Roof Lanterns &
Skylights in
Chester & North Wales
Made For Trade roof lanterns with Tuffx solar-control glass — flood a flat-roof extension with daylight, cut overheating in summer, keep the heat in during winter. Fitted by a team that gets the flashing detail right.
Roof Lanterns — the honest version
What it is
A roof lantern is a pitched glazed structure fitted on top of a flat-roof extension or orangery — an aluminium ridge and rafters carrying large glazed panels that let daylight flood into the room below.
Who it's for
Homeowners with flat-roofed rear extensions, kitchen-diners, orangeries and single-storey side returns that feel dark. New-builds where a lantern is designed in from the start.
When to book it
Best fitted at the point of a rear extension build or a flat-roof refurbishment — the upstand, flashing and structural opening are much easier to get right when the roof is being worked on anyway.
Why it matters who fits it
A lantern lives or dies on the upstand build, the flashing detail and the glass spec. We fit Made For Trade with Tuffx glass because both are engineered to the tolerances that make a lantern watertight and thermally sound.
What happens if you leave it — and what most people get wrong
A leaking or overheating roof lantern turns your best room into your worst. Both problems come from install and spec, not from lanterns being a bad idea.
- •Poor upstand construction — undersized timber, no correct DPC — is the number one cause of lantern leaks.
- •Missing or badly detailed flashings let water track under the lantern base and into the ceiling.
- •Clear glass instead of solar-control glass on a south-facing lantern makes the room 30°C in summer.
- •Uninsulated aluminium rafters cold-bridge in winter, causing condensation to drip inside.
- •Buying a lantern online and having a builder fit it — nobody's responsible when it leaks a year later.
- •Skipping solar-control glass to save money on a south-facing installation.
- •Undersized upstand kerbs that don't clear the finished roof covering — water pools around the lantern base.
- •Cutting corners on the roof lead work, then blaming the lantern when it leaks.
Five steps, no surprises
Every install runs the same way. It's how we hit 3-week lead times on standard jobs and 48-hour survey turnaround.
Free On-Site Survey
We come out within 48 hours of your enquiry, measure every aperture accurately and check reveals, sills, lintels and drainage. No pressure, no gimmicks.
Written, Itemised Quote
You get a fully itemised quote — profile system, glass spec, colour, hardware and finish. Composite doors back in 24 hours, windows typically within 3 days.
Order & Manufacture
Once approved, we place the order with our trade suppliers. Standard windows and doors run ~3 weeks, bespoke items 4–5 weeks. Stock composite doors 7–10 days.
Expert Installation
Our own installers fit every job. Frames set square and plumb, sealed with low-modulus silicone and expanding foam, internal beading, no drafts or gaps.
Testing & Handover
Every window and door is tested for operation, locking and seal. Site left clean, old frames removed, care advice given, guarantees registered with Assure.
What you actually get — not marketing talk
3–5× More Daylight
A lantern lets in significantly more light per square metre than vertical windows — transforms dark rear kitchens.
Solar-Control Tuffx Glass
Reflects summer heat, retains winter heat, self-cleans in rain. Keeps the room comfortable year-round.
Slim Sightlines
Made For Trade rafters as slim as 60mm — more glass, less frame, more light.
Thermally Broken
Polyamide thermal break in every rafter — no cold bridging, no interior condensation.
Any RAL Colour
Match the aluminium ridge and rafters to your window frames or extension detail.
Weather-Tight for Decades
When the upstand and flashings are done properly, a lantern outlasts most flat roofs — we've replaced roofs under lanterns still going strong at 15+ years.
How we spec & fit roof lanterns
A roof lantern is 30% product, 70% install. The upstand, the flashings, the DPC, the glass spec and the rafter alignment together decide whether it's a jewel or a headache.
Materials & systems
Made For Trade Lantern
Thermally broken aluminium ridge and rafters with 60mm sightlines. Powder-coated any RAL colour, dual-colour standard.
Tuffx Sealed Units
Toughened solar-control self-cleaning glass. Argon-filled, warm-edge spacer, low-e coating. Reflects heat in summer, retains it in winter.
