How Much Does a Skylight Cost to Install? (Cheltenham Guide)

As a broad 2026 UK guide, a skylight costs anywhere from around £900 for a small roof window to £8,000 or more for a large lantern or structural rooflight, all supplied and fitted. Because “skylight” covers several very different products, the only accurate figure for your project is a fixed written quote after a free survey.

People use the word skylight to mean everything from a modest roof window to a glazed roof lantern. This page gives you the lay of the land by type, so you can see roughly where your project sits before we visit.

Skylight prices by type (2026 guide)

• Pitched-roof window (VELUX-style): £900–£2,500 supplied and fitted
• Flat-roof skylight (fixed glass): £1,200–£4,000+
• Electric or opening skylight: £1,500–£4,000+
• Roof lantern: £2,000–£8,000+
• Walk-on glass rooflight: £3,000–£10,000+
• Conservation rooflight: a premium over a standard window of the same size

These ranges are indicative. They cover the unit, weatherproofing and our installation labour, but not structural work or new openings unless noted at survey. Your fixed price comes only after we assess your roof.

What affects the cost of a skylight

Type and size

This is the biggest driver. A small pitched-roof window and a 3-metre lantern are different products entirely. Within each type, larger apertures cost more.

Flat roof or pitched roof

Flat-roof skylights need a kerb or upstand and a different weatherproofing approach to pitched-roof windows. See our dedicated flat-roof skylight page.

Fixed or opening

A fixed pane is the most economical. Manual, electric or solar opening adds ventilation and convenience at a premium.

Glazing

Solar control, acoustic, self-cleaning and triple glazing all add cost while improving comfort and running costs. Our energy-efficient skylight page covers the options.

Structure and access

Forming a new opening, working at height or needing scaffolding all add to labour and equipment costs.

Matching the skylight to the local property type

Across Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Cotswolds, the right product — and therefore the right budget — tends to follow the kind of roof you have, and it pays to choose by property rather than by headline price. Here is how it usually breaks down locally:

• Modern estates (Bishop’s Cleeve, Brockworth, the newer fringes of Tewkesbury and Gloucester): flat-roof rooflights and lanterns on recent rear extensions, usually kerb-ready, sitting comfortably in the mid ranges.
• Inter-war and post-war semis (Hatherley, Warden Hill, Charlton Kings): pitched-roof VELUX-style windows for lofts, and lanterns on garden-room extensions; generous access keeps these predictable.
• Regency and Victorian Cheltenham (Montpellier, Pittville, the Suffolks, Tivoli): often a flat-roof skylight or lantern hidden on a rear addition, or a conservation rooflight where the slope is visible from the street.
• Cotswold stone properties (Winchcombe, the villages towards Cirencester and Stroud): conservation rooflights and carefully detailed roof windows that respect natural stone slate and heritage roof lines.

Which building control applies, and the conservation question

Because we cover several local authorities, the building control body for your work depends on where you are: Cheltenham Borough Council in town, Tewkesbury Borough Council out towards Bishop’s Cleeve and Winchcombe, Cotswold District Council around Cirencester, and Stroud District Council to the south. Cheltenham’s Regency conservation areas and the Cotswold-stone village settings can both influence which product is acceptable, particularly on a roof slope facing a public street or on a listed building. None of this changes our installation pricing — consent is always a separate matter — but choosing the right product first time avoids paying twice, and we will steer you at survey.

Worked examples

Example 1 — single flat-roof rooflight. A 1m x 1m fixed flat-roof skylight on an existing kerb. Indicative total around £1,400–£2,000.

Example 2 — loft and landing. Two medium pitched-roof windows, one manual and one electric. Indicative total around £3,000–£4,200.

Example 3 — mixed scheme on a Cheltenham extension. A 2m lantern over the dining area plus a fixed rooflight over the utility, single-storey with good access. Indicative total around £5,500–£7,500 for the pair, with one survey covering both.

These are guide figures only. The accurate number is the fixed written quote after survey.

Ways to keep the cost sensible

• Match the product to the room. You may not need a large lantern where a couple of roof windows would do.
• Bundle the work. One survey and shared access across several units lowers the per-unit cost.
• Be selective with upgrades. Concentrate premium glazing where it earns its keep.
• Reuse openings. Replacing like-for-like avoids structural work.
• Choose by property, not by headline price. The cheapest product is rarely the right one for a Cotswold stone roof or a street-facing Regency slope.

Why the quote matters more than the guide

With so many product types, a guide range can only point you in the right direction. We survey your roof for free, then issue a fixed written quote tailored to your project, backed by our written guarantee on our workmanship.

Drill into the specific products on our roof lantern cost and flat-roof skylight cost pages, or when you are ready, get a quote and we will give you an accurate, fixed price after a free survey.