Skylight Installation Cost
Installing a new skylight costs $1,500–$4,700 depending on type — and replacing an existing one runs just $800–$2,400. Compare fixed, ventilating, and $500–$1,000 tubular sun tunnels, priced per unit.
Three choices set a skylight bill: whether you're cutting a new opening or replacing a unit in an existing one (replacement runs about half), what type goes in — from budget sun tunnels to roof windows that open — and how many, since each skylight is its own cut, flashing kit, and finish.
New opening, or replacing an existing skylight?
Cutting a new opening means roof work, framing, flashing, and finishing the light shaft inside. Swapping a new unit into an existing opening is roughly half the money.
What type of skylight?
Fixed units just let light in — the popular default. Ventilating models open like a roof window to vent heat and steam (electric and solar-opening versions sit at the top of the range). Tubular sun tunnels pipe daylight through a reflective tube — a fraction of the cost, sized for hallways and bathrooms.
How many?
Each skylight is its own cut, flashing kit, and interior finish, so they price per unit. Kitchens and great rooms often take them in pairs.
Cost to install a new fixed skylight
$1,500–$4,000
the unit, roof cutting, framing, flashing, and finishing the light shaft inside
The leak reputation is a flashing problem, not a skylight problem
Modern skylights don't leak — badly installed flashing does, which is why the installer matters more than the brand. Two timing rules: if your roof needs replacing within a few years, do both together (the flashing integrates into fresh roofing for less), and if a bid seems cheap, ask exactly who's cutting the roof and warrantying the water-tightness — roofer and carpenter is the right answer more often than handyman.
The sun tunnel is the deal hiding in this market
For a dark hallway, bathroom, or closet, a tubular skylight delivers real daylight for $500–$1,000 — a fraction of a framed skylight — because its 10–22 inch tube fits between rafters with no framing and no drywall shaft. It works on roof pitches from 15 to 60 degrees and installs in hours. The trade: light, not sky — no view, no ventilation.
Installed prices per skylight: fixed units run $150–$800 plus labor, ventilating units $300–$2,000 (electric and solar-opening models at the top), sun tunnels $150–$500. Size moves new-install totals modestly ($1,400–$4,600 from small to large). Assumes standard pitched-roof installs; flat roofs price differently, and vaulted light shafts or structural reframing push past the range. Replacement assumes a same-size swap — enlarging the opening is new-install money.
💡About this calculator▼
Few upgrades change a room like daylight from above — and few carry a worse folk reputation, thanks to a generation of skylights that leaked. The modern reality is friendlier on both counts: today's units are engineered weatherproof systems, and the pricing is simpler than most roof work. What type of skylight, whether the opening already exists, and how many — that's the whole bill.
The type ladder: a fixed skylight — glass that lets light in and nothing else — runs $1,500–$4,000 installed. A ventilating skylight that opens like a roof window to dump heat and shower steam runs $1,600–$4,700, with electric and solar-opening models at the top. And the sleeper of the category: the tubular sun tunnel at $500–$1,000, which pipes daylight through a reflective tube small enough to fit between rafters — the right answer for dark hallways and windowless bathrooms far more often than people know.
The other halving question: does the opening already exist? Swapping a new unit into an existing skylight's framing runs $800–$2,400 — about half of cutting fresh, because the roof surgery, framing, and interior light shaft are already done.
Pick your job and type below, count your openings, and you'll have the range — plus the one piece of advice that outranks any price: the installer's flashing work matters more than the skylight's brand.
The job type sets the base, the skylight type sets the lane, and each opening prices as its own unit.
New openings. Cutting a skylight into a finished roof is a small, complete construction project: cutting through roofing and decking, framing the opening, setting the unit, integrating flashing with the surrounding roof, and building the interior light shaft that carries daylight through the attic to the ceiling. Installed pricing by type: fixed $1,500–$4,000, ventilating $1,600–$4,700, tubular sun tunnels $500–$1,000. The units themselves are a fraction of those figures (fixed $150–$800, ventilating $300–$2,000, tubular $150–$500) — the labor and weatherproofing are the product.
Replacements. A same-size swap into existing framing runs $800–$2,400 — the opening, shaft, and framing already exist, so you're paying for the unit, fresh flashing, and careful integration. Most replacements happen for age (failed seals, fogged glass, brittle flashing) or during a roof replacement, which is the ideal moment: the new flashing integrates into new roofing at its cheapest.
The multiplier. Skylights price per unit because each one is its own cut, flashing kit, and finish — there's no meaningful bulk discount in the published data. Kitchens and great rooms commonly take pairs; hallways and baths take single sun tunnels.
📐How it's calculated▼
Total = per-unit cost × number of skylights.
New installation, by type: fixed $1,500–$4,000 · ventilating $1,600–$4,700 · tubular sun tunnel $500–$1,000.
Replacing an existing skylight: $800–$2,400 regardless of type — the opening and framing already exist.
Size moves new-install totals modestly within the bands — published size pricing runs from $1,400–$4,100 for a compact 21"×38" unit to $1,700–$4,600 for a large 46"×46" — which is why type, not dimensions, is the first question. The unit prices inside the installed figures: fixed $150–$800, ventilating $300–$2,000 (electric and solar-opening at the top), tubular $150–$500. The rest is roof work.
🔍Finding your inputs▼
New opening, or replacing an existing skylight? If there's a skylight there now and you're keeping its size, you're in the half-price replacement lane. Two cautions: enlarging the opening is new-install money (the framing changes), and if your roof is due for replacement within a few years, coordinate — skylight flashing integrates into fresh roofing for less than retrofitting it later.
