VELUX Skylights · Colorado Front Range
Add a Skylight, Claim One, or Fix the One You Have
Putting daylight into a dark room, claiming a hail-damaged unit, or chasing a leak — underneath, it is the same job. A skylight is a hole in your roof, and everything depends on how that hole is waterproofed. Which is why it belongs to a roofer.
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Red Hawk Roofing does three things with skylights across the Colorado Front Range. New installs — VELUX Fresh Air, Fixed, Sun Tunnel, Flat Roof and Roof Windows, plus custom Architectural, Modular and Large Span systems — where the room decides the unit. Hail claims, documented against the property's federal storm record, since skylights are frequently in the same claim as the roof. And repairs, which almost always mean the curb, seal or step flashing rather than the glass.
Which One Are You?
Three very different reasons people end up on this page, and they need three different answers.
The Cheapest Skylight Work Happens During a Reroof
Three things make skylights different from the rest of the roof — and all three point at the same timing.
The leak is almost never the glass
A skylight is a hole in the roof with a waterproofing detail wrapped around it. When it leaks, the failure is usually the curb, the seal, or the step and head flashing that ties it into the shingle courses. Replacing the unit without rebuilding that detail replaces the wrong part.
It is buried under the roof you just paid for
Reflashing a skylight means cutting back into the field of the roof. Done during a tear-off, it is part of the flow. Done two years later, it means opening finished work and reintegrating it — the same labor, at a worse price, on a roof that no longer looks untouched.
A hail scope often already covers it
When hail damages a roof, skylight domes, frames, and flashings are frequently damaged in the same event and written into the same claim. If the roof is being replaced, that is the moment to find out whether the skylight is in scope rather than after the check is cut.
What a Skylight Job Actually Involves
Curb and deck inspection
We open the detail and look at the curb, the deck around it, and the framing. Long-running leaks rot the sheathing at the head of the skylight first — replacing a unit over compromised decking just relocates the problem.
Full flashing kit, not caulk
Skylights are flashed with a proper kit — head, sill, and step pieces integrated into the shingle courses, with underlayment and ice-and-water membrane carried up the curb. Sealant is a supplement to a flashing detail, never a substitute for one.
Replace, or reflash and keep
If the unit is sound and the failure is the detail around it, reflashing is the honest answer and we will say so. If the seal between panes has failed, the frame is compromised, or hail cracked the dome, the unit gets replaced.
Photo documentation either way
Before, during, and after photos of the opened detail — which is what makes the difference between a repair you have to take on faith and one you can see.
Start With the Room, Not the Product
Which unit is right is decided almost entirely by what is underneath it — and one of these answers surprises most people.
An interior room with no exterior wall
Laundry rooms, closets, windowless bathrooms, interior hallways. A conventional skylight cannot reach these — but a Sun Tunnel can, because it channels daylight down a tube and finishes in the ceiling like a recessed light. Smaller roof penetration, smaller job, and the room stops needing a light switch during the day.
A room that traps humidity
Bathrooms and kitchens want a venting unit, not a fixed one. A Fresh Air skylight turns a light source into ventilation, which is the difference between adding daylight and adding daylight plus a moisture problem you did not have before.
A hallway, stairwell, or landing
Circulation space needs light, not air. Fixed units cost less, have fewer moving parts, and are the right answer where nobody is standing long enough to want ventilation.
A long room, or an open plan
One unit lights a spot; a run of them lights a space. Modular skylights gang into a continuous band across a ceiling, which is a different effect entirely from punching separate openings.
A room with angled walls
Bonus rooms, lofts, converted attics — where the roof plane is close enough to reach. A Roof Window works as an actual window there rather than as an overhead light, and it opens.
A stairwell, atrium, or double-height space
Once the opening is bigger than a standard unit covers, the question stops being which skylight and becomes how the structure carries it. That is Large Span or Architectural work, and it gets scoped on site.
Skylights Are Often in the Same Claim as the Roof
Most skylight specialists cannot help you here. This part is roofing work, and it is what Red Hawk does every day.
