Fitting two Velux windows

Fitting a Velux window is normally not a hard job, but it is if you have to do a lot of repair to the original roof to get it right.

Originally (from new in 1900) there had been a steel window been fitted, which had been replaced by an idiot in the 1970/80 with a Velux window, which had been done in very poor way. There had been no leaks but the structure of the roof had not been supported enough to stop a considerable sagging.


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr

They had cut out 1 roof truss which they had not compensated by strengthen up either side of the window.

The roof trusses in the house with a dimension of 2 by 4 are not really over specified as they are.

So the first thing I needed to do was to build a proper knee wall to take some of the weight of the roof. Then I worked out where I wanted the new windows to be.

Doubled up the existing roof trusses (glue and bolts) but had to lift the roof with a hydraulic jack to get the 2” flex out of it. (It goes a lot easier without the weight of the tiles)

Repaired the trusses they had cut out for the old window. Trimmed out for the new Velux and place the new Velux.


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr

Put the flashing on and cut a lot of tiles – I mean a lot of tiles.

The result is a lot of light

The Velux windows we have chosen are the ones that you can also use as an emergency exit. They can open as a normal velux (centre pivot) but also open completely at the top (top hung) to create a perfect escape route


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr


Untitled by mcluma, on Flickr

Thanks for looking

Where's the purlin gone? Surely that was supporting the roof!

when u look at each end it dosent look like the purlin was bricked in, mabe it was just for show?

Yeh. When I read this last week I did wonder how the roof was sagging with a tree trunk for a purlin.

Tipper said:

Where's the purlin gone? Surely that was supporting the roof!

Click to expand...

That is what I thought.....where has it gone ....also look at pic 2 there is light coming in but that could be part of the retiling I suppose

That purling didn't do anything, just for show, now the knee wall is giving good support, i had to jack the roof up by about 2 inch in the middle. the rafters are just undersized for the type of roof. the things they did about 100 years ago