This Chester job was about getting daylight into the space under a pitched roof. The roof is covered in concrete interlocking tiles with a good amount of lichen and moss on them, and the plan was to set a new roof window into the slope without disturbing more of the covering than we needed to.
The photos follow the job from the opened-up roof through to the finished window sitting in the tiles. If you are thinking about a roof light of your own, our roof window installation page explains what we offer.
Opening up the tiles
We started by lifting a patch of tiles and cutting back the old underlay and battens where the window was going. With the tiles off you can see the felt, the rafters and, through the gap, the insulation in the roof space below. One rafter ran straight through the middle of the opening, which is common, so the opening had to be framed with timber so the roof around it stays properly supported.
Tiles taken off were stacked to one side so they could go back on once the window was in. On an older concrete tile roof that matters, because reusing the original tiles keeps the colour and weathering consistent around the new window.
Setting the frame and weathering it in
With the opening framed out and fresh timber across the head, the window frame was fixed in on its brackets and squared up. Battens were then run in around it so the tiles had something to hang from right up to the frame.
The key part of any roof window is the flashing. Water running down the slope has to be carried around the frame and back out onto the tiles below it. On this roof the tiles have a deep profile, so a flexible pleated apron was dressed down over the tiles under the window to follow their shape. The side and top pieces tuck under the surrounding tiles so rain is shed over them rather than into the opening.
- Tiles lifted and set aside for reuse
- Underlay and battens cut back, opening framed in timber
- Window frame fixed and squared on its brackets
- Flashing fitted, with a pleated apron over the tiles below
- Original tiles relaid around the new window
The finished roof window
Once the tiles were back on, the grey-framed window sits neatly in line with the roof slope, with the tiles cut and laid close to its sides and the apron lying flat over the course below. From inside, the room now gets daylight straight from above.
While we were on the roof we could also see the general state of the tiles, which carry plenty of lichen and moss. If you have concerns about an older roof like this, our roof repairs in Chester page covers the kind of work we do. To talk about a roof window, get in touch.
Questions About This Kind of Job
Can a roof window go into a concrete tiled roof?
Yes. We lift the tiles, open and frame the roof, fit the window and then use a flashing that suits the tile profile before relaying the tiles around it.
Do you reuse the existing tiles?
Where they come off in good order we put them back, which keeps the roof looking consistent. Any that break are replaced with a matching tile where one can be found.
What stops a roof window from leaking?
The flashing kit does most of the work. It carries water around the frame and out over the tiles below, so it has to be fitted to suit the roof covering and dressed down properly.
Does a rafter have to be cut?
Often one sits where the window needs to go. When that happens the opening is framed with new timber so the load is carried around it.