Hail damages more of a skylight than the glass
Domes crack, but frames, cladding, and the metal flashings around the curb dent in the same event — and soft-metal denting is exactly the corroborating evidence an adjuster looks for. A skylight can be damaged on a roof that also needs replacing, from one storm, on one date.
It gets documented against the federal storm record
Every Red Hawk inspection pulls the property's hail history from the NOAA Storm Events Database and NWS Local Storm Reports, so damage is tied to a documented date rather than asserted. That is the difference between a claim with evidence and a claim with an opinion.
Scoped with the roof, not after it
When a skylight is written into the same scope as the roof, the flashing detail is rebuilt as part of the installation. Handled separately later, you pay to reopen a roof that was just finished — and the two contractors point at each other if it leaks.
What we will not tell you
Whether your carrier pays. That depends on your deductible, whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value, and any cosmetic-damage exclusion. Red Hawk documents the damage and coordinates with the adjuster on scope; the carrier decides, and Colorado law prohibits any roofer from paying, waiving, or rebating your deductible.
The VELUX Lineup
Red Hawk buys from and installs VELUX. Five families cover almost every residential situation — and which one is right is usually decided by the room below, not by preference.
Fresh Air Skylights
They open. Solar-powered, electric, and manual versions exist, and venting is what turns a skylight from a light source into ventilation — which matters in bathrooms, kitchens, and any room that traps humidity.
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Solar Poweredproduct from $2,100
Opens by remote on a solar-charged battery — no wiring to run, which usually makes it the simplest retrofit. Includes the rain sensor that closes it automatically.
Electricproduct from $2,100
Same remote operation and rain sensor, powered from the house instead of a battery. The choice when there is already power at the opening.
Manualproduct from $1,100
Opens with a handle or an extendable rod. Roughly half the product cost, and the right answer where the skylight is within reach and nobody needs a rain sensor.
Comes with
- Weathertight design
- Pre-installed shades
- Safety glass
- Insect screen
- Remote control (solar & electric)
- Rain sensor (solar & electric)
VELUX publishes this as a national installed range covering product plus labor for interior and exterior finish work. It is their figure, not a Red Hawk quote — your number depends on roof construction, shaft construction, and access, and we measure before we price.
Fixed Skylights
Sealed units for daylight alone. Fewer moving parts, lower cost, and the right answer for a hallway, stairwell, or any space that needs light rather than airflow.
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Comes with
- Weathertight design
- Streamlined profile
- Standard safety glass
- Pre-installed shades
- Roof compatibility
VELUX publishes $2,800–$5,000 installed for a new single fixed skylight and $2,000–$3,600 to replace an existing one, product plus labor for interior and exterior finish work. Those are their national figures, not a Red Hawk quote — replacing is cheaper because the opening and the shaft already exist.
Sun Tunnel Skylights
A tube that channels daylight from the roof down into a room and finishes in the ceiling like a recessed light. This is the one for interior rooms with no exterior wall — laundry rooms, closets, windowless bathrooms, and hallways.
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Comes with
- Optically engineered tunnel
- Flexible placement
- Roof compatibility
- Decorative diffusers
- Easy installation
VELUX publishes $880–$2,280 installed for a single Sun Tunnel, product plus labor for interior and exterior finish work — the least expensive way to get real daylight into a room, and far below a framed skylight because the opening is small and there is no shaft to build. Their figure, not a Red Hawk quote.
Flat Roof Skylights
Low-profile units built for flat and low-slope roofs, where a standard curb-mounted skylight would sit wrong and drain worse. Common on modern additions and flat-roofed commercial space.
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Curved Flat Roof Skylight
A curved top that sheds water and debris rather than letting it sit — the usual choice where ponding is a concern.
Fixed Flat Roof Skylight
Sealed and low-profile, for daylight without ventilation.
Roof Access Skylight
Opens wide enough to serve as roof access — common on buildings where equipment lives on the roof.
Double Dome Acrylic Skylight
Twin acrylic domes; the traditional low-slope unit, often what is already on an older building.
