VELUX & Roof Window Installation across Thanet & East Kent

VELUX and roof window installation across Thanet and East Kent. Fitted by roofers, flashed properly and made watertight. 20+ years' experience.

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VELUX & Roof Window Installation

A roof window changes a room more than almost anything else you can do to it. A loft that was only ever used for boxes becomes a bedroom. A dark landing gets daylight from above. A kitchen extension stops feeling like a corridor. And unlike a dormer, it doesn't need planning drawings, scaffolding for weeks or a builder on site for a month.

The catch is that a roof window is a hole cut in the one part of your house whose entire job is keeping water out. Fitted properly it will be watertight for decades. Fitted badly it will leak, and it will usually leak somewhere you can't see until the ceiling below it is stained.

That's why we think roof windows belong to roofers rather than to general builders. We've been fitting them across Thanet and East Kent for years, including as part of full re-roofs — the Botany job in Broadstairs had a new VELUX fitted alongside a flat-roof dormer, with the two tied together so the junction stayed watertight.

What's included

A proper survey first — we look at the roof structure, the pitch, the covering and where the rafters actually run before anything is agreed. Pitch matters: every roof window has a minimum and maximum pitch it can be fitted at.
Structural work to the rafters — forming the opening and trimming it correctly so the load goes where it should. A rafter is not something to cut through and hope.
The window unit itself — VELUX or an equivalent make, in the size and glazing spec that suits the room. Centre-pivot, top-hung, manual or electric.
The correct flashing kit — matched to your roof covering. This is the part that actually keeps the water out, and it is not interchangeable between tile types.
Making the roof good around it — tiles or slates cut, re-laid and dressed in so the finished roof looks like the window was always there.
Insulation and vapour detailing at the opening, so you don't create a cold spot that condenses.
Blinds and accessories if you want them specified at the same time.
Clearing up — old materials and offcuts go with us.

How we do it

We check the pitch and the structure before quoting. Roof windows have a working pitch range, and the rafter spacing decides what widths will fit without major structural work. Getting this right on paper saves an expensive surprise on the day.

We match the flashing kit to your roof. This is the single most important decision in the whole job, and it's where most leaking roof windows go wrong. A flashing kit for plain tiles is not the same as one for deep-profile interlocking tiles, which is not the same as one for slate. Fit the wrong one, or fit a universal one badly, and water gets under the covering at the head of the window. We specify the right kit for the covering you actually have.

We form the opening properly. The rafters are trimmed and supported so the roof structure still does its job with a hole in it.

We work in the dry and keep it covered. The roof is open for part of a day. We plan around the weather and sheet it rather than gambling on the forecast.

We dress the covering back in by hand. Tiles and slates get cut and re-laid around the flashing so the water runs over and around the window the way it runs over the rest of the roof.

We check the head detail last. The top of a roof window is where water collects and where a poor installation shows itself first. That's where we spend the extra time.

Why Frampton Roofing

We're roofers, not joiners with a ladder. Almost every leaking roof window we get called out to is a flashing or a covering problem, not a problem with the window. That's roofing work, and it's what we do every day.

We fit them as part of re-roofs. Which means we're used to tying a roof window into new tiling, into dormers and into the awkward junctions where flat and pitched roofs meet.

We'll tell you if it's the wrong answer. Some roofs are too shallow, too steep, or structurally awkward for the window somebody has in mind. Better to hear that at survey than halfway through.

Second-opinion work welcome. If you've got a roof window that's been leaking since it went in, we'll find out why.

Rated 5.0 on Google from over 100 reviews, a Nextdoor Neighbourhood Faves winner in 2023, and more than twenty years working on roofs across this coast.

Common questions

Do I need planning permission for a roof window?

For most houses, fitting a roof window falls under permitted development, provided it doesn't project much beyond the roof plane and isn't on the principal elevation facing a highway. Listed buildings, conservation areas and flats are the exceptions and usually do need consent. We'll tell you what we think applies, but confirming it with the council is the homeowner's responsibility — and worth doing before we start.

Can you fit one without re-roofing the whole roof?

Yes, and most of the ones we fit are exactly that — a single window into an existing roof. We open up only the area we need, form the opening, flash it and dress the covering back in.

Why do roof windows get a reputation for leaking?

Because the flashing kit is so often wrong for the roof covering, or fitted without dressing the tiles in properly around it. The window itself is rarely the problem. Get the flashing right and it stays dry.

How long does it take?

A straightforward single window into an existing roof is usually a day, weather permitting. More if the structure needs significant work or several are going in.

Do you do the plastering and finishing inside?

We fit the window, form and weather the opening and make the roof good. Internal plastering and decorating is normally a separate trade — we'll be clear about exactly what is and isn't in your quote so there's no gap between us and whoever finishes inside.

Does it have to be a VELUX?

No. VELUX is the name everyone knows and it's a good product, but there are other decent makes and we're happy to fit them. What matters far more than the badge is that the flashing kit matches your roof and that it's installed properly.

VELUX & Roof Window Installation across Thanet & East Kent