VELUX Skylights on a Westerly GAF Timberline HDZ and Standing-Seam Metal Roof

This Westerly home brought two roofing systems together — a GAF Timberline HDZ asphalt roof in Oyster Gray over the main slopes and a standing-seam metal section on a lower roof — and asked for VELUX skylights integrated seamlessly into both. Pinnacle installed the glass as part of the roof rather than an afterthought, so the daylight came in and the weather stayed out. Pinnacle roofs go on fast — often as a one-day roof replacement — and flexible financing keeps a project like this within reach, with plans as low as 0% interest for 18 months.

Genuine VELUX skylights were set and flashed into the new roof as it went up, with a GAF Timberline HDZ field in Oyster Gray and a standing-seam metal accent tying the design together. This project is in Westerly, Rhode Island, finished in GAF Timberline HDZ — Oyster Gray.

Scope of Work

The main roof was stripped to the deck and rebuilt as a complete system: ice-and-water shield along the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment across the field, and GAF Timberline HDZ shingles in Oyster Gray fastened up each slope. As the field was shingled, the VELUX units were set into the roof and flashed course by course — the engineered VELUX flashing kit woven directly into the shingles, with ice-and-water membrane lapped up the skylight curbs to create a continuous barrier from the deck to the frame. The standing-seam metal section on the lower roof was detailed separately, with fasteners, flashing, and sealants matched to the metal system, because mixing incompatible metals invites corrosion and premature failure. Every transition between the asphalt field, the metal panels, and the skylight curbs was integrated with layered metal flashing rather than sealant alone.

What We Installed (And Why)

The skylights are the reason this roof exists as it does, and the way they were installed is the whole story. VELUX sells its units as No Leak Skylights because each one ships with a flashing kit engineered to the roof covering, and it is that factory flashing — woven into the shingles as the roof is built — that does the waterproofing, not a bead of caulk. The glass itself is a sealed, insulated unit with a low-E coating that lets daylight pour in while cutting the summer heat gain and winter heat loss of ordinary glass. Under and around the skylights, GAF Timberline HDZ carries the main roof: it is the best-selling architectural shingle in the country, built with GAF’s LayerLock layered construction and a wide nailing zone, rated to 130 mph winds, finished with StainGuard algae protection to fight coastal streaking, and carrying a Class A fire rating. The Oyster Gray color is a soft, warm-neutral gray that keeps the home light and current. The standing-seam metal section adds both a design accent and a practical benefit on its low-slope run — its concealed-fastener, interlocking panels shed water and snow cleanly and carry a service life measured in decades, with no exposed nail heads to back out over time.

Project Photo Gallery

Oyster Gray project in Westerly, RI

Westerly, RI — skylights detail

Westerly, RI project detail

Completed Westerly, RI project

Good To Know: Why install skylights during a roof replacement instead of adding them later?

Because the flashing can only be built correctly while the roof is open. When a skylight goes in with a new roof, the VELUX flashing kit is integrated into fresh underlayment and woven course by course into new shingles, so water is carried over and around the unit by layered metal — the same principle that keeps a valley or a chimney dry. Cutting a skylight into a finished roof later means slicing back through shingles that were just installed and relying on sealant to close the gap, and sealant always fails before the roof does. Installing the glass and the roof together seals the whole system once, correctly, and is exactly why VELUX backs a properly installed unit with its No Leak promise.

Why This Approach Works

Bringing three systems together on one roof — asphalt shingle, standing-seam metal, and skylight glass — is where flashing detail matters most, and where a single crew responsible for every junction beats separate trades handing off to each other. Each transition here was built with interlocking metal rather than caulk, so water can only move one way: down and off the roof.

Why Pinnacle

Skylight work rewards a contractor certified at the top of the manufacturer’s program. 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.

Westerly, Rhode Island

Westerly sits at Rhode Island’s southwestern corner, where the beaches of Watch Hill and Misquamicut meet a mix of historic downtown blocks and coastal homes. Salt air, strong shoreline sun, and the occasional storm off the Sound make durable, well-flashed roofing essential here — and skylights, done right, turn Westerly’s abundant coastal light into the best feature of a room. Integrating VELUX glass into a new roof is the way to bring that light in and know it will stay dry through decades of shoreline weather. Explore our work across Westerly roofing services.