Roof and Skylights Replaced Together — New Units Set in the New Roof
Your roof is being replaced and there are two or three skylights in it from when the house was built; you want to know whether to leave them, reflash them, swap them or get rid of them while the roof is open.
Roof and skylights replaced together is the rule we give homeowners: a skylight that is as old as the roof coming off should come off with it. JMB Builders sets the new unit in the new ice and water shield and underlayment with the manufacturer's flashing kit woven into the new shingles, across the Twin Cities metro. Reusing an old skylight means cutting into the new roof when its seal fails. Priced per project; each skylight is its own line.
- Skylight as old as the roof: replace it with the roof
- New unit set in new membrane, kit flashed into new shingles
- Each skylight its own line; or close the opening
- Send photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
A skylight has a life about as long as a shingle roof. The glass seal fogs, the acrylic dome yellows and cracks, the gasket between the glass and the frame dries out. When a twenty-five-year-old roof comes off and a twenty-five-year-old skylight stays, the skylight is now the oldest thing on a new roof, and when it fails the fix means pulling new shingles and cutting into new underlayment around it. That is why we tell every homeowner with a skylight of the roof's age to replace it with the roof.
Done together, the skylight is set the way the manufacturer intends. The old unit comes out with the tear-off. The opening is checked and the curb or the deck around it repaired. Ice and water shield wraps the opening and laps onto the deck. The new unit sits in that membrane, the flashing kit, with its sill, step and head pieces, is woven into the new shingles course by course, and the underlayment and shingles lap over it in the order water runs. Nothing is sealed with caulk alone. The result is a skylight that is part of the roof system instead of a hole patched into it.
There are three choices for each skylight on the scope: replace it, reflash it, or close it. Reflashing an existing unit with a new kit is only worth it when the unit is much newer than the roof. Closing an opening, when the skylight is over a room you never liked it in, means framing and sheathing the hole, and the ceiling below gets drywalled and painted as separate lines. Each skylight is priced as its own line so you can decide one at a time.
What you supply
- A photo of each skylight from the roof side if you can see it from the yard, and from inside the room below
- The size and brand if you can read it on the frame, or the rough opening size from inside
- Your choice per skylight: replace, reflash or close, and fixed vs venting for the new ones
- Anything under the skylight moved for the day, since the room below gets dust and daylight
What JMB supplies
- Old skylights removed with the tear-off, openings checked, curb or deck repaired where soft
- New deck-mount or curb-mount units sized to the opening, fixed or venting, from the major makers
- Ice and water shield around the opening, the manufacturer's flashing kit woven into the new shingles
- Reflashing of a newer existing skylight with a new kit when that is the right call
- Framing and sheathing to close an opening, with the ceiling below drywalled and painted as separate lines
- The full roof replacement around them, the city's permit and inspection, finished photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of skylights and what is done with each: replace, reflash or close
- Deck-mount vs. curb-mount, and fixed vs. venting or solar-venting units
- Size: standard sizes from stock vs. an odd older opening that needs reframing or a custom unit
- Curb or deck repair at the opening, common where an old unit leaked
- Interior work when an opening is closed: drywall, taping and paint as separate lines
- The roof itself: squares, pitch, layers, decking, access
Send a photo of each skylight from inside and the brand or size if you can read it. Each one goes on the scope as its own line with the choice marked.
How long it takes
Skylights are set during the dry-in on the same day as the tear-off; each adds an hour or two to the roof. Closing an opening adds the interior work on a later day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Replace with a deck-mount unit
The common modern skylight: the frame sits flat on the deck and the flashing kit laps into the shingles. Low profile, good seal, the usual choice when the old unit was deck-mount too.
Replace with a curb-mount unit
Sits on a raised wood curb, as most older skylights do. The new unit drops onto the existing or a rebuilt curb, and the curb is flashed with membrane and the kit. Right when the opening is already curbed.
Reflash a newer skylight
If the skylight was replaced within the last several years and is sound, it stays and gets a new flashing kit and membrane around it with the new roof. Not worth doing on a unit the roof's age.
Close the opening
Frame and sheath the hole, roof over it so it disappears, then drywall, tape and paint the ceiling below as separate lines. Common over a hallway or a bedroom that got too hot.
Roof and Skylights Replaced Together — New Units Set in the New Roof: questions, answered
Should I replace my skylights when I replace my roof?
If they are as old as the roof coming off, yes. Skylights and shingle roofs last about the same length of time, and an old skylight left in a new roof is the first thing that will leak; fixing it then means cutting into new shingles and underlayment. A skylight replaced only a few years ago can stay and be reflashed with a new kit. Each one is its own line on the scope.
Can you just reflash my old skylight with the new roof?
We can install a new flashing kit and membrane around an existing unit, and it is the right move for a skylight much newer than the roof. On a unit the roof's age it buys you a well-flashed skylight whose glass seal or gasket is about to fail, and the leak that follows will look like a flashing leak but will not be one. For the cost difference, the new unit is the better roof.
What is the difference between deck-mount and curb-mount skylights?
A deck-mount skylight sits flat on the roof deck with its own frame, and the flashing kit laps into the shingles; it is low-profile and the common modern type. A curb-mount skylight sits on a raised wood box built on the deck, and the unit drops over the curb like a lid; most older skylights are curb-mount. We replace like with like unless the curb is rotted, in which case the curb is rebuilt or the opening converted.
Can you remove a skylight and close the hole during a reroof?
Yes. The unit comes out with the tear-off, the opening is framed to match the rafters, sheathed, covered with membrane and shingled so it disappears from outside. Inside, the light shaft is framed shut and the ceiling drywalled, taped and painted, which are separate lines on the scope and done on a later day. It is the cleanest time to do it because the roof is open anyway.
Why do skylights leak after a new roof?
Three common reasons. The old unit was left and its seal or gasket failed, which looks like a roof leak but is not. The skylight was flashed with caulk and the old flashing instead of a new kit woven into the shingles. Or the membrane was not wrapped up the curb before the kit went on, so water that got behind the flashing reached the deck. A new unit set in new membrane with its own kit avoids all three.
Can I switch to a venting skylight when the roof is replaced?
Yes, if the opening size is a standard one. A venting unit in the same size drops into the opening with the same flashing kit, and manual, electric and solar-powered versions are available; an electric one is wired by a licensed electrician. If the old opening is an odd size, the choice is a custom unit or reframing the opening to a standard size while the deck is open.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-333-4066.
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Read morePage reviewed October 2, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
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