Adding Skylights to an Existing Roof: A Cumberland VELUX Retrofit

You do not always have to wait for a new roof to add a skylight. When the existing roof is sound and has plenty of life left, skylights can be cut in and flashed into it as a standalone project — done correctly, with the same watertight result as a skylight installed during a re-roof. This Cumberland home had VELUX skylights added to its existing roof to brighten the rooms below.

A Cumberland home had VELUX skylights retrofitted into its existing, sound roof, cut in and flashed with engineered metal so the additions are as watertight as the surrounding roof. This project is in Cumberland, Rhode Island using VELUX skylights.

Scope of Work

The work added skylights to a roof that did not need replacing. Each opening was cut cleanly through the roof and framed, and a VELUX skylight was set on its curb and integrated with its engineered metal flashing kit: a sill piece at the bottom, step flashing woven up the sides into the existing shingle courses, a head piece at the top, and ice-and-water membrane lapped up the curb beneath. The surrounding shingles were carefully lifted and re-laid over the flashing so water sheds across the new skylight exactly as it does across the rest of the roof. Inside, a finished light shaft carries the daylight down to the ceiling of the room below. Done this way, the retrofit skylights become a seamless, watertight part of an existing roof.

What We Installed (And Why)

Retrofitting a skylight into an existing roof is a real skill, and the key is treating the flashing exactly as carefully as you would on a new roof — because the surrounding shingles are already down, the installer has to open them up, integrate the new flashing, and re-lay them so nothing about the water path is compromised. The right way starts with confirming the existing roof is a good candidate: sound shingles with years of life left, solid decking, and a location that lands cleanly between the rafters. Then the opening is cut and framed, and the VELUX unit is set and flashed with its engineered metal kit — the same sill, step, and head flashing that keeps any skylight dry — with the existing shingle courses lapped back over it so water steps across the skylight and off the roof. Ice-and-water membrane goes up the curb as a backup barrier. This is where a skilled installer matters most: a retrofit done with caulk instead of proper flashing, or with the surrounding shingles carelessly re-laid, is exactly the kind of job that leaks and gives skylights their bad name. Done correctly, a retrofit skylight is every bit as watertight as one installed during a re-roof, and it lets a homeowner bring daylight into a dark room now — over a stairwell, a bath, a kitchen, or a central room — without waiting years for the roof to need replacing. On this Cumberland home, adding VELUX skylights to the existing roof the right way brought new light into the house on its own schedule.

Project Photo Gallery

The Cumberland home with VELUX skylights added to its existing roof

Two retrofit VELUX skylights on the roof

Good To Know: Can you add a skylight without replacing the whole roof?

Yes, and it is a common project when the existing roof is in good shape. If your shingles are sound with years of life left and the decking is solid, a skylight can be cut into that roof and flashed in as a standalone job, with the same watertight result as one installed during a re-roof. The critical part is the flashing. Because the surrounding shingles are already in place, the installer has to open them up, set the skylight on its curb, integrate the engineered metal flashing kit — sill, step, and head pieces — and then carefully re-lay the existing shingle courses over that flashing so water sheds across the new skylight just as it does across the rest of the roof, with ice-and-water membrane up the curb as backup. This is where the skill shows: a retrofit that relies on caulk, or that re-lays the surrounding shingles sloppily, is the kind of job that leaks. Done properly, a retrofit skylight is completely reliable, and it means you do not have to wait for a new roof to bring daylight into a dark room. The one time to hold off is when the roof is near the end of its life anyway — then it makes more sense to add the skylights during the re-roof, so the new flashing integrates into new shingles. On this Cumberland home, the existing roof was a good candidate, so the VELUX skylights were added to it directly.

Why This Approach Works

When an existing roof is sound with life left, skylights can be retrofitted into it and flashed with engineered metal to the same watertight standard as a re-roof install. The skill is in opening the existing shingles, integrating the flashing, and re-laying them so the water path is never compromised.

Why Pinnacle

Retrofit skylight work rewards a contractor who flashes the addition into the existing roof as carefully as on a new one, so a homeowner can add daylight now without a full re-roof. Pinnacle installs as a VELUX 5-Star Skylight Specialist, to the manufacturer’s specification. We’ve served Rhode Island since 2012, hold a 5.0-star Google rating across 100+ reviews and an A+ BBB rating — see our full credentials.

Cumberland, Rhode Island

Cumberland is a wooded town in Rhode Island’s northeast corner, full of established homes with sound roofs and shaded, dark interior rooms that owners want to brighten without a major project. Retrofitting VELUX skylights into a good existing roof suits Cumberland homes that need more daylight but not yet a new roof. Explore our work across Cumberland roofing services.