Roof Repair
Skylight Leak Repair in Connecticut. Diagnosed First, Fixed Once.
Perimeter flashing, failed seals, or just condensation, we tell you which before quoting. Written quote, published pricing, 1-year leak-proof warranty. All 8 CT counties.
See your roof in seconds
Diagnosis before quote
A dripping skylight has four possible causes. Only three are leaks.
A skylight is a hole in the roof with a flashing system holding the water back, and when water shows up on the inside trim it gets blamed instantly. Sometimes fairly: perimeter flashing slips, glazing seals crack at 12–15 years, and both let real rainwater in. Sometimes unfairly: on cold CT mornings, warm indoor air condenses on the glass and drips, no roofing repair on earth will stop that, and an uphill roof failure can send water along the underlayment to exit at the skylight opening while the skylight itself is sound.
So the visit starts with a diagnosis, working uphill from the water and checking each flashing detail the way the NRCA flashing details say it should be built. You get told which of the four cases you have, with photos, before we quote a scope. If it is condensation, the visit just saved you a repair you did not need.
Where skylights fail
Six places the water gets in.
Head flashing (top)
The flashing above the skylight takes the full sheet of water coming down the roof. Out of position or corroded, it feeds water behind the frame. The most serious of the four sides.
Side flashings (step)
L-shaped step flashings woven into each shingle course along both sides. One missed or slipped piece is enough. Shows as a stain at a lower corner of the skylight well.
Sill flashing (bottom)
Collects everything the skylight sheds. Debris dams here in fall, ice in winter, and standing water finds the fastener holes.
Glazing seals + gaskets
The factory seal between glass and frame. UV and freeze-thaw crack it at 12–15 years. Water enters the frame itself and drips from the inside trim.
Condensation, not a leak
Warm indoor air hits cold glass and beads up. Common over kitchens and baths in CT winters. Costs nothing to fix if the diagnosis is honest, and we say so when it is the case.
Uphill roof failure
A cracked pipe boot or lifted shingle above the skylight sends water down the underlayment until it exits at the first opening, the skylight. The skylight is innocent; the repair is elsewhere.
How we repair it
Metal repair, not a caulk cosmetic.
A skylight perimeter is a flashing system: head flashing at the top, step flashings woven into the shingle courses along the sides, sill flashing at the bottom. When one of those is the failure, the repair is mechanical, lift the surrounding courses, re-set or replace the metal, and re-shingle over it. Smearing sealant over a slipped flashing is faster and it is what a caulk-and-go roofer will sell you, but it fails within a couple of CT winters and it fails hidden.
And when the diagnosis says the unit itself is done, fogged glass, cracked cladding, a 20-year-old frame, we say that instead. A perimeter rebuild around a dying skylight is money half-spent, and telling you so before the work is what the no-sales-pitch inspection is for.
Skylight repair pricing
Published tiers. Written quote on arrival.
Trust Proof Roofing, published
$400–$600
Small repair: seal repair, single-side flashing correction, sill cleared and re-set.
$800–$1,300
Big repair: full perimeter re-flash with surrounding courses lifted and re-shingled.
$300/hr + materials. $400 min ($500 if >50 mi from Hartford).
Written quote on arrival, before any work begins.
Perimeter work in progress
Courses lifted, metal re-set, photo-documented
Shingles woven over step flashing
The detail that keeps a skylight dry for a decade
Backed in writing
1-year leak-proof warranty on skylight repairs.
If the perimeter we repaired leaks again from our workmanship, we return free. In writing on every repair invoice.
Common questions
Skylight leaks, answered.
Why is my skylight leaking?
Four causes cover nearly every leaking skylight, in order of how often we find them: failed perimeter flashing (head, sill, or side flashings out of position or corroded), failed seals where the glazing meets the frame, condensation forming on the cold glass and dripping, which looks exactly like a leak but is not one, and water traveling from a different roof failure uphill and exiting at the skylight opening. The fix is different for each, which is why we diagnose before quoting a scope.
How can I tell a skylight leak from condensation?
Timing. A flashing or seal leak shows up during or right after rain and snowmelt. Condensation shows up on cold, dry mornings, especially in kitchens and bathrooms where indoor humidity is high, and typically beads across the whole lower edge of the glass rather than tracking from one corner. If your drip appears in January sun with no rain in a week, it is almost certainly condensation, and the fix is ventilation and humidity, not roofing.
How much does skylight leak repair cost in CT?
Trust Proof pricing is published: small repairs run $400–$600, which covers most seal repairs and single-side flashing corrections. A full perimeter re-flash, lifting the surrounding shingle courses and rebuilding head, sill, and side flashings, runs $800–$1,300. The rate is $300/hour plus materials, $400 minimum ($500 if your home is more than 50 miles from Hartford). Written quote before any work starts.
Do you re-flash the skylight or just seal around it?
We repair the flashing system. A skylight perimeter is a set of metal flashings woven into the shingle courses, and when one is out of position or corroded the correct repair is to lift the courses and re-set or replace the metal. Sealant has a place as a secondary line of defense, but a bead of caulk over a failed flashing is a cosmetic patch that buys months, not years. That approach follows NRCA flashing detail guidance, the same standard we work to on chimneys and sidewalls.
How long does skylight flashing last?
The flashing metal itself can outlast the roof, but the factory seals and gaskets around the glazing typically give out at 12–15 years on a Connecticut roof. UV exposure and freeze-thaw cycling do the damage. If your skylight and roof were installed together and the roof is mid-life, a flashing and seal repair usually gets the skylight to the next replacement cycle.
Should I repair the skylight or replace it?
If the glass is fogged between panes, the frame cladding is cracked, or the unit is 20+ years old, the honest answer is often that the unit itself is done and a flashing repair around a dying unit is money half-spent. We tell you which case you are in before any work starts, with photos of what we found. If the unit is sound, the repair is the right call and carries our 1-year leak-proof warranty.
Can a skylight leak damage more than the ceiling below it?
Yes. The opening cuts through the roof deck, so water entering at the perimeter runs along the framing that boxes the opening, and by the time a stain shows on the ceiling the water may have been wetting rafters and insulation for months. A skylight leak that has been visible for a while deserves a look at the framing around the well, which we do as part of the diagnosis.
Do skylight repairs come with a warranty?
Yes. The same 1-year in-house leak-proof warranty applies to skylight flashing and seal repairs as to all our repair work. If the perimeter we repaired leaks again from work we performed, we come back free.
Flashing problems beyond the skylight? Roof flashing repair →
Not sure where the water is coming from? Roof leak repair in CT →
Find out what the skylight actually needs.
Honest diagnosis with photos, published pricing, 1-year leak-proof warranty.