Should I replace this PVC roof lantern?

[John Peden]

We moved into our current house about a year ago. You can see that our dining room has a roof lantern roughly 2.5 x 2.5m in size. The previous owners went for what I think must have been a fairly cheap PVC unit. It has been really cold in winter and actually far worse in summer as the garden faces south west. One of the internal panes shattered a few months ago so I expect things to be even worse when the weather turns cold.

Replacing the broken pane will cost around £300 and a blind to improve the thermal properties of the lantern will cost at least £1500. With that in mind, I was eyeing up a new alumiunium Korniche unit for about £1900.

The issue I'm having is that I think a new upstand will need to be built as this roof lantern appears to have been installed without one. Any of the roofers I've spoke to who will repair the flat roof seem not to want to touch the lantern.

How would you go about tackling this project?

https://imgur.com/ahRL9xz

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https://imgur.com/7J4cctf

At the moment, I'm thinking:

1. Wait until the weather starts to get warmer next year
2. Have a roofer remove the roof lantern and repair the flat roof
3. Cover the hole with plywood/tarp while a joiner builds a new upstand to fit the space
4. Order a custom-sized roof lantern from Korniche to fit
5. DIY install the roof lantern

 

[catlad]

I think your on the right lines as what you have there is conservatory roof.
Velux do a flat roof skylight 1.5m2

 

[John Peden]

A quick Google would appear to suggest that you are right. I wondered where there was no upstand and it 'featured' a gutter around the edge.

Could the upstand be built first based on the dimensions of the reveal on the inside? This would give me an idea of the size of roof lantern I'd need to order (lead time of about 2 weeks) and would mean that the roofer could make the upstand waterproof along with the rest of the flat roof.

DIY roof upstand looks tricky...probably best left to a joiner/builder?

Assuming it could be made to work, I'd be able to have the roofer finish their work and then put the new lantern straight on which looks like a reasonably straightforward DIY job:

My concern here is needing to order something bespoke from Korniche that arrives but then doesn't fit the space.

 

[catlad]

A lot of components there, not sure why you would go down that route.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Or just ditch the rooflight altogether and stick some flat roof in, avoiding any future issues and meaningfully improve the overall insulation of the room.

 

[John Peden]

Or just ditch the rooflight altogether and stick some flat roof in, avoiding any future issues and meaningfully improve the overall insulation of the room.

Might be a tad dark!

 

[John Peden]

First quote from a local builder to replace the flat roof and upgrade the lantern...£9000

 

[John Peden]

A lot of components there, not sure why you would go down that route.

What would you suggest as an alternative? Do away with the roof lantern and replace with 2x solid glass roof lights or something?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Might be a tad dark!

Would it though? Most kitchens don't have a rooflight do they, they don't generally seem dark.

 

[John Peden]

Would it though? Most kitchens don't have a rooflight do they, they don't generally seem dark.

You can see in this pic from when we bought the house that the living room would probably become quite dark if the roof lantern were removed. That said...I'm sure we could make it work but if the flat roof needs to be rebuilt, I'd quite happily pay a bit extra to the natural light coming in.

 

[catlad]

I think your on the right lines as what you have there is conservatory roof.
Velux do a flat roof skylight 1.5m2

 

[John Peden]

Update: I ended up finding a roofer who was happy to replace the flat roof with GRP and install a Korniche lantern for me. I then found EOS Rooflights: https://www.eosrooflights.co.uk/ who supplied a insulated upstand to fit the reveal and a Korniche lantern to fit the upstand.

Total cost was in the region of £6K all-in. This included solar reflective glass. The upgrade has transformed the space and the new lantern has been superb. Heat gain in direct sunlight is minimal now and the whole space is way more comfortable.