will not have leaks and other common issues with your skylight if you have a qualified installer.

Avoid DIY Skylight Removal

It’s never a good idea to go the DIY route when it comes to your roof. With skylight removal, hiring an experienced roofing contractor is well worth the cost. Beyond the risks of ladders, removing the roof covering, and even slipping off the roof, pulling out the skylight and its framework requires proper care and experience.

What’s more, understanding your local building codes and how to keep the roof sealed is critical to your roof’s longevity. A roofer will conduct a thorough inspection and recommend what needs to be done during the skylight removal process.

When skylight removal is imminent, contact us at Trico Exteriors. We offer roof and skylight removal, installation, and maintenance services throughout Charleston, SC. You can count on us for superior workmanship.