Skylights leak when roofers treat them as an accessory
Ask anyone who's had a bad skylight: the problem is almost never the glass, it's the hole. A skylight is a planned hole in your roof, and it stays dry only if the flashing around it is built as carefully as the roof itself. That's why skylight installation is genuinely a roofer's job. We install and replace skylights across Greenwood, Bargersville, and Johnson County using the manufacturer's engineered flashing kits, ice and water shield wrapped up the curb, and shingle integration that sheds water instead of daring it.
Done right, a modern skylight is one of the best dollar-for-dollar upgrades in a house: real daylight in kitchens, baths, and stairwells that windows can't reach, with low-E glass that doesn't turn the room into a greenhouse in July.
What we do with skylights
- Replace old skylights during a reroof. If your roof is being replaced and the skylights are original, replace them at the same time. The extra cost is small while the roof is open, and a 20-year-old dome sitting in a brand-new roof is tomorrow's leak.
- Swap failed or foggy units. Condensation between panes, yellowed acrylic domes, and cracked glass all mean the unit is done. We replace it with modern glass in the same opening.
- Add new skylights. Fixed or venting, sized and placed for your framing and the light you want. We handle the roof side and the flashing, and coordinate the interior drywall shaft work.
- Fix skylight leaks. Often the skylight is fine and the flashing around it failed. We diagnose which it is before selling you anything.
Indiana-proof choices
Between hail seasons and freeze-thaw winters, glass choice matters here. We spec laminated or tempered low-E glass units from major manufacturers, which shrug off the weather that cracks the old plastic bubbles, and their factory flashing systems carry real warranties. If your home sits under mature trees in older Greenwood or Franklin neighborhoods, we'll talk honestly about placement and debris before you commit.
Skylight questions, answered first
No. That reputation comes from old units and bad flashing. A modern skylight installed with its engineered flashing kit is as watertight as the roof around it, and warrantied like it.
Fixed costs less and never fails mechanically. Venting earns its keep over kitchens and baths where dumping humidity matters. In bedrooms and living rooms, fixed is usually the reasonable pick.
Usually yes. Rooms directly under the roof are simple; rooms under an attic need a light shaft, which we'll scope during the free look at your house.