Skylight Installation & Repair in Toms River, NJ

Quick answer

If your skylight leaks around the edges, the flashing is usually the cause and can often be redone. If the glass is fogged between panes, the seal has failed and the unit should be replaced. Skylights older than about 20 years are best replaced, ideally during a reroof. We install VELUX units and sun tunnels across Toms River. Call (732) 419-1462.

Signs your skylight is due for repair or replacement

Skylights tend to show trouble in a few predictable ways. Here's what each sign usually points to.

Water stains on the shaft

Brown rings or peeling paint on the drywall around the opening most often trace back to flashing at the head or sides, especially after wind-driven rain from the east.

Fog between the panes

Moisture trapped inside double-pane glass means the edge seal has failed. It won't clear on its own, and the unit loses much of its insulating value once it happens.

Drips only on cold mornings

Water beading on the frame on winter mornings is often condensation, not a leak. Humid rooms like bathrooms and kitchens, plus a poorly insulated shaft, make it worse.

Cracked or yellowed dome

Acrylic bubble skylights from the 1980s turn brittle and cloudy after decades of sun. Once cracked, they let rain straight in and can't be resealed reliably.

Rotted curb or trim

Site-built wood curbs wrapped in old metal can rot from the inside. You may notice soft wood at the interior trim, or shingles sagging around the opening outside.

Reflash, replace or switch to a sun tunnel?

The right fix depends on the unit's age and what's actually failing. This is how we usually sort it out.

What we find	Usual fix	Why we lean that way
Sound unit under 15 years old, leaking at the edges	Remove the shingles around it and reflash	The glass and frame still have life; the leak is in the roof tie-in
Fogged glass on a modern unit	Replace the unit, or the glass panel where the maker offers one	A failed seal can't be repaired in place
Acrylic dome or site-built curb, any age	Full replacement with a deck-mounted unit	New units come with engineered flashing kits instead of hand-bent metal
Small dark hallway or closet	Sun tunnel	A tubular skylight brings in daylight without framing a shaft
Roof due for replacement in the next few years	Replace the skylight during the reroof	Flashing a new unit into new shingles costs far less than doing it twice

How we replace a skylight on an asphalt roof

A straight swap on a single-family home usually takes most of one day. Interior trim and drywall work, when needed, add time.

Measure and order
We measure the rough opening, roof pitch and interior shaft, then order a unit sized to reuse the opening where possible, which keeps interior work to a minimum.
Before the install day
Open up the roof
Shingles around the skylight come off carefully so most can be reused, and the old unit and its metal are removed. We cover the opening right away if the weather turns.
Day 1, morning
Check the framing
We look at the curb, headers and decking around the hole and replace soft wood before anything new goes on. Rotted framing is common under old skylights near the bay.
30 to 60 minutes
Set and flash the unit
The new skylight is fastened, wrapped with self-adhered underlayment and flashed with the manufacturer's kit: step pieces on the sides and a head piece that sheds water over the top.
Day 1, midday
Shingle in and finish
Shingles go back around the flashing, the interior trim is reset, and we water test the unit before we pack up. Any drywall repair is noted and scheduled.
Day 1, afternoon

Skylight costs you can plan around in Ocean County

Typical 2026 ranges for single-family homes. Unit size, glass options, roof pitch and interior finish work move these the most.

Work	Typical range	What moves the number
Reflashing an existing skylight	$425 to $985	Unit size, shingle condition, how much underlayment is replaced
Replacing a skylight in the same opening	$1,365 to $2,940	Fixed or venting unit, glass options, curb repair
New skylight with framed shaft and drywall	$2,680 to $5,870	Shaft length, attic height, interior finishing
Sun tunnel (tubular skylight)	$765 to $1,545	Tube length, rigid or flexible tube, roof covering
Skylight swap during a full reroof	$985 to $2,260 per unit	Unit style; flashing labor shared with the roof job

Every roof is different, so treat these as ballpark figures. We price your skylight after seeing it inside and out.

