How to Take Measurements When Buying or Replacing a Rooflight

Getting a new rooflight or replacing your existing one is always exciting. A rooflight can completely transform the way your home looks, and it is a considerable monetary investment, so there’s a lot on the line to get it right. 

roof windows measurments

And the first step to buying the right rooflight is taking the measurements correctly. How can you do it? Do you need any special equipment or skills? This article aims to answer all your questions.

Are You Installing a New Rooflight or Replacing an Existing One?

This question is central to how you take measurements.

Replacing Existing Rooflights

if you already have a rooflight in place, it is very likely you have an upstand on the roof. If that’s the case, then there are two key measurements you need to take here:

  • The external measurement you take by measuring the distance from one external edge of the upstand to the other.
  • The internal measurement you take by measuring the distance from one internal edge of the upstand to the other.

Now that you have these measurements, that’s it. You’re ready to shop for a replacement rooflight. Most stores and manufacturers list the external upstand size suitable for their rooflight windows. So you can check your measurements against those to see if there’s anything suitable for you. Of course, you can also directly contact a store and give them both your external and internal upstand measures and ask them to help to find you a suitable rooflight, and they’ll be more than happy to oblige.

Installing New Rooflights

On the other hand, if your goal is to install a new rooflight, then it is most likely that you also need to install an insulated upstand with it too. So, when taking measurements, you need to account for both of them.

The key measurement you want to take here is the roof opening. This is where the upstand and ultimately the rooflight will be installed. After taking the roof opening measurements, you can look at the ‘internal aperture’ measurements on product web pages. If the internal aperture matches your roof opening measurements, it means the rooflight is suitable for your home.

And as always, if you have trouble finding a suitable product, you can always contact the store directly, and they’ll be more than happy to help you find suitable windows whether you want flat roof skylights, access rooflights, or flat glass rooflights.flat glass rooflights