SKYLIGHTS · BERGEN COUNTY, NJ

Skylight Repair, Installation and Removal in Bergen County, NJ

Most skylight leaks are a flashing problem, not a broken skylight. We find what is actually letting water in, then repair it, replace the unit, install a new one, or take it out and close the roof.

Skylight Repair in Bergen County Usually Starts With a Stain

Skylight repair in Bergen County usually starts with a stain, not a broken skylight. A brown ring on the ceiling, a drip during a hard rain, a wet patch that shows up in February and is gone by May. The glazing is rarely the culprit. A glass skylight is sealed at the factory and the pane itself seldom lets water through. The exception is an old acrylic dome, which yellows, crazes into a web of fine cracks and does eventually leak through the plastic. Everything else comes in around the unit: at the flashing that ties it into the shingles, at a seal that has given up, or through a site-built wooden curb that was never properly wrapped. Sometimes the skylight is not the source at all. On a worn roof, water enters higher up and the skylight is simply the first place it finds its way indoors.

That is why the first job is diagnosis, not a quote. There are four ways this ends, and one question of timing that sits on top of all four. The four jobs are repair the flashing, replace the unit, install a new one, or take it out and close the roof for good. The timing question is whether to do it now or do it when the roof around it comes off, and it changes the answer more often than the condition of the skylight does. Read the section below that matches what your skylight is doing. If your ceiling is wet right now, call 201-989-0999, put something under the drip, photograph the stain so you can see how fast it is spreading, and do not let anyone smear roofing tar over it before somebody has looked at what is underneath. Top Roof is a GAF Certified roofing contractor based in Englewood, working across Bergen County, from Fort Lee and Teaneck to Tenafly and Oradell.

JOB 1 · LEAK REPAIR

Skylight Leak Repair in Bergen County: How to Read the Symptoms

Most skylight leaks are not the skylight. Water gets in around the unit rather than through it, and what fails is the flashing that ties the skylight into the shingles, the seal between the glazing and the frame, or a wooden curb that was built on site and never properly wrapped. So before anyone talks about a new skylight, the job is to find where the water is actually entering.

The symptoms narrow it down fast. Tell us this much on the phone and we usually know what we are looking for before we get there.

A stain that starts at the top edge of the skylight and runs down. Usually the head flashing or the shingle course above it. Water coming down the roof is getting behind the metal instead of over it. That is a flashing repair.
It only leaks in wind-driven rain and stays dry in a steady downpour. Usually a gap in the step flashing along the sides. A hard sideways rain pushes water uphill under the shingles and it finds the opening; in normal rain, gravity carries it past. Also a flashing repair.
Fog, haze or moisture between the panes of glass. The insulated glass seal has failed. Nothing done on the roof will fix that. The unit gets replaced.
Water beading on the inside face of the glass on cold mornings, gone by lunchtime. That is normally condensation, not a leak. Humid indoor air is meeting cold glass. Where the skylight sits at the top of a boxed light shaft, poor airflow in the shaft makes it worse. A new skylight will not solve it; drier indoor air will help more.
Wetness that only shows up in winter, sometimes a few feet away from the skylight. Often an ice dam backing water up under the shingles. The skylight is where it finally comes through, not where it started.
Black roofing cement or tar smeared around the base. Someone already tried to patch it. Tar buys a season or two and then cracks. The flashing underneath still has to be opened up and done properly.

When the answer is flashing, the repair is contained work. We pull the shingles back around the unit, replace the step, head and apron flashing, run new ice-and-water shield where it belongs, and shingle back over the top. It is far less work than a replacement, and it holds, as long as the roof around it has life left. There is a reason not to sit on it. A leak that runs through a couple of winters soaks the plywood around the opening, and soft deck has to be cut out and replaced before anything can be flashed properly, so the same leak is a bigger job the longer it runs. If we find the surrounding roof is at the end of its run, we will say so rather than sell you a repair that outlives the roof. And if the water turns out not to be coming from the skylight at all, which happens, that is on our roof repair page.

