Deck-Mounted Skylights in North Kingstown, RI — Granite Gray Colonial

Like most Pinnacle projects, the work was completed efficiently — minimizing disruption for the property owner.

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A large historic white-clapboard Colonial in North Kingstown, RI sets the tone for its New England village street — black shutters and doors, a Palladian half-round gable window, a picket fence and gardens out front. This home carries a flat membrane rooftop terrace between its pitched Granite Gray shingle roofs, and that low-slope deck is exactly where the owners wanted daylight below. Pinnacle installed a set of deck-mounted VELUX skylights into the white membrane, letting light pour into the rooms underneath without disturbing the colonial’s historic lines.

Scope of Work

A flat membrane terrace is a different animal than a shingled slope, so our crew planned the flashing for standing water, not just runoff. We laid out the openings clear of the terrace’s structure, built up the curbs to the correct height above the membrane, and set the deck-mounted units so their frames sit proud of any pooling. The membrane was dressed and heat-welded up onto each curb, then the skylight’s own flashing was married to it so water sheds outward at every edge. Interior wells were finished to draw the daylight straight down, and each unit was water-tested before we called it complete. Our Skylights service covers this kind of low-slope detail specifically.

What We Installed (And Why)

We set deck-mounted VELUX skylights into the home’s white membrane terrace, chosen because deck-mount units seat low and clean — ideal on a flat surface where a tall curb would look out of place and catch water. The pitched roofs framing the terrace wear Granite Gray CertainTeed Landmark shingle, a cool, understated gray that keeps the historic exterior looking period-correct and lets the eye move past the roof to the architecture. On a landmark home like this, choices that stay quiet and correct are worth more than anything flashy.

On low slope, height is everything: the curbs were built up so the glass and frames sit above any water that lingers after a storm, and the membrane was welded up onto them so there is no seam for water to find. That is the single detail most crews get wrong on flat roofs, and it is why deck-mounted skylights sometimes earn a bad reputation they do not deserve. The result here is a terrace that still reads as clean white membrane, punctuated by skylights that flood the interior with even overhead light while staying completely weathertight.

Project Photo Gallery

New skylight brings natural light into the finished roof

Deck-mounted skylight with clean flashing

Interior daylight from the new skylight

Good To Know: Can you put skylights in a flat roof?

Yes — but a flat or low-slope roof needs a raised curb so the unit sits above standing water, and the membrane has to be flashed up onto that curb, not just butted against it. That is exactly how we handled this North Kingstown terrace. Done correctly, a deck-mounted skylight performs just as reliably on membrane as it does on a shingled slope, and it opens up daylight in rooms a pitched roof simply could not reach. The key is a crew that treats the curb and the weld as carefully as the skylight itself.

Why This Approach Works

Overhead daylight from a flat terrace reaches interior rooms that side windows simply cannot, and on a historic home it adds light without altering a single sightline from the street. By raising the curbs and welding the membrane up onto them, we solved the one thing that makes low-slope skylights fail — water that sits instead of runs. The homeowner gets bright, naturally lit rooms and a terrace that stays sealed year-round, even through the wind-driven rain and snow that a North Kingstown winter delivers. It is a solution that respects the past and improves the present at the same time.

Why Pinnacle

Since 2012, Pinnacle Roofing & Skylights has installed skylights across Rhode Island as a VELUX 5-Star Skylight Specialist, the top installer credential VELUX awards — which matters most on tricky low-slope work like a membrane terrace. Our reputation is built on 100+ five-star Google reviews, a BBB A+ rating and full RI licensing. We treat historic homes with the care they deserve, keeping the character intact while modernizing what happens inside, and we document every step so homeowners know exactly what went into their roof.

North Kingstown, RI

North Kingstown pairs its village charm and coastal history with a deep stock of Colonials and historic homes that reward careful, character-respecting work. It is a community where craftsmanship shows, and where the salt air and open exposure put roofs to a real test. See our North Kingstown roofing services for the full range.