Why most skylight leaks come from the flashing, not the glass

A skylight is a big hole in the roof, and the metal around it does the work of keeping water out. On older installs, that metal was often bent on site and sealed with roofing cement, which dries out and cracks within a few seasons. Wind-driven rain from a nor'easter finds those cracks, runs under the shingles and shows up on the shaft wall days later.

Modern units from makers like VELUX ship with flashing kits designed for a specific roof covering, plus an adhesive underlayment collar that wraps the frame. Installed properly, the water path is handled by overlapping metal and membrane, not caulk. When a leak keeps coming back after repeated patching, the original flashing was usually the weak point. If it's hard to tell skylight from roof, our leak tracing work sorts it out.

Choices to make before a new skylight goes in

A little planning up front saves a lot of fuss later. These are the questions we'll walk through with you.

Fixed or venting: a venting unit helps clear steam from bathrooms and kitchens
Manual, electric or solar-powered opening for units out of reach
Glass options such as low-E coatings and laminated inner panes
Built-in or add-on blinds to cut summer heat in south-facing rooms
Shaft shape, since a flared shaft spreads more light than a straight one
Whether a sun tunnel would light the space without any framing changes
How the timing fits with your next roof replacement

What shore weather does to skylights around Toms River

Skylights take the worst of every storm that crosses Barnegat Bay. Rain arrives sideways during nor'easters, so the head and upper side flashing get tested in ways a gentle summer shower never will. Salt air on the barrier island and along the bayfront corrodes cheap fasteners and aluminum trim faster than it does inland, which is why we use corrosion-resistant fasteners and keep sealant out of the main water path. Even a small gap at the head flashing can soak a shaft over one stormy weekend.

Many split-levels, contemporaries and colonials built here in the 1980s got acrylic bubble skylights or site-built curbs that are now past their useful life. In places like Island Heights, where older homes sit under mature trees, skylights also collect needles and leaves along the uphill edge, so keeping that spot clear is part of every visit. Humid summers bring condensation to poorly insulated shafts as well.

Where we do this work most

We work across all of Toms River (08753, 08755 and 08757) and these neighboring towns every week, along with the rest of Ocean County and southern Monmouth County.

Questions homeowners ask us

Should I replace my skylight when I get a new roof in Toms River?

In most cases, yes, if the skylight is more than about 15 years old. Flashing a skylight into a new roof costs much less as part of the reroof than as a separate job later, and it saves you from tearing into brand-new shingles to swap a failing unit. Our post on repair or replace decisions covers the bigger picture.

Can a fogged skylight on a Jersey Shore home be fixed?

Fog between the panes means the seal around the insulated glass has failed, and that can't be fixed in place. Some modern VELUX units allow the glass panel to be swapped while the frame stays, which costs less. Older units usually need full replacement, which is also the right moment to reflash the opening properly.

Are sun tunnels worth it for homes in Ocean County?

For small interior spaces like hallways, walk-in closets and windowless bathrooms, they're a great fit. A sun tunnel brings in a surprising amount of daylight through a tube 10 to 14 inches wide, needs no shaft framing and installs in a few hours. For a living room or kitchen, a full skylight gives more light and a view of the sky.

Why does my Toms River skylight drip only in winter?

Winter-only drips are often condensation. Warm, humid air from the room hits the cold glass and frame, condenses and runs down. A bathroom without a working exhaust fan makes it worse. Better shaft insulation, a newer unit with warmer glass, and venting moisture out of the room usually solve it.

Do you install skylights on low-slope or metal roofs near Toms River?

Yes, with the right product. Low-slope roofs need a curb-mounted unit raised above the roof surface, and metal roofs need flashing made for their panel profile. We check the pitch and roof covering first, since a deck-mounted kit meant for shingles shouldn't be forced onto a roof it wasn't built for.

Often booked together