JOB 2 · REPLACEMENT

Skylight Replacement: When the Unit Itself Is Finished

A skylight gets replaced when the unit is the problem, not the flashing around it. The signs are specific and you can check most of them yourself:

Fog, haze, mineral streaking or standing moisture between the panes. The glass seal is gone and no cleaning and no flashing work touches it.
A cracked, yellowed or chalky plastic dome. Older acrylic units go brittle in the sun and eventually craze right through.
A rotted wooden curb, or a frame that has warped, cracked or gone soft at a corner.
A venting skylight whose crank, motor or gasket has failed and no longer pulls the sash tight.
A unit noticeably older than the roof around it. Leaving an aging skylight in the middle of a new roof puts the oldest part of the system inside the newest.

There is one more reason to replace that rarely comes up at the kitchen table: no flashing kit is made for your unit any more. A skylight that cannot be properly flashed can only be sealed, and sealing is a maintenance schedule, not a repair. How the unit sits on the roof matters here too. Deck-mounted skylights sit low, right on the plywood, with a factory flashing kit made for that exact model and roof covering. Curb-mounted skylights sit on a raised wooden box built up off the deck, common on older homes and on low-slope roofs. A replacement normally goes back the same way it came out, and switching from one style to the other is carpentry, not a swap. Reusing an old, mismatched kit on a new skylight is how the leak comes back a year later.

Replacing a skylight is also more than changing the unit. Once the old skylight and its flashing are off, we look at what is underneath: the curb, the deck around the opening and the framing. Anything rotted gets cut out and replaced, because covering soft plywood with a shiny new unit is exactly how the same leak returns in two seasons. Then the new unit goes in with its own flashing kit, ice-and-water shield around the opening, and shingles laid back over the flashing in the correct order. Last question, and it decides the economics: how old is the roof? If it has years left, replace the skylight on its own. If it is close to the end, you are paying to open a roof you are about to tear off, and you will pay that opening and closing twice. In that case it is usually worth doing both together as one roof replacement.

JOB 3 · NEW INSTALLATION

New Skylight Installation in Bergen County, NJ

The cleanest time to add a skylight is while the roof is already open. The deck is exposed, the underlayment has not gone down yet, and the unit gets built into the system from the start rather than cut into finished shingles afterward.

That is how the Fort Lee job went in September 2026. We installed four new VELUX skylights with shades during a full roof replacement. They were set into a brand new 5/8 inch plywood deck, with GAF ice-and-water shield and GAF FeltBuster underlayment run around them as part of a complete GAF system. The VELUX units carry the VELUX 10-year no-leak warranty. The whole job is on the Fort Lee project page.

We also add skylights to roofs that are staying put, and it is worth being straight about the difference. Now we are cutting into sound roofing, framing the opening, and working new flashing back into existing shingle courses that have already weathered. It can be done well and we do it. It is simply more work per unit than the same skylight during a tear-off, and the new material sits against older material. If a re-roof is anywhere on your horizon, that is the moment to add skylights.

Things worth settling before anything is ordered:

Where it goes. Rafter spacing usually decides the practical width before taste does, because a wider opening means cutting a rafter and framing a header. A north-facing slope gives steady, even light. South and west slopes give heat and glare, which is where shades earn their keep, and they are worth ordering with the unit rather than adding later.
Fixed or venting. Fixed units are light only and have fewer parts to fail. Venting units, manual or electric, pull hot, damp air out of a bathroom or kitchen, but they add hardware and a gasket that has to stay sound.
How many. Two smaller units often light a room more evenly than one large one. Just remember that every skylight is another penetration in the roof, and each one has to be flashed right.
What sits between the roof and the room. In a cathedral ceiling the skylight opens straight into the space. Where there is attic above a flat ceiling, a light shaft has to be framed and finished between the two. Our scope is the roof side. The finish work inside that shaft is separate interior work, and we will say so plainly at the estimate rather than after.

Most of the skylights we handle are on residential roofs. We also work on commercial roofs that have skylight curbs, where the curb detail and the membrane, not the shingle courses, are where water gets in.

JOB 4 · REMOVAL & ROOF CLOSURE

Skylight Removal and Permanent Roof Closure

Not every skylight is worth keeping. Some were put in by a previous owner in the wrong spot. Some have leaked through two or three patch attempts. Some sit over a room that bakes every afternoon in July no matter what shade is on them. Removing the skylight and closing the roof is a legitimate answer, and it ends the leak permanently because there is no longer an opening to flash.