What type? Fixed is the default for living spaces that want light and sky. Choose ventilating for kitchens and bathrooms — venting heat and steam at the ceiling is what those rooms actually need, and it's worth the modest premium (manual-crank models keep it small; electric and solar-opening push the top). Choose the tubular sun tunnel when the goal is purely light in a dark hallway, closet, or windowless bath — it's a fraction of the cost because it needs no framing and no drywall shaft.
How many? Count the openings. Each is its own job, so two skylights cost roughly twice one — plan the layout once with the installer rather than adding a second later and paying two mobilizations.
⚠️Special situations▼
My roof needs replacing in the next few years
Sequence them together if you can — skylight flashing integrates into new roofing at its cheapest and most reliable, and roofers price skylight installs attractively when they're already on the roof. If the roof project can't wait for the skylight budget, at least rough in the plan: tell the roofer where future skylights go so the underlayment and flashing details don't have to be undone later.
My existing skylight is foggy between the panes
That's a failed seal — the insulated glass unit has lost its gas fill and taken on moisture — and it's the classic replacement trigger at $800–$2,400. It won't fix itself and it slowly worsens, but it's not urgent-leak territory. If the skylight is 20+ years old, replace the whole unit rather than hunting replacement glass: modern units out-insulate their ancestors substantially, and the flashing is likely as tired as the seal.
I want light in a hallway or bathroom with no exterior wall
This is the sun tunnel's exact job: $500–$1,000 installed, a 10–22 inch reflective tube from roof to ceiling, no framing, no light shaft, working on roof pitches from 15 to 60 degrees. Real daylight, not sky — no view, no ventilation, no stargazing. For a windowless bathroom that needs venting too, price the sun tunnel plus a quality exhaust fan; the pair usually still undercuts one framed skylight.
Will a skylight cook my room in summer or leak heat in winter?
Managed, no: modern units carry low-E coatings and insulated glass, and the orientation does the rest — north-facing gives soft consistent light, south-facing maximizes winter sun (and summer heat without shading). The honest add-ons: factory blinds or shades handle summer gain, and a ventilating model over a kitchen actively helps by exhausting heat. The single-pane acrylic bubbles of the 1980s earned the bad reputation; their descendants don't deserve it.
Can I install a skylight myself?
The carpentry is within a serious DIYer's reach; the flashing is where the project bites. Every skylight failure story is a water story, integration with shingles is craft rather than instructions, and a mistake shows up as a ceiling stain two winters later — long after the return window. Sun tunnels are the honest DIY candidate (flexible-tube kits are genuinely homeowner-friendly). For framed skylights, pay for the installation and put your DIY energy into the interior painting.
❓Common questions▼
How much does it cost to install a skylight?
Installing a new skylight costs $1,500–$4,000 for a fixed unit, $1,600–$4,700 for a ventilating model that opens, and $500–$1,000 for a tubular sun tunnel — installed, per skylight. Replacing a unit in an existing opening runs $800–$2,400, roughly half of cutting new, because the framing and interior shaft already exist.
What is the difference between fixed, vented, and tubular skylights?
Fixed skylights are sealed glass — daylight and sky views, nothing moving. Ventilating skylights open like roof windows (by crank, electric motor, or solar-powered motor) to vent heat and moisture — the kitchen-and-bathroom choice. Tubular sun tunnels pipe daylight from a small roof dome through a reflective tube to a ceiling diffuser — the budget option for spaces that just need light, with no view and no ventilation.
Do skylights leak?
Well-installed modern skylights don't — the leak reputation comes from older units and, above all, from bad flashing work. Flashing is the metal weatherproofing that weaves the skylight into the surrounding roof, it's craftsmanship rather than a part, and it's the reason installer choice matters more than brand choice. The best insurance: proper flashing kits, an installer who warranties water-tightness in writing, and pairing installation with roof replacement when the timing allows.
How much does a sun tunnel cost compared to a skylight?
A tubular sun tunnel runs $500–$1,000 installed against $1,500–$4,700 for a framed skylight — a third or less. The economics come from what it skips: no roof framing, no drywall light shaft, just a 10–22 inch tube fitting between existing rafters, installed in hours. The trade-off is experience: bright, natural light without the view of sky. For hallways, closets, laundry rooms, and windowless baths, it's usually the rational buy.
Do skylights add value to a home?
They add appeal more than appraised dollars — natural light consistently ranks near the top of buyer wish lists, and a dark kitchen or bath transformed by daylight shows dramatically better. Value depends on execution: a well-placed, well-flashed skylight in a living space reads as a premium feature, while a stained ceiling around a leaky one reads as a liability. Install for the decade you'll live under it, not the sale price.
How long does skylight installation take?
A straightforward replacement takes a few hours to half a day. A new framed skylight typically runs one to two days — roof cutting and flashing on day one, the interior light shaft and drywall finishing filling the rest. Sun tunnels install in two to four hours. Weather is the scheduler: installers want a dry window for the hours the roof is open, so expect flexibility in the booking.
🔗 Related Calculators
Roof Replacement Cost Calculator
Estimate what a roof replacement will cost. Compare asphalt shingle, metal, and tile by roof size, pitch, and tear-off, and see a realistic low-to-high installed price range.
Bathroom Exhaust Fan Cost
Replacing a bathroom fan costs $150–$550; installing one from scratch with new wiring and outside venting runs $250–$950+. Price your job and fan type — and see what size fan your bathroom actually needs.
Window Replacement ROI Calculator
Estimate the cost of replacing your windows, how much you recoup at resale (cost vs. value), your net cost, and an honest look at the real — usually modest — energy savings.
Ceiling Fan Installation Cost
Estimate the cost to install a ceiling fan — the fan plus labor. The price hinges on your wiring: replacing an existing fan is cheap, a brand-new location is far more. See ranges by scenario, fan grade, ceiling height, and switch work.