Planning a skylight or rooflight in Water Orton
Older village lanes and newer family closes.
Water Orton homes range from older village houses to later family estates, and each roof asks something different of a rooflight. Free survey, then a written quote that compares the suitable units.
- Distance
- About 15 road miles east of central Birmingham
- Planning
- North Warwickshire Borough Council
- Housing
- Older village houses alongside later semis and detached family homes
- Roofs
- Pitched tiled roofs, plus rear extensions with flat or lantern roofs
Which unit for which Water Orton roof
An older village house with a steep tiled roof?
A roof window sized to the rafters, with a flashing kit that matches the tile.
A semi with a deep rear extension?
A lantern for a bright centre, or a flat rooflight for a lower look.
A house on a quiet close with a loft to use?
Roof windows spaced to suit the rooms, with blinds ordered at the same time.
Choosing the glazing and frame
- Double
- Triple
Glazing is one of the first choices on a Water Orton quote, since it affects warmth in winter, comfort in summer and the price. Double glazing is the usual standard. Triple glazing adds a pane and a gas-filled gap, and it costs more and weighs more.
We show the two side by side where the roof can carry them, so the extra cost sits next to what it gives.
Double glazed
- Warmth
- Can meet the Part L limit
- Weight
- Lighter on the frame
- Cost
- Lower
Triple glazed
- Warmth
- Better still
- Weight
- Heavier, so the kerb matters
- Cost
- Higher
What the regulations ask for
For an existing home in England, Part L (2021) sets a limit for a rooflight of 2.2 W/m²K. Roof windows count as windows, which puts their standard at WER Band B on the rating scale, or at 1.4 W/m²K for the unit as a whole. A good double-glazed unit can meet the figure for its type, so triple glazing is a choice about comfort and running costs, not a requirement.
Cold air falls from the glass in a room with a very large rooflight, and some homeowners notice it in winter. Triple glazing reduces that effect because the inner pane stays warmer. Our page on double and triple glazed rooflights sets out the trade-offs, and do skylights lose heat answers the broader question.
Often asked on a first call
Is triple glazing too heavy for my lantern?
Not usually, but it changes the load on the kerb and the frame. We check what the roof can take before we put it on the quote.
Aluminium and uPVC frames
Lantern frames are made in aluminium or uPVC, and the quote shows both where the shape allows. Aluminium frames are slim and strong, which lets a large lantern keep thin bars, and they come in a range of colours. uPVC frames cost less and are well insulated, though the profiles are chunkier.
On a village house with painted woodwork and brick, a slim aluminium frame in a dark grey often looks quietest. On a later semi, white uPVC may match the windows. Our comparison of aluminium and uPVC roof lanterns covers the differences in full.
- Kerb strength checked for heavier glazing
- Frame colour matched to your windows
- Glass coating compared on the quote
Older houses with steep roofs
An older village house often has a steeper pitch and a mature tile, perhaps clay and perhaps slightly uneven. In a roof like that, a roof window calls for a flashing kit designed around the covering, and the tiles round the opening are lifted and then relaid with care.
We check the rafters, the tile type and the state of the battens, and tell you what the quote includes for relaying. Where a tile cannot be reused, the quote names a close match.
| Item | Older house | Later semi |
|---|---|---|
| Covering | Clay or slate, relaid with care | Concrete tile, simple flashing |
| Rafters | Spacing varies, measured on site | Regular, easy to plan around |
| Likely unit | Roof window or conservation style | Roof window or lantern |
Sun, shade and the glass coating
A rooflight facing south collects far more sun than one facing north, and the glass coating should follow. Solar control glass reduces the heat that passes into a room, and it suits a south or west facing extension where a lantern spans much of the roof. A clear coating lets in the most winter light, which suits a shaded or north facing room.
We note the direction of each roof at the survey and quote a clear and a solar control option together where the room would benefit. A self-cleaning coat is another choice, helpful where the glass sits at a shallow angle and collects dust. Our guides to solar control glass and self-cleaning glass explain how each performs, and a blind or an external awning can add shade where the glass alone does not do enough.
Replacing, extending and getting permission
- Replace
- Extend
- Permission
When an old window has had its day
A roof window put in many years ago may now let in a draught, mist between the panes or stick when opened. Some of those faults sit in the glass, which can be replaced as a sealed unit, and some sit in the frame or the flashing, which means a new window.
Swapping a window for the same size is usually the simplest route, because the opening and the rafters are already there. The new window can be a close match for the old or a different maker's unit if that suits the roof better. Our page on replacing an old VELUX window explains what to check, and the guide to signs a rooflight has failed helps you tell which fault you have.
Often asked on a measuring visit
Can you reuse the old lining?
The existing lining can often be adapted when the replacement window matches the old size. We check the plasterwork on the day and say what needs finishing.
Upgrading while you are at it
Replacing a window is a good moment to improve it. A newer unit has better glazing, a more efficient seal and a wider choice of blinds. If the old window was a manual one set high in the slope, an electric opener might now be worth comparing. Taking out the old unit also lets us look at the insulation and the flashing, and fix anything that was poorly done before.