In Oradell in September 2026 we did exactly that. The old unit and its wooden curb came out. We framed the opening with new 2×6 rafters tied into the existing framing, decked it with new plywood, ran new ice-and-water shield, and blended new GAF shingles into the surrounding roof so the closure does not read as a patch from the street. The rest of the roof was left alone: targeted work, not a re-roof. One honest note on appearance, since it comes up every time: new shingles start out a little brighter than shingles that have been in the sun for years, and they even out as they weather. Photos from the job are on the Oradell skylight removal project page, and you can see how we work in Oradell.

The other thing to be straight about is where our work stops. Our scope is the roof side. Once the opening is framed, decked and shingled, you still have the old opening in the ceiling inside the house, and closing and finishing that ceiling is separate interior work. Ask us about it when we come out and we will show you exactly where our scope ends, so you can plan the rest of it properly instead of being surprised by it.

STEP BY STEP

A skylight removal in Oradell, from ceiling to finished roof

September 2026. The homeowner wanted the skylight gone for good. We took the unit and its wooden curb out, framed the opening with new 2×6 rafters, decked it with new plywood, ran new ice-and-water shield and blended new GAF shingles into the surrounding roof. Click any photo to enlarge. The full job is on the Oradell skylight removal project page.

WHICH ONE DO YOU NEED?

Skylight Repair, Replacement or Removal: Which One Do You Need?

Two questions settle this, and the order matters. First, is the problem the flashing around the unit or the unit itself? Fog or moisture between the panes, a crazed dome, a rotted curb or dead venting hardware points at the unit. Almost everything else, including dried caulk and a leak that only shows in wind-driven rain, points at the flashing. Second, and this is the one homeowners skip, how much life is left in the roof around it? A skylight and the roof it sits in are one system with one lifespan, and money spent on a skylight in a roof with three years left is money spent twice.

Repair the flashing when the glazing is clear, the frame and curb are solid, and the roof around it has real life left. This is the most common answer by a wide margin and the smallest of the four jobs.
Replace the unit when the glass seal has failed, the dome is cracked or crazed, the frame or curb has rotted, the venting hardware no longer closes tight, or no flashing kit is made for it any more. Replace it as well when the roof is coming off anyway and the skylight is older than what is going back on.
Remove it and close the roof when you do not actually want the light, when it has leaked through repeated repairs, or when it makes the room below unusable in summer. Plan for the interior ceiling work as a separate item.
Time it with the roof when the roof has only a few years left and the leak can be held safely in the meantime. This is not a fifth job, it is a decision about when to do one of the four, and we will tell you honestly whether waiting is safe.
If someone offers you a bead of sealant on a skylight that has already leaked twice, ask what is underneath it. Sealant buys a season, not a repair.

Timing is the lever on all of it. Anything done to a skylight goes better while the roof around it is open, because the deck is exposed, the underlayment has not gone down, and the flashing becomes part of the new system instead of an intrusion into a finished one. If a roof replacement is anywhere on your horizon, settle the skylight question at the same time. If it is not, a properly done flashing repair should carry you to that day without drama. You can see how we document this kind of work on our projects page, or book a free on-site estimate and we will give you the answer for your roof.

QUESTIONS WE GET

Skylight questions from Bergen County homeowners

My skylight is leaking. Does that mean I need a new skylight?

Usually not. Most skylight leaks are flashing leaks, meaning water is getting in around the unit rather than through it. If the glazing is clear and the frame and curb are solid, the fix is normally to open the shingles around the skylight, replace the step, head and apron flashing, run new ice-and-water shield and shingle back over it. Two things also get blamed on skylights constantly. In a Bergen County winter, an ice dam can back water under the shingles and deliver it at the skylight even though the skylight is fine. And a cold skylight over a humid bathroom or kitchen will sweat: if it only happens in cold weather and the wet surface is the inside face of the glass, that is condensation, not a leak. You need a new unit when the glass seal has failed and there is fog or moisture between the panes, when a plastic dome is cracked or crazed, or when the frame or wooden curb has rotted.

What drives the cost of skylight work in Bergen County?