TCR Sun Tunnel
The Sun Tunnel built for a flat roof, for interior rooms under a low-slope deck.
Roof Windows
Built for rooms with angled walls — bonus rooms, lofts, converted attics — where the roof plane is close enough to reach and the unit works as an actual window rather than an overhead light.
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Center-Pivot
Rotates on a central axis, so the glass can be turned right around for cleaning from inside. The standard roof window.
Top-Hinged
Swings out from the top, so the whole opening stays clear and you can stand at it and lean out — no sash crossing the view.
Roof Balcony
Opens into an actual balcony with a railing — the upper sash lifts and the lower section swings out. A structural moment, not a window swap.
Roof Access Windows
Built to open far enough to serve as egress or roof access where code or use requires it.
Which unit fits depends on your roof pitch, the framing, and the room underneath. Warranty terms come from VELUX for the specific product installed, and Red Hawk's own workmanship warranty covers the installation.
Custom Skylights
Not every opening is a stock size and not every ceiling wants a rectangle. Red Hawk does custom skylight work, and VELUX builds the systems for it — the same manufacturer, at architectural scale.
Architectural Series
Metal-framed structural skylights built to the opening rather than to a catalog size — pyramids, ridges, and pitched configurations, with a range of glazing and finish options. This is the line for a feature you design the room around.
Modular Skylights
Repeating units ganged into a continuous run, so daylight arrives as a band across a ceiling instead of as separate punched openings. Suits long rooms, corridors, and open plans where one unit would light a spot rather than a space.
Large Span
For openings a standard unit cannot cover — stairwells, atriums, double-height spaces. The engineering question stops being which skylight and starts being how the structure carries it, which is why these get scoped on site.
Custom work starts with a site visit rather than a catalog number — the framing, the span, and how the structure carries the opening decide what is possible before anyone picks glazing. Tell us what you are picturing and we will tell you honestly whether it is a custom system or a stock unit doing the job for a fraction of the cost.
It Closes Itself When It Rains
The objection to a skylight that opens is always the same one: what happens when it rains and nobody is home. Solar and electric Fresh Air units carry a rain sensor — the first drops land, and the skylight shuts on its own.
It is the feature that decides the manual-versus-powered question for most people. A manual unit is roughly half the product cost and perfectly sensible over a stairwell you can reach; over a bedroom you leave open on a summer afternoon, it is the wrong choice.
About That Solar Tax Credit
- We do not advertise one, and you should be careful of anyone who does. VELUX has stated publicly that it cannot certify solar-powered skylights, accessories, or their installation as qualifying under Section 25(D), and that it will not promote that credit to consumers.
- The credit itself is gone anyway. The federal residential clean energy credit under Section 25(D) was eliminated for expenditures after 31 December 2025. There is no phase-down and no transition period.
- If a contractor quotes you a 30% credit on a skylight, ask for it in writing. A lot of pages in this market have not been updated. We would rather lose the upsell than have you find out at tax time.
- Tax questions belong to your tax professional. We install roofs and skylights; we do not give tax advice, and nothing here is a substitute for it.
Commercial and Multifamily
Skylights are not a residential-only product, and Red Hawk works them at building scale. VELUX's Modular and Large Span systems are built for exactly this — daylighting an office floor, a warehouse, a school corridor, or an apartment common area, where the roof is low-slope and the opening is bigger than any stock unit covers.
The constraints change with the scale. Curbs get engineered rather than framed, the structure has to carry the opening, and on an occupied building the work is phased so tenants keep operating. Where a community has skylights across many buildings, they are assessed and documented building by building the same way the roofs are.
Skylight Quote
Tell Us Which One You Are
Adding one, claiming one, or fixing one — say which in the message. If your roof is also due, mention that too, because it changes the answer on all three.
