Stubbington
What does a flat, windy, extended village need from its rooflights?
Extensions built on extensions, bungalow lofts waiting to be used, and sea air that tests every fixing
Stubbington sits on low, flat ground between Fareham and the Solent shore, with Stubbington Green at its middle and Hill Head and the Titchfield Haven reserve a short way to the south-west. It is a village that filled in around its green over the twentieth century, and plenty of the houses have since been altered to suit growing families. A good number have been through one set of building works already, and some are about to go through another.
That gives us a particular picture of the work. A house here may have a kitchen extension from an earlier decade with a dated roof, or a conservatory that was never warm, or a garage converted into a room with a flat roof that has aged badly. Next to those, the bungalows that give the village its low skyline want loft rooms, and the semis want more light in the middle of the plan. The conversation with the builder is the same in each case: what is the roof, what is below it, and when can the glass go in?
Extensions that have been extended
A flat roof over a rear extension is the most common roof in these jobs, and also the one most likely to be re-covered before the rooflight goes in. If the existing roof is felt, EPDM or GRP in poor condition, the cheapest sequence is to renew the covering and fit the rooflight at the same time, so the upstand and the new membrane are one piece of work. The roofer's cover for the roof and our workmanship guarantee for the glazing then meet at a clean junction, and nobody is arguing about whose detail has failed.
The kerb is the part to settle early. In an old extension the roof deck may be thin, the joists may be at an odd spacing, and the insulation may be a few millimetres of foam or none at all. We measure what is there and advise what the opening needs: a taller kerb to take current insulation, a trimmer to carry the weight of a lantern, an upstand in timber or in a pre-formed GRP form. The page on EPDM, GRP and felt roofs describes what each covering asks of the kerb.
Converted garages and boxy side extensions
Garage conversions leave a flat roof over a room with one window at most, which is usually a small window at the front. A flat rooflight lifts such a room into something usable: it is a bedroom, an office or a playroom with daylight from above. Because the roof is already flat and low, the rooflight can be fitted without altering the outline of the house, and the question of permission is usually a short one, though the council still decides and we check your address first.
For a long, narrow room along the side of the house the best arrangement is often a row of flat rooflights evenly spaced, in preference to one large unit. The row spreads the daylight along the room and lines up with the joists below. Joist positions should be shown to us before the openings are marked, because a rooflight that cuts a joist needs a trimmer, and the trimmers need to be in the builder's price.
Bungalow lofts with little headroom
Bungalows are a big part of what Stubbington looks like. Many have a loft that is shallow, with the ridge not far above the ceiling, and that limits what can be done. A true bungalow loft conversion needs height for a stair and a floor, and not every roof has it. Where the pitch is generous, roof windows side by side across the back slope will light a bedroom well. Where the roof is shallow, a rear dormer with flat rooflights across its top is often a better answer than a roof window. We look at the roof from the loft hatch before saying which.
Loft rooms need an escape route, and in a bungalow the escape window can be a roof window if its sill is at a sensible height and it opens wide enough. The detail is settled with building control. Our page on roof windows as escape windows explains the principle and the regulation.
Salt, wind and nothing to stop either
Stubbington stands on flat, open ground close to the Solent, so the roofs get the wind, and the wind brings salt. A lantern or a big flat unit catches the wind like a sail, and the kerb and fixings have to carry that load. We note the weight and the fixing method in the written quote so the builder can see what the structure under the unit must carry. Frames in powder-coated aluminium cope with salt air better than bare metal, and hinges and arms should be stainless or coated for the exposure.
Seals and sealants are the other consideration. Salt and sun age a sealant faster than inland weather does, so the survey looks at the state of the existing flashings and abutments around any rooflight we are replacing. For a new unit we use the maker's flashing kit and the correct upstand detail, and we leave the roof ready for an inspection by whoever looks after it next.
Dark landings and windowless corners
Houses that have grown sideways often end up with rooms that have no outside wall: a utility room behind the garage, a hall that now runs between two extensions, a bathroom in the middle. A sun tunnel is the modest answer. Daylight arrives by a roof dome, a mirror-finish tube through the void above, then a diffuser set flush in the ceiling to a place that would otherwise rely on a bulb. The run is best kept short and straight, and our page on rigid and flexible sun tunnels explains why.
Raised lantern or low flat unit on the new roof
On a flat-roofed extension the pick between lantern and flat glass is mostly about ceiling height and appearance. A lantern gives the room a raised ceiling and a more architectural feel but needs a taller build and a bigger kerb. A flat rooflight is lower and plainer, keeps the roofline quiet and costs less to build around. Our comparison page, lantern or flat rooflight, goes through the trade-offs in more detail.
Either type can be specified with solar-control glass, which cuts the sun's heat on a south-facing extension. If the rooms are on the shady side, clear glass lets in more of the light that is there. The glass choice is made at the quote stage, not left to the day, because the maker needs it with the order.
Getting onto a flat roof, and off it again
Access matters on a single-storey extension. The glass has to reach the roof, whether by hand up a ladder, by hoist from the garden or by a small crane in the road, and the route has to be safe for people carrying a heavy pane. In Stubbington the gardens are often long and the side passages narrow, so we ask at the survey how the unit will get to the roof and note the answer in the quote. A large lantern may arrive in sections, with the frame assembled on the kerb, and that changes how many people are needed on the day.
Opening units are worth a thought over kitchens and bathrooms. An electric rooflight that opens at the touch of a switch lets warm, damp air out of the room, and a rain sensor closes it if the weather turns. It needs a cable run at first fix and a position the actuator can reach, which is why the electrician and the roofer are told early. Our guide to wiring an electric rooflight shows what is needed in the ceiling.
Who decides on a Stubbington roof
Stubbington falls under Fareham Borough Council. The rooflight rules in permitted development are explained in our planning guide, and the council's site at fareham.gov.uk lets you search the history of an address. Look for conditions on newer houses, and for permissions already granted for extensions, because a roof that was extended under an earlier permission may carry its own limits.
Building control is separate. Each new rooflight we install is built to current Building Regulations standards, with the notification made by us wherever it applies. Swapping an old frame-and-glass rooflight for a new one counts as a controlled fitting; changing only the sealed unit does not. The Building Regulations page covers the limits for thermal performance.
Coordinating with the other trades
The survey is free. Our written quote that follows it says which unit is going in and how it is glazed, gives the maker's lead time and sets out what the builder needs to supply. Once we have ordered, you and the builder are both sent the delivery date. The roofer finishes the covering, the electrician wires any electric unit at first fix, the glazing goes in, and the plasterer closes the reveals. See who builds the kerb if you are unsure which trade carries which part of the upstand.
Our Southampton base is 13 road miles from Stubbington, to the south-east, a longer run than some, so surveys and fitting days are booked with the builder's schedule in front of us.
