What are the most common
rooflight sizes?

Whether you are an architect, specifier, contractor or self-builder looking to integrate abundant natural light into a residential or commercial property, it’s useful to know the most common skylight sizes that our customers request at Sunsquare.

Although most skylight manufacturers will allow their customers to view available rooflights from the smallest to largest possible dimensions, it’s good to get a feel of what the market generally looks for in the dimensions of skylight products.

Within this article, we’ll reveal the most popular rooflight sizes that we manufacture for Sunsquare clients and the typical lead time for stock-size skylights that can often be installed without the need for prior planning permission.

How do you know what size skylight you need?

If you want to know how big your skylight needs to be, you’ll need to calculate the prospective roof opening. Homeowners should seek guidance from their architect on measuring up for a new skylight, as you’ll need to take into consideration any external kerb or upstand – more on this later.

Fortunately, there are very few barriers as to what size your skylight can be. A new skylight does not require planning permission providing:

• The rooflight does not protrude more than 150 millimetres above the existing roof plane
• The rooflight is not higher than the highest part of the roof; nor does it stand above the roof ridge

It’s important that you choose a skylight size that offers enough natural daylight to flood into the interiors below. If you choose a product that is too small, your interiors won’t benefit from the full quota of natural light available. Choose a rooflight that’s too large and you’ll run the risk of overexposure to UV light. It’s a difficult balancing act, but one that your architect should be able to assist with.

How are skylights measured?

When you are deciding what size skylight you require, it’s important to note that skylights are not measured based on the size of the hole in your roof. Instead, they are measured based on the internal opening to the edge of the external upstand.

An upstand plays a key role in ensuring a skylight sits and fits well. Think of it as the framework that a skylight sits on, creating enough height from the roof surface and adequate pitch to allow for water run-off.

So, let’s say for example that you wanted to order one of our most common 24×24 skylight, the SkyView, this measurement reflects the external dimensions of the kerb or upstand, not the product itself.

What are the standard skylight sizes?

While we cannot speak for the rest of the UK skylight industry, we can show you the standard or stock-size skylights that Sunsquare designs and manufactures for swift, painless installation in homes and workplaces across the country. These standard skylight sizes are available to purchase without having to submit your dimensions and technical drawings for review by our experts:

Lead times for standard size skylights

Another benefit of choosing a standard, stock-size skylight over custom skylights is the fast lead time of just five working days. At Sunsquare, we house many stock-size skylights in-house, ready for swift despatch and installation for our customers.

If you place an order for any of the common rooflight sizes displayed above on a Monday, there is every chance it will be with you by the end of the week.

Due to the intricacy and innovation required for custom skylight sizes, Sunsquare commits to a lead time of five weeks for all bespoke rooflights.

What if you require a bespoke rooflight size for your project?

If your property requires a rooflight that has a unique design or shape, you’ve come to the right place. Aside from supplying popular stock-size rooflights, Sunsquare specialises in bespoke rooflights, designed and manufactured to your exacting specifications. Our bespoke skylights are supremely safe, energy efficient and are supplied with 25-year glazing guarantees.

Sunsquare has been well-established in the UK skylight industry since 2004. Through the years, the company has been specified to design, manufacture and install truly unique skylights and glass structures that create one-off architectural statements and add tremendous value to the everyday lives of homeowners and their properties.

Don’t just take our word for it. Take some time to browse through our regularly updated portfolio of customer case studies to get a feel for our industry leading capabilities. Some of these projects have even been featured on Grand Designs due to their innovation.

The modular nature of our core rooflight designs enables us to configure your bespoke rooflight size incorporating any of the following:

• Wall Abutting (to 1, 2 or 3 sides)
• Multi-pane units for larger areas of glazing with an infinite number of panes within one frame
• Shaped units
• A combination of fixed and opening panes
• Irregular pitch combinations
• Ridges, Hips and Valleys
• Flat roof and pitched roof

We manufacture standard and custom skylights in-house

No matter what size skylight you are looking for, whether it’s 48 x 48 skylights, a 2×2 skylight or even a 24 x 48 skylight, Sunsquare can fulfil your skylight requirements in-house.

We’ve invested heavily in our manufacturing centre at our headquarters in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Our commitment to innovation and product excellence has enabled Sunsquare to become the UK’s only rooflight manufacturer to secure a BSI Kitemark based on wind resistance, weather tightness and air permeability.

Whether you are looking for a swift, minimalist stock-size rooflight or a carefully considered bespoke rooflight that offers a unique architectural statement, let the UK’s flat roof skylight pioneers advise on the best possible solution for your needs.