Upstand
Timber or GRP kerb built to the correct height above the finished roof covering, insulated to match the rest of the extension roof.
Flashings
Code 4 or Code 5 lead or GRP flashings, dressed correctly onto the upstand and roof covering with no shortcuts.
How we install
- Upstand construction checked or built ourselves to spec — right height, right size, right insulation.
- DPC and roof covering flashings integrated correctly with the upstand before the lantern goes on.
- Ridge and rafters set to true square, glass loaded and pointed with structural silicone.
- Perimeter of the lantern sealed with structural silicone and, where appropriate, additional weathering flashings.
- Water test with a hose before we leave site — if it doesn't leak under a hose, it won't leak in rain.
Variations & options
Rectangular Lantern
The default — 4-sided pitched glass roof. Sizes from ~1×1m up to 4×2m and beyond.
Square Lantern
Symmetrical hipped roof, ideal for centre-of-ceiling installs in dining rooms and orangeries.
Long Ridge Lantern
Elongated for wide extensions — 3m+ ridge lengths with intermediate rafters.
Traditional Orangery Lantern
Larger, taller design with an enclosed insulated perimeter — the classic orangery look.
Rooflight (Flat Fixed Skylight)
For when a pitched lantern is too tall or the aperture is small — a large fixed glass panel flush with the roof line.
Situations we typically fit this for
- Flat-roofed rear extensions that feel dark, especially kitchens with an island in the middle.
- Orangery-style extensions where a central lantern is the design feature.
- Side returns on Victorian and Edwardian houses converted into kitchen-diners.
- Replacing failed or leaking 1990s and 2000s lanterns with modern thermally-broken systems.
- New-build extensions designed around a central lantern from day one.
Roof Lanterns we've fitted across Chester & North Wales
Real jobs — measured, ordered and fitted by our own team.
Roof Lanterns — your questions answered
How much does a roof lantern cost fitted?
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It depends on the size of the aperture, the glass specification and the colour — larger spans and bespoke RAL finishes cost more. Upstand build, if it isn't already in place, is quoted separately.
How long does installation take?
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1 day on site for a standard lantern where the upstand is already built. 2–3 days if we're building or rebuilding the upstand as part of the job.
Will the lantern leak?
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Not when the upstand, flashings and lantern are installed correctly. Every install we do is water-tested with a hose before we leave. Leaking lanterns are almost always an install problem, not a product problem.
Will the room be too hot in summer?
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Not with Tuffx solar-control glass — it reflects a significant proportion of solar heat back while still letting daylight through. We wouldn't fit clear glass on a south-facing lantern.
Does the glass self-clean?
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Yes — Tuffx units include a self-cleaning coating that breaks down dirt and helps water sheet off during rain. Perfect for hard-to-reach roof glass.
What size lantern do I need?
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Rule of thumb: aim for around 20–25% of the roof area to be glazed for a genuinely light-filled room. We advise at survey based on room proportions and orientation.
Do I need planning permission for a roof lantern?
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Usually not — a lantern is normally a change to an existing roof and falls under permitted development. Conservation areas and listed buildings are exceptions. We check at survey.
What guarantee do I get?
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10 years on the lantern frame and finish, 5 years on Tuffx glass, plus the Assure Insurance-Backed Guarantee. Upstand and flashing work carries our workmanship guarantee.
Can you replace an old leaking lantern?
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Yes — very common job. We remove the old lantern, check and rebuild the upstand and flashings if needed, and fit a modern thermally-broken lantern with self-cleaning glass.
Do you fit roof lanterns across North Wales?
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Yes — Chester, Deeside, Mold, Buckley, Flint, Wrexham, Ellesmere Port, Neston and the surrounding areas.
More Daylight, Weather-Tight — Priced Straight
We survey the roof, check the upstand, spec the right glass and quote it in writing. Water-tested before we leave.
Other things we fit for homes across the region
Fitted across Chester, Deeside & North Wales
Family-run installer based in Ewloe, roughly 30 miles across the border into North Wales and Cheshire. Prefer a chat first? Call 07946 759187 or book a free survey.