Roof lantern installation by your own builder: the manual per roof type

Roof lantern installation is a job for a builder, handyman or roofer with experience of flat roofs. DagLichtDesign makes and delivers, your tradesman installs. Every delivery comes with a printed and a digital installation manual per roof type, and phone support is available on working days from 7:00 to 17:00. Below you can read what the manual contains and what your builder arranges in advance.

How does installation by your own builder work?

Installation by your own builder means we make the roof lantern to measure and deliver it, and your tradesman fits it and connects it to the roof. That keeps the schedule in your own hands: the builder constructs the extension and puts the lantern on when it suits his planning.

If you do not have a builder, installation can be arranged on request through a regular installation partner. It appears as a separate line in the quote, so you can see exactly what the lantern costs and what the installation costs. For building firms that order more often there is a separate arrangement for contractors.

What does the installation manual contain?

The installation manual is written per roof type and comes printed with the delivery and digitally by email. That way your builder can read it beforehand and prepare the upstand before the lantern arrives.

• Flashing details for EPDM, bitumen and zinc
• Step-by-step plan for upstand, insulation and sealing
• Safety instructions for lifting and positioning
• CAD file on request, for drawings and work preparation

Roof lantern installation per roof type

With a mono-pitch roof lantern, installation is all about the pitch and the low side. The lantern has a standard pitch of 8°, and the upstand has to be set up for it in advance. The water runs off the low side, which is where the gutter belongs.

With a wall-abutting lean-to, the connection to the wall is the critical point. It is made with a wall flashing profile plus an EPDM lead substitute or a zinc flashing, depending on the wall type. For brickwork, timber cladding, render, sand-lime brick and concrete panels, the matching profile is supplied. This often comes up with a roof lantern against a terraced house.

With a gable and a hipped lantern, drainage is built into the profiles: in the bottom rails of the gable lantern, and hidden in the bars and corner profiles of the hipped lantern. The builder connects them to the existing gutter or downpipe.

What your builder arranges in advance

A made-to-measure roof lantern only fits on an upstand that is right. So check the measurements before you order, see measuring for a roof lantern. On an existing roof, the builder or a structural engineer assesses whether the joists can carry the weight, especially if the opening gets larger.

• Upstand level and square, both diagonals equal
• Load-bearing capacity of roof and joists assessed
• Lifting gear or glass suction lifters, and enough hands on the day
• Insulation and roof covering finished up to the upstand

Connecting to the roof covering

The connection to the roof covering decides whether the roof stays dry. The principle is the same everywhere: the roof covering runs up the upstand and is finished there, after which the lantern frame drops over it. That way water always runs over a joint and never into it. How high and how wide is explained in the guide to the upstand.

With EPDM it is a matter of bonding and a continuous strip up the upstand, see connecting to EPDM. With bitumen it is usually a torched or bonded connection made by a roofer, see connecting to bitumen. Preferably work on a dry day: adhesive and sealant bond poorly to a wet or cold surface.

Frequently asked questions