Skylight Installation Cost Calculator

Getting an installed price takes six quick entries. The tool prices one skylight first, then multiplies it across the job and adds the permit.

1. Enter the number of skylights you plan to install.
2. Pick the skylight type. A fixed skylight is the cheapest, an electric venting skylight costs the most.
3. Pick the roof material. Tile roofs cost more because tiles must be removed and refitted without cracking.
4. Enter the labor and the flashing and extras per skylight, add the permit, then press Calculate, or press Enter. The total appears first and large, with the cost per skylight below. Press Reset to clear the form and start over.

The skylight installation cost formula is total = count x (unit + labor x roof multiplier + extras) + permit. Each part means one thing, and the roof multiplier scales the labor only, because the skylight unit costs the same whatever it sits on, while the roofer's time changes with the roof.

Unit costs are the mid-range material prices for each type. A fixed skylight is $550, a manual venting skylight $800, an electric venting skylight $1,600 and a tubular sun tunnel $300. The roof multiplier is 1.0 for asphalt shingles, 1.15 for metal and 1.25 for tile, since tile work adds $400 to $900 of labor. Labor is $1,200 per skylight, inside the published range of $800 to $2,500. Our roofing calculator prices the roof work that often goes with a skylight job.

One fixed skylight goes into an asphalt shingle roof, with $1,200 labor, $200 of flashing and extras, and a $150 permit. Here is exactly what the calculator does.

1. Labor adjusted for the roof: $1,200 x 1.0 asphalt = $1,200.
2. Cost per skylight: $550 + $1,200 + $200 = $1,950.
3. Permit: $150.
4. Total: 1 x $1,950 + $150 = $2,100.

As a second check, the same skylight on a tile roof costs $550 + ($1,200 x 1.25) + $200 = $2,250, plus the $150 permit, for $2,400. A fixed skylight usually runs $1,500 to $4,000 installed, so try your own numbers in the tool above.

A fixed skylight does not open. It is the cheapest at $1,500 to $4,000 installed, and it suits rooms that need light but not air, like a hallway or a stairwell. It has the fewest moving parts, so it is also the least likely to leak.

A venting skylight opens, by hand crank or by motor, and it suits kitchens and bathrooms where steam and heat build up. Manual venting runs $3,200 to $5,900 installed, and electric venting runs $4,350 to $7,250, since the motor, remote and rain sensor add cost. A tubular skylight, or sun tunnel, is a small reflective tube that pipes light into a dark room for $500 to $1,000 installed, and it suits closets and windowless bathrooms. Our insulation calculator helps weigh the heat a skylight lets in against the light it brings.

Asphalt shingles are the easiest roof for a skylight. The roofer cuts the opening, fits the flashing kit and shingles around it, and the job usually takes six to eight hours for one unit. Metal roofs need careful cutting and sealing around the flashing, which adds about 15 percent to the labor.

Tile roofs cost the most, adding $400 to $900 of labor. Tiles must be lifted, cut and refitted one by one without cracking, and broken tiles need replacing. A steep roof or a two-story height adds more time, since the crew works from scaffolding or a harness. Whatever the roof, the flashing kit must match the roof type, because the wrong flashing is the most common cause of a leak.

A skylight only leaks when water gets past the flashing, the seal or the glass, so the flashing matters more than the skylight itself. A proper install uses a step flashing kit made for the roof type, with the shingles lapped over the flashing so water runs down and away. Ask the installer to show you the flashing before the trim goes on, and check the ceiling below after the first heavy rain.

Condensation is the other complaint, and it is not a leak. Warm moist air hits the cold glass and drips, which is why bathrooms need a venting skylight or an exhaust fan. A venting model also helps in summer, since hot air escapes through the roof. Our framing calculator prices the framing for the light shaft, the boxed tunnel that carries the light from the roof to the ceiling.