Is your skylight leaking? Do you think it’s time to replace your skylight?
Just like everything else roofing-related, the materials that make up a skylight fail due to old age. They aren’t meant to last forever, so this isn’t bad.
It simply means it’s time for a replacement. Fortunately, having an existing skylight means you already have the opening.
This makes replacing your skylight cheaper than getting a new one installed. However, it still won't be a cheap project.
Well, you can only prepare financially by knowing how much a replacement skylight costs.
For over 30 years, the team at Bill Ragan Roofing has taken pride in being transparent about everything cost-related when it comes to roofing. That’s why I’ll break down how much it costs to replace a skylight.
This article answers the following questions:
A skylight replacement in 2025 costs anywhere from $2,000 to $5,300. This is an increase compared to 2024 by around $200 to $500, but the specific skylight determines where it falls in the price range.
Using the leading skylight brand VELUX as an example, let’s look at replacement costs for the types of skylights. The prices below are pulled from VELUX’s website for a single skylight replacement, including materials and estimated labor costs.
Keep in mind these are estimates only, so you’ll learn the actual price for a skylight replacement after getting an estimate from a local roofing contractor.
VELUX’s fixed skylights are sealed and won’t open, which is where the “fixed” in the name comes from. They don’t let fresh air in, but fixed skylights still provide plenty of natural light without obstructing a roofline.
You can expect a fixed skylight replacement to cost around $2,000-$3,600 in 2025.
VELUX’s manual “Fresh Air” skylight is a vented skylight that opens to allow fresh air in. However, it has to be opened manually.
Depending on if you can reach it, fresh air skylights are opened with a simple handle or rod. A manual vented skylight replacement will cost around $2,200-$3,900 in 2025.
VELUX’s electric “fresh air” skylight is a vented skylight that opens and closes using electricity from a connected power source. A remote opens and closes it, but voice control, automatic control, and smart home automation can also be added.
This skylight also has a rain sensor that closes it automatically at the first signs of rain or inclement weather. An electric vented skylight replacement costs around $3,350-$5,250 in 2025.
VELUX’s solar-powered “Fresh Air” skylight is like the electric-vented skylight, except it uses solar power to open and close. It also comes with a rain sensor and can be upgraded to add voice control, automatic control, and smart home automation.
You can expect a solar-powered skylight replacement to cost around $3,250-$5,150.
At this point, you have an idea of how much a skylight replacement costs. The prices may be based on VELUX’s estimation to replace one skylight, but they aren’t a roofing contractor or doing the actual work.
That’s why you need to know what impacts the cost of a skylight replacement to determine where you’ll fall in the ranges above. The type is a huge factor, but so is size, adding accessories, and more.
For any roofing or skylight project, labor and time greatly impact cost. The more time and manpower it takes to replace your skylight(s), the higher the labor costs.
This is the first factor because it impacts everything else we’ll cover, which is why the price ranges have labor factored into them. However, there’s no fixed labor cost because every company is different (we’ll get to this in a bit).
Because of this, it’s impossible to determine how much labor costs are added to the final cost.
After type, the most obvious cost factor that impacts a skylight replacement is size. The bigger the skylight, the more it costs.
This is true for both the skylight, associated materials, and labor. If you’re replacing a skylight, you’re most likely getting the same size.
However, upgrading to a bigger size makes a replacement much more expensive. Not only will the bigger skylight itself cost more, but the labor costs also increase because there is more construction required to make it fit.
There are a wide variety of skylight accessories, like blinds (darkening, light-filtering, venetian), remote controls, smart automation, and more. So, the more bells and whistles you add to your new skylight, the more it costs.
There can also be a small labor cost associated with blinds if the installers have to add them to the skylight before installation. Adding accessories gets expensive very quickly, so be mindful of your budget for determining wants vs. needs when picking your replacement skylight.
Just know that starting in 2025, VELUX is automatically adding their solar-powered blinds to all skylights. This is one reason why prices have increased compared to 2024.
The complexity of the roof and the job itself always factor into roofing prices. So, the more complex the skylight replacement, the more it impacts the cost.
This could be from accessing the skylight, getting the replacement skylight on the roof, and anything else that adds difficulty to the project. For example, a steep roof pitch makes a skylight replacement harder, takes longer, and requires safety precautions, which increases the price.
Things like building a curb or making custom flashing to seal the skylight completely greatly increase the complexity, but this is mainly for new installation. But no matter the reason, the complexity of a skylight replacement always factors into the final cost.
There’s no fixed labor cost across the board for roofing contractors, which is why labor costs depend on who you hire. Besides the skylight itself, the roofing contractor you hire greatly impacts a skylight replacement’s cost.
But labor costs aren’t the only thing specific to the company you hire. Overhead costs (and profit) are also included in pricing across all jobs.
Operating costs that are wrapped into a roof replacement, roof repairs, a skylight replacement, and anything else are:
Operating expenses will always factor into the final cost, no matter what work you get done or what service you need.
Now you have an idea of how much a skylight replacement costs and the factors that impact it. Just remember, you won’t know how much your specific skylight replacement will cost until after talking to a roofing contractor.
So, do your research, find a great local roofer, and get your skylight replaced. Just know it’s crucial to find a roofer with plenty of skylight experience.
To find a great roofer in your area, get this Checklist of Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor.
But if you’re local to Nashville or a surrounding area, don’t hesitate to contact us for your skylight replacement. The team at Bill Ragan Roofing has replaced skylights in Nashville and surrounding Middle Tennessee areas for over 30 years.
Request a Quote today for your skylight replacement needs in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, or a surrounding Middle Tennessee area.