Contact us for a Free Quote today
Contact us for a Free Quote today
A properly installed skylight does two things simultaneously: it brings natural light into spaces that artificial lighting can never fully replicate, and it adds genuine resale value to the home. An improperly installed skylight does one thing consistently: it leaks. The difference is entirely in the quality of the installation — specifically, the flashing system that integrates the skylight with the roof’s water management layers.
Roof Troops Roofing installs and repairs skylights and sun tunnels across Murfreesboro and all of Middle Tennessee — veteran-owned, with the specific roofing expertise that proper skylight integration requires. We work with VELUX products, the leading skylight brand in North America, and back every installation with a leak-free guarantee.
Free consultations and estimates. Call 615-258-9977.
A traditional skylight is a window unit installed directly into the roof plane — available in fixed (light only) and venting (light plus airflow) configurations. VELUX offers solar-powered, electric, and manual venting options. Fixed skylights are appropriate where light is the primary goal and ventilation is not needed. Venting skylights are particularly valuable in kitchens, bathrooms, and great rooms where humidity and odor management matter.
Traditional skylights provide the greatest light volume and the sky view that creates visual impact in a room. They are most effective on vaulted ceilings or short attic spans where the straight-line distance from roof surface to ceiling interior is manageable. Cost for a VELUX traditional skylight installed in Murfreesboro typically runs $1,600-$4,000+ depending on size, model (fixed vs. venting, manual vs. solar-powered), and installation complexity.
Sun tunnels (also called solar tubes or tubular skylights) capture daylight at a roof-mounted dome and transmit it through a highly reflective aluminum tube into the ceiling below — illuminating spaces that traditional skylights cannot reach. They look like recessed lighting from inside the room.
Sun tunnels are the ideal solution for:
VELUX offers two sun tunnel configurations:
A 14-inch VELUX Sun Tunnel installed in Murfreesboro typically runs $1,100-$1,500 including labor and materials. Installation takes approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. The 14-inch diameter delivers dramatically more light than the 10-inch option and is our standard recommendation. Some VELUX sun tunnel models with solar night lights are eligible for a federal tax credit — ask us about current eligibility.
The overwhelming majority of skylight leak problems trace to one cause: improper flashing installation. A skylight is a penetration through the roof — an opening cut through the weather barrier that the entire roofing system is designed to maintain. Sealing that penetration correctly requires integrating the skylight frame with the underlayment, step flashing at the sides, and counterflashing at the header — in the correct sequence, with the correct materials.
Common installation failures that cause leaks:
When Roof Troops installs a skylight, we integrate the VELUX flashing kit into the complete roofing system — underlayment, step flashing, counterflashing, and sealant in the correct sequence for a watertight installation that performs for the life of the skylight unit.
If your existing skylight is leaking, the solution is almost never replacing the skylight unit itself. The unit is typically fine. The problem is the flashing installation around it — which can be addressed without removing and replacing the skylight.
We assess every existing skylight leak by:
In most cases, a professional reflash using proper integrated flashing resolves the leak permanently. We price skylight reflash work specifically based on what the inspection reveals — not a blanket estimate.
Natural light is consistently ranked among the top factors homeowners and buyers identify in home satisfaction surveys. A well-placed skylight in a dark kitchen, a sun tunnel in a perpetually dim hallway, or a venting skylight in a master bathroom adds both functional quality of life and documented resale value.
The energy efficiency angle compounds this: VELUX skylights with Energy Star-rated glazing reduce reliance on artificial lighting during daylight hours. In Middle Tennessee’s long summer days, a kitchen skylight or great room installation can meaningfully reduce daytime lighting loads.
Traditional skylights can be installed on any pitched roof with appropriate structural clearance between rafters for the unit size. Minimum pitch is typically 15 degrees (roughly 3:12) for standard VELUX units. Very low-slope applications require specific curb-mounted configurations. Sun tunnels have broader flexibility and can be installed on most residential pitches. We assess structural and pitch suitability as part of every consultation.
A properly installed skylight with integrated VELUX flashing does not cause roof leaks. The product warranty on VELUX units covers the unit itself; our installation warranty covers the flashing integration. We back every installation with a leak-free guarantee.
A single traditional skylight installation takes 3-5 hours for an experienced crew on a standard residential application. A sun tunnel installation takes approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. Multiple units on the same mobilization are more efficient per unit.
Cloudiness in older acrylic-domed skylights is typically a sign of UV degradation of the glazing material. VELUX glass units with laminated glazing do not cloud over time the way older acrylic units do. If the unit is leaking in addition to clouding, we assess whether a reflash resolves the leak before recommending replacement. If the unit itself has failed structurally, replacement is appropriate.
