How much does a skylight installation cost in the GTA?
Two numbers. The unit is published in full on this page — a fixed curb-mounted FCM starts at $255, a deck-mounted fixed FS around $469, manual venting from $851, solar or electric venting from $1,738, and a SUN TUNNEL from $460, all at VELUX 2026 list. Installation is the second number and we quote it after a free site visit, because whether the opening exists, what the curb is like underneath, your roofing material and whether you want the shaft finished all move it — and none of that is visible in a photograph.
Will a skylight leak?
Not when it is installed to manufacturer specification. Almost every leak we get called out to look at is a flashing failure or a curb that should have been rebuilt and was not — the glass is rarely the problem. As VELUX certified installers we fit the full genuine flashing system matched to your roofing material and lay ice-and-water membrane around the opening, which matters more in a freeze-thaw climate than almost anywhere else. That is why VELUX warranties hold on our installs.
How long does installation take?
A like-for-like replacement is typically one day. A new opening without interior finishing is usually one to two. Adding a drywalled, taped, paint-ready shaft adds another one to two days. A SUN TUNNEL is usually half a day. We give you the schedule in the written quote rather than leaving you guessing.
Do I need a permit?
It depends on how much structure the opening touches. In Toronto, installing a skylight in an existing house of three storeys or less is exempt provided the work does not remove more than one rafter or joist — a single unit set between existing rafters commonly qualifies. Remove a second rafter and you are into structural work with an engineered header and a permit. Requirements differ by municipality, and we tell you which side of the line your job falls on at the assessment.
Can you put a skylight in a truss roof?
Sometimes, but never by cutting the truss. Engineered trusses are a designed system and cutting a web or chord without an engineer compromises the whole roof. Where a unit fits between trusses it can work. Where it does not, a SUN TUNNEL usually does — which is why so much of our work in the newer subdivisions is tubular rather than conventional.
Which is better, fixed or venting?
It depends entirely on the room. Fixed gives you the most glass for the money and is right for hallways, stairwells and living rooms where you only want light. Venting is right anywhere moisture or heat collects — kitchens, bathrooms, top-floor bedrooms in August. If the room has a shower in it, get venting; the ventilation is doing real work, not just being a feature.
What is the difference between electric and solar venting?
Function is the same: both open and close by remote and both have a rain sensor that closes the unit automatically when it gets wet. The difference is power. An electric model needs a wiring run to the unit, which means an electrician and a route through the ceiling. A solar model carries its own panel and battery, so it needs no wiring at all — which usually makes it the cheaper of the two once installation is counted, and it may qualify for energy-efficiency incentives.
Can you replace an old skylight without redoing the roof?
Yes, and it is one of our most common jobs. We remove the old unit, inspect the curb and rebuild it if it is soft, install the new VELUX unit with the manufacturer's flashing system, and repair the interior finish. That said — if your roof is due for replacement within a few years, doing both together saves most of the flashing labour, because the roof around the unit is already open.
My skylight is foggy inside the glass. Can it be repaired?
No. Fog between the panes means the sealed unit has failed and the argon fill is gone, and there is no repair for that — the unit is replaced. Skylights from the 1990s and 2000s are commonly at or past their sealed-unit life, so if yours is that age and showing fog, condensation or drafts, you are looking at replacement rather than repair.
Do you finish the inside, or just the roof?
Both, and that is deliberate. A lot of roofers will cut the hole and set the unit and leave the ceiling to someone else, which is how people end up project-managing three trades. We frame the shaft, drywall it, tape it and hand it back paint-ready. One crew from roof deck to finished ceiling.
Do I have to buy the installation from you as well?
No. You can order the units on their own and we deliver them free anywhere in the GTA — plenty of builders and renovators do exactly that. Tick the installation box on the order and we book a site visit and price the curb, flashing, membrane and interior shaft separately, so you can see the two numbers before deciding.