Four things, mostly. First, which job it actually is. A flashing repair is contained work around one opening, while replacing a unit, cutting a new opening or removing one and reframing it are bigger jobs with framing and decking involved. Second, what is found underneath. A skylight that has been leaking quietly for years often has soft plywood or a rotted curb, and that has to be cut out and rebuilt before anything gets flashed. Third, how the unit is mounted and how the roof works: a curb-mounted unit is more involved than a deck-mounted one, and pitch, height, access and the number of skylights all change the work. Fourth, whether the roof around it is already open, which is when the labor overlaps. We would rather look at it than guess at a number, because the two things that move the price most, the condition of the deck under the flashing and how the unit is mounted, are not visible from the driveway. The on-site estimate is free.

How do I know when to replace a skylight instead of repairing it again?

Look at the unit first, not the ceiling. Replace it when the unit itself has failed rather than the flashing: fog, haze or mineral streaking between the panes, a cracked or yellowed acrylic dome, a soft or rotted frame or curb, venting hardware that no longer seals, or a model nobody makes a flashing kit for any more. If the glass is clear and tight and the frame is solid, the leak is almost certainly flashing, and flashing is repairable. Then look at the roof. If the roof is coming off and the skylight is older than the roof going on, replace it then. Leaving an aging unit in the middle of a brand new roof puts the oldest part of the system inside the newest, and it is the first thing that will leak.

Can you remove a skylight and close up the roof? What happens to the ceiling inside?

Yes, and it is often the right answer for a skylight that has leaked through repeated repairs or that you never wanted. It is proper carpentry and roofing, not a patch. In Oradell we removed the old unit and its wooden curb, framed the opening with new 2×6 rafters tied into the existing framing, decked it with new plywood, ran new ice-and-water shield and blended new GAF shingles into the surrounding roof. The rest of the roof was not touched. That is our scope: the roof side. Inside the house you are left with the old ceiling opening, and closing and finishing that is separate interior work. Ask us at the estimate and we will show you exactly where our work stops so you can plan the rest.

What warranty covers skylight work?

Two separate warranties cover two different things, and it is worth keeping them apart. The unit carries the manufacturer’s warranty: the VELUX skylights we installed in Fort Lee carry the VELUX 10-year no-leak warranty from VELUX. The roof around the unit is a separate matter. Top Roof is GAF Certified, so when a full GAF system goes on, meaning GAF ice-and-water shield, GAF underlayment and GAF shingles installed by a GAF Certified contractor, the roof can qualify for GAF’s enhanced system warranty coverage. That coverage is on the GAF roof system, not on the skylight unit. We install VELUX units and flash them to the manufacturer’s instructions; we do not claim to be a VELUX certified or authorized installer. Top Roof is licensed and insured in New Jersey under Home Improvement Contractor Registration #13VH11535000, and we will go over exactly what applies to your job before you sign anything.

Should I do the skylights at the same time as a roof replacement?

If the timing is anywhere close, yes. The deck is already open, the underlayment has not gone down, and the flashing gets built into the new system from the start instead of being cut into finished shingles later. That is how the Fort Lee job went: four new VELUX skylights with shades set into a new 5/8 inch plywood deck as part of a complete GAF system. The same logic applies to removals. If you want a skylight gone, say so before the new roof goes on, not after. One note on our current offer so nothing is misread: the $1,000 off promotion runs through November 30, 2026 and applies to full roof replacements only. Skylight repair, replacement, installation or removal on its own is not included, though if your skylight work is part of a full replacement, the promotion applies to the roof.

FREE ON-SITE ESTIMATE

Tell us what your skylight is doing

Call Top Roof at 201-989-0999 or book a free on-site estimate. Describe what you are seeing: where the stain sits, when it shows up, whether it only leaks in wind-driven rain, whether the glass fogs. We will look at the roof, the flashing, the deck and the unit, then tell you which of the four jobs you actually need and why, including the times when the answer is the cheap one and the times when the answer is to wait and do it with the roof.

Top Roof LLC is a GAF Certified roofing contractor at 4 W Palisade Ave #1206, Englewood, NJ 07631, licensed and insured under New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor Registration #13VH11535000, rated 5.0 from 115 Google reviews, serving all of Bergen County. Financing is available through Wisetack, including 0% for 24 months for qualified homeowners, subject to credit approval. Our $1,000 off promotion runs through November 30, 2026 and applies to full roof replacements only. It does not apply to skylight repair, replacement or removal on its own.