Skylights in Alameda: what we handle
Skylights in Alameda come in three jobs, and each has its own page. Skylight repair covers leaks, resealing and reflashing. Skylight replacement covers worn or failed units. Skylight installation adds light where there was none, including on flat roofs.
The roofer-first approach matters because skylights are holes in a roof. The glass is the easy part, and the flashing around it is where the water either stays out or comes in. Our Google listing includes skylight repair, and the reviews describe a skylight replaced with a reroof, three resealed, a garage leak patched the next day, and a leak that began after another roofer's work.
What skylight work includes
- Inspection from the roof and from inside, with photos
- Resealing and reflashing, or removal of the failed unit
- Curb and framing repair where the wood is soft
- New flashing laced into the roof covering
- Protection of the interior and cleanup afterward
- A written estimate separating repair, replacement and surrounding work
Why do skylights leak?
Skylights leak because the seal around them ages faster than the unit does. Four causes cover most calls:
- Dried or cracked sealant at the curb and frame.
- Step flashing that has lifted or corroded along the sides.
- A poorly integrated head flashing, where water arrives from above.
- A rotted curb or deck beneath the unit.
Condensation is the fifth, and it looks like a leak. Moisture on the inside of cold glass drips onto the floor on winter mornings. The fix for that is ventilation and the right glazing, not roofing. We test before we recommend, and our skylight repair page shows the difference.
The rainy season sharpens every flaw. Alameda gets about 22 inches a year, almost all of it between October and April on about 66 days (BestPlaces), so a unit that held in summer can fail the week the first storm arrives.
Skylight roofer or window installer: who flashes it?
A skylight roofer owns the part that fails. The unit arrives from the factory with a flashing kit or a curb, but the kit has to be laced into the roof covering, be it shingle, tile or membrane. That is roofing work, and it should be done by the person who is answerable for the roof.
When a reroof is planned, skylights belong in the same scope. Replacing the unit during the reroof means one set of flashing and one warranty conversation. When the roof is sound and the unit is not, replacement can be done alone, but the surrounding shingles are disturbed and need to be rebuilt carefully.
Residential skylights: types and mounting
Residential skylights differ by opening, glazing and mount.
- Fixed: light only. Fewer moving parts, fewer leak paths.
- Venting: opens by crank or electric, helping a bathroom or kitchen.
- Tubular: a small domed collector and a reflective tube, good for hallways and closets.
- Deck-mounted: flashes directly to the roof deck on a pitched roof.
- Curb-mounted: sits on a framed curb, common on flat and low-slope roofs.
On older Alameda houses, where 31.9% of homes date to 1939 or earlier (Point2Homes), the opening may already exist and the framing may be tired. We look at the rafters and the existing light well before we pick the unit.
How a skylight job runs
- You call or request an estimate. Visits are often scheduled within a day, as past customers report.
- We inspect from the roof and from inside, noting stains, glass condition and framing.
- You get a written estimate that separates repair, replacement and the work around the unit.
- We protect the interior and the roof around the opening.
- We do the work, flash the unit into the roof covering and test it.
- We wipe down the interior, clear the site and send photos.
- Interior water damage gets photographed for your records or your claim.
What does skylight work cost?
Cost depends on repair versus replacement, the size and type of unit, roof pitch and covering, curb or deck mounting, access, framing and interior finish. No verified local per-unit price is available to us, so none appears here.
Reflashing and resealing usually cost far less than a new unit. Replacing during a reroof can spread the cost across one scope of work. Treat the written estimate as the figure that decides, so ask for the glass, curb, flashing and interior finish on separate lines.
Permits, energy labels and licensing for skylights
The City of Alameda Permit Center says most construction work needs a permit. Resealing is the lighter case, while cutting a new opening or changing the framing is more likely to need one, so confirm before work starts and have the estimate say who pulls it. New and replacement skylights also carry energy-code limits for heat loss and solar gain, shown on the unit's NFRC label, according to BayREN's 2025 fenestration guide. Ask the Permit Center which values apply to Climate Zone 3, and keep the label on until final inspection. Roofing work needs a C-39 classification, so look up any bidder at cslb.ca.gov.
Where we handle skylights
From Webster St, Oakland is about 12 minutes, Berkeley roughly 18, San Leandro about 24, and Castro Valley around 35, with tunnel and bridge traffic adding to those times.