Skylight repair in Burlington is one of the most common calls Fixall Roofing gets after a heavy rain, because every skylight is a hole in the roof that depends on flashing, seals and a well-built opening to stay dry. We are a Burlington roofing contractor, and we install new skylights, replace worn units and fix leaking ones for homeowners across the city and nearby Halton and Hamilton towns.
Done right, skylights bring daylight into kitchens, hallways and stairwells that windows cannot reach. Done poorly, they leak at the upper corners, drip condensation all winter and lose heat through an uninsulated shaft.
We treat skylights as roofing work first: framing, underlayment and flashing, with VELUX and other major brands fitted with their matching flashing kits. That suits homeowners brightening a dark room, replacing a fogged or leaking unit, or planning a reroof with an aging skylight in the way.
Our skylight work covers four jobs, and each starts with a look at the roof around the unit as well as the unit itself. A skylight is only as watertight as the shingles and flashing that surround it.
We frame a new opening, install the unit and flashing, and build an insulated light shaft down to your ceiling. Openings that cut rafters or trusses change the roof structure and need a building permit, so we check the City of Burlington's requirements before cutting.
Older units with fogged glass, cracked acrylic domes or rotted wood curbs are swapped for current models. Where possible we fit the new unit to the existing opening so your interior finishes stay intact.
Many leaking skylights have a sound unit and a failed flashing or underlayment detail. We lift the surrounding shingles, rebuild the waterproofing and reinstall the flashing without replacing glass that still works.
A tubular skylight brings daylight to a closet, bathroom or interior hallway through a reflective tube. It fits between standard framing, so it rarely needs structural changes.
Choosing a type comes down to the room, whether you want fresh air and how high the ceiling is. Cost tiers below are relative to each other for the unit and installation together.
| Type | Best Rooms | Opens? | Cost Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed deck-mounted | Living rooms, halls, vaulted ceilings | No | Low to moderate |
| Manual venting | Lofts and bonus rooms within reach | Crank or pole | Moderate |
| Solar or electric venting | Kitchens, bathrooms, high ceilings | Remote, closes in rain | Highest |
| Curb-mounted | Low-slope roofs, old curb openings | Fixed or venting | Low to moderate |
| Tubular sun tunnel | Closets, bathrooms, interior halls | No | Lowest |
Venting skylights in kitchens and bathrooms let steam escape, which also cuts winter condensation. Solar-powered venting units need no wiring and include a rain sensor that closes the sash automatically.
For most pitched shingle roofs in Burlington, we recommend deck-mounted units over site-built curbs. They sit lower, integrate with the shingles more cleanly and use a flashing kit engineered for that exact frame.
Glass choice matters too. A laminated inner pane holds together if it breaks, and a low-E coating cuts summer heat gain in south and west-facing rooms, which is where most Burlington owners notice an overheated skylight.
Water at a skylight is not always a roof leak. In January and February, warm, humid indoor air meets cold glass and condenses, then runs down to the bottom of the frame and drips, sometimes on a dry, sunny day.
Condensation usually shows up after showers or cooking, on the coldest mornings, and evenly across the glass. A true leak appears during rain or snowmelt, often stains the drywall at the upper corners of the shaft and gets worse with wind-driven storms off the lake.
If the pattern points to condensation, the fix is lower indoor humidity, a venting unit or an insulated shaft, not a new skylight. If it points to water from outside, our leak repair process traces it to the flashing, the glass seal or an ice dam backing up above the unit.
Most skylight leaks trace back to shortcuts taken on the day of installation. These are the steps we follow on every new or replacement deck-mounted unit.
We size the unit to fall between framing where we can, and add headers when a rafter has to be cut. Engineered trusses are never cut without an engineer's design.
A self-adhering membrane such as Grace Ice and Water Shield, or the manufacturer's own adhesive collar, wraps the frame and laps onto the deck. This is the backup layer that keeps wind-driven rain and ice dam water out.
We use the flashing kit made for that skylight model and roofing material, with step flashing pieces woven into each shingle course. Tar and caulk are never the primary seal.
Shingles are cut to leave the correct gap at the head and sides so water and debris clear the frame. Nails stay out of the flashing channels.
The shaft walls get the same insulation value as the surrounding ceiling, sealed with a vapour barrier on the warm side, and we top up the nearby attic insulation we disturbed. An uninsulated shaft is a common cause of winter condensation and attic frost around skylights.
We finish the drywall shaft, check the sash operation on venting units and water-test the flashing before we leave. Any interior trim we removed goes back before cleanup.
A new asphalt roof can last 25 years or more, while a skylight installed 15 or 20 years ago is often near the end of its seal life. Reinstalling an old unit into new shingles means paying to remove and reflash it again in a few years.
During a roof replacement, the shingles are already off and the opening is exposed, so a new skylight and flashing kit add only the cost of the unit and some extra labour. Doing it later means cutting into a nearly new roof and matching shingles that may have faded.
If your skylight is under 10 years old and the glass is clear, we can usually reuse it with a new flashing kit. We will tell you which applies to your home during the roofing estimate.
We start with the least invasive repair that will actually last, and we explain what failed and why. Here are the options, from smallest to largest.
When the unit is sound but water gets in around it, we remove the surrounding shingles, rebuild the membrane and install a new kit. This is the same detailed flashing repair approach we use on chimneys and walls.
Venting units have weatherstripping and sash gaskets that harden with age. Replacing them stops drafts and drips at the sash without touching the roof.
Fogging between the panes means the insulated glass seal has failed. On some models the sash or glass can be replaced on its own, which is cheaper than a new unit if the frame and flashing are still good.
Cracked acrylic domes, rotted wood curbs and units with repeated leaks are replaced outright. We often convert old curb-mounted domes to a low-profile deck-mounted unit at the same time.
The most common failed repair we see is a bead of roofing cement smeared over the flashing. It hides the leak for a season, then traps water against the frame and rots the curb, so we remove it rather than add more.
Most reflashing jobs take half a day to a day, and a new skylight with a finished shaft usually takes one to two days plus drywall drying time. Weather can push roof-side work, so we schedule around dry forecasts.
A quality glass skylight typically lasts 15 to 25 years, while older acrylic domes often show cracking and yellowing sooner. The insulated glass seal and the flashing usually fail first, which shows up as fogging between panes or leaks at the corners.
Often, yes, if the glass and frame are sound and the leak comes from the flashing or underlayment. Reflashing with a new kit costs less than a new unit and lasts as long as the surrounding shingles when done properly.
Yes, we frame the roof opening, build a shaft through the attic and cut the ceiling opening, then insulate and drywall the shaft. Expect some interior dust and drywall finishing, and a building permit if rafters or trusses are altered.
Send us a photo of the skylight and a note on when you see water, and we will book a visit to check the unit, the flashing and the attic side. You get a written quote that separates repair options from replacement so you can compare them.
Skylight installs and repairs come with one year of labour coverage from Fixall, and each new unit keeps the skylight maker's product warranty.
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