Skylights & rooflights in Box Bath stone on the hillside above the brook

The attic rooms beneath those roofs hold heat. Thick stone walls keep the ground floor cool, but the top floor sits under tile and soaks up the afternoon sun, and the heat stays after dark. An opening conservation rooflight gives that room an upper vent, and works well with a lower window or the stair to move air through. The slim steel or aluminium frames sit close to the tile and follow the line of the roof.

Light matters here too. Stone houses in a valley can be shaded in the morning by the hill or in the afternoon by the house above, and an attic window may see little sun. A rooflight takes light from the sky itself, above the surrounding walls and trees, which is why a rooftop unit on a Box terrace can give a brighter room than a window at the same height would. Fresh air arrives with it when the sash opens.

Material matters as well. Stone tile and clay tile both need flashing cut and dressed to suit, and a unit made for plain tile may not sit well on a thick stone slate. That is another reason we measure the roof covering as well as the opening.

Council and listed status

Planning in Box is for Wiltshire Council. Parts of the village are conservation area, and the stone terraces include several listed homes. Listed houses need listed building consent for a new or replacement rooflight. Beyond the listed houses, the conservation area is worth a call to the council before any order, mainly for slopes that show from the road or the hill. A fuller explanation of the process is on our page about rooflights in a conservation area, and the main planning page covers the rest.

Old stone houses are not square either. Walls bow, ridges dip and rafters follow the craftsmen of another age. A surveyor starts in the loft, finds the strong timbers, and tells you whether one larger window or two smaller ones suit the structure. If the stone tiles are heavy or brittle, the team lifts and relays them with care, and a temporary cover goes over the opening at the end of each day.

Fitting a complete new rooflight brings Building Control into it, and the opening must be trimmed properly. Our Building Regulations guide covers the detail, and we take care of the notification itself. Skylights in Box that are placed with the interior in mind, over the bed head or the desk, repay the thought.

Building up the hillside has left Box with houses that sit at odd angles to the road and to each other. A roof window that faces the valley will catch the morning sun, while one on the far side of the ridge looks north and keeps a steady, cool light, and neither is better in all cases. A studio or study usually prefers the steady light, while a bedroom may want the morning sun. We ask how you use the room before suggesting a slope.

Bungalows and the chalet style

Where a bungalow has a room in the roof, the window could be its escape route, so the survey sheet records the glass size and the sill height. Two-storey houses are different, with a protected stair needed for a loft conversion. We cover both in our guide to roof windows and fire escape.

Bathrooms and landings on the newer lanes deserve a mention. A bathroom under a pitched roof can take a roof window above the bath, set high enough that the spray stays clear, and the sash can be opened a little after a shower to help the room clear. A landing with no daylight can take either a small window or a sun tunnel, depending on the height of the loft above it and whether there is space for a tube.

Extensions on sloping plots

On a hillside plot a rear extension can end up tall, and a flat roof over such a room may catch strong sun, and fixed glass makes it hot. Swapping to an opening flat rooflight or fitting a lantern with an opening section lets the warm air out. Pair it with garden doors to draw a breeze, and add solar control glass or a blind if the room faces south.

Tell us about any fussy details about the room, such as a sleeper who wakes early or a desk that sits under glare, and we plan the position and the blind or glass type around them.

Whatever is chosen, the job runs the same way. Floors and furniture are covered, the ceiling opening is framed and lined, the unit is set in and flashed, and the roof is weathertight again before the crew leaves each day. Because Box is only a short run beyond Bath, the fitting days are agreed with you in advance and kept to.

For light without a window, sun tunnels suit stair heads and bathrooms in the middle of a house. A small dome collects daylight, and a tube carries it down to a ceiling diffuser.

What a job costs turns on size, access and how the unit opens. Broad market ranges to start from sit on the costs page. We also work in Colerne, Corsham and Batheaston, where the stone and the slopes are much the same.