Skylight Installation & Repair in Oak Ridge North, TX

Skylights installed in past decades were often built with materials that do not hold up the way today's products do. Here is what we see most often in Oak Ridge North homes:

• Acrylic bubble domes that have turned yellow, brittle or cracked from years of sun
• Single-pane or early double-pane glass that lets heat pour into the room in summer
• Fog between the panes, a sign that the insulating seal has failed
• Flashing that was sealed with roofing cement instead of a proper flashing kit, which cracks and leaks as it ages
• Light shafts with little or no insulation, causing condensation and stains on the drywall

If your skylight shows several of these signs, replacement usually makes more sense than repair.

Do not wait for water on the floor. By the time a drip reaches the room below, moisture has usually been soaking the insulation and framing around the shaft for a while. A quick look at the ceiling around each skylight every few months, especially after heavy storms, catches most problems while they are still small and inexpensive to fix.

We start by figuring out where water or heat is actually getting in. If the problem is limited to the flashing or the seal where the frame meets the roof, we can often fix it by removing the surrounding shingles, installing new flashing and underlayment, and re-shingling around the curb. That keeps a sound skylight in service for years.

If the frame is warped, the glass seal has failed, or the unit is an old plastic dome, replacing the whole skylight is generally the more cost-effective long-term choice. A new unit comes with modern Low-E glass, gas-filled panes and a matched flashing kit. We will explain the reasons for our recommendation and show you photos from the roof.

Many ranch-style homes in the area have deep porch roofs and wide eaves that shade the side windows, leaving living rooms and central hallways dim. A skylight can solve that without changing the look of the front of the house. We install:

• Fixed skylights for living rooms, dens and vaulted ceilings
• Vented skylights that open to release humid air in kitchens and bathrooms
• Tubular skylights for interior bathrooms, hallways, laundry rooms and closets where a full-size shaft is impractical

Tubular units are a particularly good fit for older homes, since their small reflective tubes fit between ceiling joists and require only a small opening in the roof.

Montgomery County weather can swing from weeks of dry heat to a tropical downpour, so every skylight we install has to handle both. Our process includes cutting a clean opening and framing it properly, installing a self-adhering waterproof membrane around the curb, using the manufacturer's step flashing kit woven into the shingles, and insulating and finishing the interior shaft so it does not sweat. A standard installation usually takes one to two days.

If your roof is due for replacement soon, consider handling the skylights at the same time. New flashing goes into new underlayment, and you avoid disturbing a fresh roof later. Our roof replacement crews coordinate with the skylight work in a single schedule.

Tekton Exteriors serves Oak Ridge North, The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe and the rest of Montgomery County, along with Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston and Waller counties. We are licensed and insured, and our estimates are free with no obligation. Beyond skylights, we also handle roofing, siding, windows and doors, so we can look at the rest of the exterior while we are there if you would like.

Learn more about product options on our skylight repair and installation page, then call 832-691-1917, email info@tektonexteriors.com, or contact us online to schedule an inspection.