Choosing The Right Rooflight
Choosing the perfect rooflight for your home will depend on your unique requirements; do you require increased ventilation? Or are you looking to access your roof for maintenance?
There are various factors that affect the type of rooflight that you will purchase; from the size of the room to the glazing material that you desire.
For more guidance on selecting the right rooflight for your requirements, please read our comprehensive ‘How To Pick Rooflights’ blog.
Make Safety A Priority
When installing a rooflight, you need to ensure that the safety of everyone on site is of utmost priority, installing a rooflight will involve working at height therefore precautions need to be taken to ensure safety.
First, you need to assess if the site area is actually suitable for an installation, if the area is constricted and suitable access is not possible, you should strongly consider installing the rooflight on a more accessible area of the roof. If this is not feasible, you should contact an experienced contractor who will have access to the necessary equipment to reach the area such as cherry-pickers and scaffolding.
Prior to commencing the rooflight installation, you need to undertake a comprehensive risk assessment to identify all potential risks and take steps to mitigate these risks. Potential risks that could be identified include manual handling and fall from heights. Many risks are not able to be completely eradicated, but you can take steps to mitigate the risk.
For example, the risk of manual handling can be reduced through the use of mechanical lifting equipment, the use of the equipment reduces the need for people on site to manually lift the rooflight as this could lead to injury.
Care should be taken at all times when on site to ensure the health and safety of all people present, and site housekeeping on the day is important; cleaning up any spills when they occur, wearing the correct PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and halting works if weather conditions become too volatile.
Understand Building Regulations
Before commencing the installation of your rooflight, you should ensure that you have read and understand the relevant Building Regulations (Building Regulations will differ whether you live in England, Scotland or Wales)
Adhering to Building Regulations is a legal requirement as they are in place to ensure the health and safety of people in and around all types of buildings (residential, public and commercial).
Adding a rooflight to your home will require your roof to be changed significantly to accommodate the extra weight that the product introduces, and your chosen rooflight needs to provide sufficient insulation against heat loss once installed.
It is also important that you apply for planning permission, should you need to. Planning permission is not commonly required for rooflight installation as it falls under “permitted development” however you are required to apply for planning permission if you live in a conservation area or if your desired rooflight is going to protrude more than 150mm above the existing roofline.
Gather Necessary Tools & Materials
Before undertaking your rooflight installation, ensure that you have all required tools and materials prepared on site. Common tools used for a rooflight installation include a drill, screwdriver, tape measure, and sealant/roofing adhesive. You should check the manufacturer’s installation instructions to see if there are any specific tools or materials required for installation.
Prior to commencing the rooflight installation, you should inspect your rooflight for any damage obtained in transit. If you detect any damage, you need to inform the rooflight manufacturer as soon as possible so a replacement product can be arranged. Many manufacturers have a set time period in which they need to be notified of any damage, if you surpass this date, your product may not be eligible for a return or refund.
Prepare The Roof Opening
Before constructing your upstand and preparing the surrounding area for installation, you first need to assess the structural integrity of the roof; is it strong enough to carry the additional weight of a rooflight? If your roof is deemed unsuitable in its current state, you can take measures to reinforce the framework such as adding additional wooden framing to boost the roof’s structural integrity.
You will also need to address any existing cracks or leaks prior to installation as this will compromise the water tightness of your new rooflight.
Most rooflights on the market are specially designed to be installed on a pre-built upstand, these are normally constructed by experienced builders prior to the day of installation. Different rooflights will have differing upstand requirements therefore it is important to read your manufacturer’s documentation to ensure that your upstand is constructed correctly.
Thoroughly reading your documentation is crucial as rooflight manufacturers may opt to reference varying ‘critical dimensions’. For example our Flushglaze Flat Rooflight is specified using the External Weathered Kerb dimension, therefore this dimension is the dimension that you should have your upstand constructed to. However, rooflights can sometimes be specified by the critical dimensions of Internal Viewable or Structural Opening, you should always check your dimensions with your manufacturer to mitigate expensive, last minute changes on site.
When installing your rooflight, it is important to ensure that the roof is clear of any debris or instructions as this will hinder the installation process and it may also compromise the water and weather-tightness of the product, which could lead to costly repairs in the future.
Install Your Rooflight
When you are ready to install your rooflight, after addressing any risks present on site and inspecting your rooflight for any damage, you should enlist the assistance of mechanical lifting equipment to lift your product onto the roof and carefully maneuver it into place, manually handling a rooflight is not recommended due to the risk of injury.
During installation, you need to closely follow the installation instructions provided to you by your rooflight manufacturer as not adhering to these could lead to a faulty installation. Not adhering to the instructions set out by the manufacturer could also void your product warranty.
Your instructions will also outline any specialist tools or materials required to install the product, so you should ensure that you read all documentation prior to commencing the installation on site.
Different types of rooflights will have varying installation procedures, for example, opening rooflights are more complex to install than fixed rooflights as there are complex electrics involved. Whilst it is not a legal requirement to have your opening rooflight wiring completed by a qualified electrician, we strongly urge you to enlist their services as this will achieve the optimal installation result and reduce the risk of electrocution for those not acquainted with working with electricity.
Test For Functionality
Once your rooflight has been successfully installed, you need to inspect the product and surrounding roofing to ensure that there are no gaps or leaks as this will compromise your installation, leading to costly damage in the future.
If you have installed an opening rooflight, you need to test all mechanisms to ensure that they are operating how they should. If any issues arise, address these promptly, and if you are unsure, refer to your manufacturer’s instructions or contact them for assistance.
Enjoy Your Rooflight
Now that you have installed your rooflight, adhering to health and safety guidelines and Building Regulations, you can enjoy the numerous benefits that rooflights offer such as increased natural daylight and improved levels of ventilation.
All reputable and trustworthy rooflight manufacturers will offer a period of product warranty on their rooflights, therefore you can enjoy your rooflight for years to come.
So, the answer is yes, you can install rooflights yourself however we urge you to thoroughly consider factors such as site access, health and safety of site members and the use of mechanical lifting equipment. The health and safety of site members needs to be your top priority.
rooflights.com has been supplying the UK’s builders with high quality rooflights and roof windows for a decade, reach out to our experienced team today to discuss your requirements and get the answers to your rooflight/roof window questions.