What the Visit Covers
- The curb, seal, and step flashing opened and inspected — not judged from the ground
- Decking around the skylight head checked for rot from long-running leaks
- An honest reflash-versus-replace recommendation
- Hail and storm damage assessed against the property's federal storm record
- Photo documentation of the opened detail, before and after
If your roof is also due, we will price the skylight both ways — as its own job and as part of a reroof — because the second number is usually materially lower.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (720) 771-8921.
The Free Inspection
What's Included
- Full on-roof inspection plus attic check — 45–75 minutes
- Photo documentation of every defect we find
- Written report in adjuster-ready insurance format, typically within 24 hours
- NWS-confirmed storm date and severity documentation when damage is found
- 100% free — no obligation, no pressure
Verified Credentials
Credentials You Can Verify
Manufacturer certifications, association membership, and a BBB A+ rating — on a company serving 139 Colorado communities.
TAMKO Platinum
GAF Certified Commercial
Licensed & Insured
5-Year Workmanship Warranty
BBB A+ Rating
NRCA Member
BuildZoom Score: 111
139 Communities Served
Skylight FAQ
In most cases the glazing is fine and the failure is in the waterproofing detail around it — the curb, the seal, or the step and head flashing that ties the skylight into the shingle courses. Sealant applied over a failed flashing detail buys a season at best. The durable fix is rebuilding the flashing, which is roofing work rather than glass work.
If the unit is more than roughly 15 years old or shows any seal failure, almost always yes. The labor to open and reintegrate the detail is already being spent during a tear-off, so the incremental cost of replacing the unit at that moment is far lower than doing it as a separate job later — which requires cutting back into a roof you just paid for.
It can. Hail commonly cracks skylight domes and dents frames and flashings in the same event that damages the roof, and where that is the case it is typically written into the same claim. Whether it is covered depends on your policy's deductible and terms — Red Hawk documents the damage against the property's federal storm record, and the carrier decides.
Often, yes — and if the unit is sound and the failure is the detail around it, that is what we will recommend. Resealing and reflashing a serviceable skylight is a real repair. What we will not do is run a bead of sealant over a failed flashing and call it fixed.
VELUX. Red Hawk buys from and installs their products across five families: Fresh Air venting skylights, Fixed skylights, Sun Tunnel tubular skylights, Flat Roof skylights, and Roof Windows. Which one fits is decided by your roof pitch, the framing, and the room underneath rather than by preference — an interior laundry room with no exterior wall is a Sun Tunnel job, and a humid bathroom usually wants a venting unit rather than a fixed one.
Yes. Beyond the stock lines, VELUX builds custom systems and Red Hawk installs them: the Architectural Series (metal-framed structural skylights built to the opening — pyramids, ridges, and pitched configurations), Modular Skylights (repeating units ganged into a continuous run so daylight arrives as a band across a ceiling), and Large Span for stairwells, atriums, and double-height spaces. Custom work starts with a site visit rather than a catalog number, because the framing and how the structure carries the opening decide what is possible before anyone picks glazing. Sometimes the honest answer is that a stock unit does the job for a fraction of the cost, and we will say so.
No, and be careful of anyone who says otherwise. VELUX has stated publicly that it is unable to certify solar-powered skylights, accessories, or their installation as qualifying under Section 25(D), and that it will not promote that credit to consumers. Separately, Section 25(D) was eliminated for expenditures after 31 December 2025. Many skylight pages in this market still advertise the credit because they have not been updated. Red Hawk does not, and tax questions should go to your tax professional.
A Sun Tunnel. It channels daylight from the roof down through a tube and finishes in the ceiling looking like a recessed light, so it works in the rooms a conventional skylight cannot reach — interior laundry rooms, closets, windowless bathrooms, and hallways. It is also a smaller roof penetration and a considerably smaller job than a framed skylight.
No. Fogging between panes means the seal on the insulated glass unit has failed and moisture is inside the assembly. That is a unit replacement, not a repair — there is no way to re-establish the seal in place.
One Visit Answers All Three
Whether you are adding daylight, wondering if hail got your skylight, or watching a stain spread on a ceiling — the same inspection answers it. We will price the install, document the damage, or show you the failed flashing, and say plainly if nothing needs doing yet.