Changing a complete window, frame and glass, brings it under the controlled fitting rules, so the work is notifiable and the notification to Building Control goes from us. Where only the sealed unit is changed, no notification is needed. The quote tells you which case applies to your window.
| Item | Sealed unit only | Whole window |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | Misted glass in a sound frame | Failed frame or flashing |
| Notifiable | No | Yes, as a controlled fitting |
| Disturbance | Smaller | Larger, with new lining |
| Upgrade scope | Glass only | Glass, frame and blind |
- Fault traced to the glass or the frame
- Flashing checked while the window is out
- New unit sized to suit the existing rafters
A rear extension roof
Lantern
- Height
- Adds a raised roof
- Light
- Bright centre
- Suits
- Wider rooms
Flat rooflight
- Height
- Sits low
- Light
- Even across the room
- Suits
- Narrower rooms
Choosing for the room
A wide rear extension with a dining table at one end can use a lantern as a centrepiece. A narrow galley kitchen is often better with a long flat rooflight above the worktop. Size matters as much as the type, and a lantern that is too small looks lost.
Our guides to roof lantern sizes and flat rooflight size for an extension show how to match the unit to the room.
Opening for air
Rooms with tall ceilings gather warm air at the top, and a rooflight that opens lets it out. A roof window with a top-hung sash suits a spot higher in the slope with an open view, and a centre-pivot window suits a lower position within easy reach. Motors, wall switches and a rain sensor are options to compare.
A power supply is needed for a motorised unit, and we plan where the cable runs so the plasterwork is finished neatly. Our guides to manual and electric rooflights and rain sensors explain the choices.
Often asked while measuring up
Can I add a roof window to a loft that is already converted?
Often, if the room has space between the rafters. We look at the lining and the insulation to see how the new window will be finished.
Planning and Building Control
Planning in Water Orton is decided by North Warwickshire Borough Council. A Water Orton house can often have a rooflight or roof window fitted under permitted development, and the conditions are listed in our rooflight planning guide. Listed building consent is a separate matter altogether, since it is needed whenever a listed building is to take a rooflight, no matter what permitted development would allow elsewhere, and a local restriction such as an Article 4 direction can withdraw the right.
The address is checked first and the council then decides. Under the Building Regulations, an opening newly made in a roof is building work. A rooflight changed as a whole, frame and glass included, counts as a controlled fitting and is notifiable, while a replacement sealed glass unit by itself is not. For notifiable work we send Building Control the notification, and the job carries our 10-year workmanship guarantee, with a separate warranty from the maker covering the unit.
Water Orton, from Curdworth to Minworth Greaves
Our surveys take in Water Orton, running from the older village lanes through to the later family closes, with Gilson, Curdworth and Minworth Greaves close by.
Nearby places we cover
What Water Orton homeowners ask
Which council do I speak to about a roof window?
North Warwickshire Borough Council decides planning in Water Orton. Many roof windows are permitted development, and the conditions are covered in our rooflight planning guide, with the address itself checked when we survey.
Is triple glazing worth having on a rooflight?
It can be on a large unit in a room you use all year, since the inner pane stays warmer. For a smaller unit double glazing often does the job, and the quote shows both.
Is Water Orton within your area, close to Curdworth and Gilson?
Roughly 15 road miles to the east of central Birmingham, it falls inside the 30-mile area we cover. Surveys take place at your home.
Will an old clay-tiled roof on a village house take a roof window?
It can take one, with a flashing kit for the covering and careful relaying of the tiles around it. We check the rafters and the battens first, and the quote names what is needed.
Does a lantern need Building Control sign-off?
Notification is needed for a lantern in a new opening or for a whole replacement, and we send it in. Changing only the sealed glass unit, with the frame left in place and sound, needs no notification.
Will a large rooflight make the room cold?
Modern double glazing keeps the loss small, and triple glazing reduces it further. We compare the two on the quote so you see the cost against the gain.
How do I know if my old window needs a new frame?
A sound frame with misted glass often needs only a new sealed unit. Rot, a warped sash or a failed seal around the frame points to a whole window. We tell you which case it is at the survey and quote accordingly.
What if I want a bright kitchen but the sun is strong?
Solar control glass and a blind can both be compared on the quote. We note the direction of the roof and suggest the combination that suits the room.
Can the new roof window match my existing ones?
Often we can match the size and opening style, and the frame colour is chosen at the order. If a different maker's unit suits the roof better, the quote compares both.
Are the makers on the quote always the same ones?
No single manufacturer's catalogue limits what we put forward, so a quote can draw on several makers where the roof allows and the options are matched to your house, with no fixed range deciding for you.
What will you do at my Water Orton house during the free survey?
We measure the roof and the room, look at the rafters and the covering, and discuss the options. Afterwards a written quote arrives, lining the suitable units up next to one another. You can book a free survey whenever you are ready.
Book your free survey
It starts with a free survey and plain advice. No pressure, just clear options for your home.
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