Figuring out the total skylight cost with installation can feel a bit like navigating a maze, but it doesn’t have to be. For a standard, professionally installed skylight in Australia, you can generally expect the cost to land somewhere between $1,500 and $5,500. This figure typically wraps up the skylight unit itself, the labour, and all the essential components needed to guarantee a perfect, leak-free finish.
Your Quick Guide To Skylight Installation Costs In 2026
When you decide to bring more natural light into your home, the first question is almost always about the budget. Getting a clear idea of the costs upfront is the best way to plan your project without any nasty surprises down the track. The final price tag will always depend on the type of skylight you fall in love with and the unique characteristics of your home, but a reliable estimate is the perfect place to start.
As a leading Australian supplier, Vivid Skylights is a leading supplier of double glazed fixed and operable skylights, delivering our products nationwide across Australia. We’ve curated a range of options to suit any home or budget, with every model engineered for exceptional performance and a sleek, modern aesthetic. Our mission is simple: to make high-quality natural lighting accessible to homeowners right across the country.
Vivid Skylights Product Range
We’ve focused our range on the most effective and popular types of skylights to ensure we deliver consistent quality and reliability. Our entire range is available for nationwide delivery, bringing outstanding design to every corner of Australia.
Double Glazed Fixed Skylights: These are the perfect choice for areas where you just want to flood the space with natural light without needing extra ventilation. Think hallways, living rooms, and studies.
Double Glazed Operable Skylights: Ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, these models open up to release steam, moisture, and heat, dramatically improving airflow. We offer both electric and solar powered options for ultimate convenience, complete with automatic rain sensors.
By making high-performance double glazing a standard feature, we ensure every skylight delivers superior thermal insulation and energy efficiency. This helps you start saving on your energy bills from the moment it’s installed.
To give you a clearer picture of what to expect, we’ve put together a table breaking down the estimated total costs. This combines the price of the unit with average installation fees, giving you a practical financial overview before we dive into the specific factors that influence these numbers.
For more details on what the installation process itself involves, you can find in-depth information in our article about professional skylight installation.
Estimated Skylight Cost With Installation (Australia 2026)
This table provides a quick overview of the estimated total cost, including the unit and professional installation, for different types of skylights.
| Skylight Type | Average Unit Cost (AUD) | Average Installation Cost (AUD) | Estimated Total Cost (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Skylight | $700 – $1,500 | $800 – $1,800 | $1,500 – $3,300 |
| Electric Operable Skylight | $1,600 – $2,500 | $1,000 – $2,500 | $2,600 – $5,000 |
| Solar-Powered Operable Skylight | $1,700 – $2,700 | $1,000 – $2,800 | $2,700 – $5,500 |
These figures are a great starting point for budgeting. As you can see, the complexity of the skylight—from a simple fixed model to a feature-rich solar one—plays a big role in the final cost.
What Exactly Am I Paying For?
When you get a quote for a skylight cost with installation, the final number can feel like a single, hefty expense. But understanding what actually goes into that figure is the key to seeing its real value. A skylight project isn’t just about buying a piece of glass; it’s a multi-layered investment that includes the product itself, the skilled labour to fit it, and the crucial finishing touches that guarantee a perfect, leak-free result.
Let’s break down that total cost into its three main parts: the skylight unit, the professional installation, and the essential supporting materials. Each element is vital, and knowing what you’re paying for helps you properly compare quotes and sidestep any nasty “hidden” costs. This is where choosing Vivid Skylights, a leading supplier of double glazed skylights, really makes all the difference.
The Skylight Unit Itself
The heart of your investment is, of course, the skylight. As a leading Australian supplier, Vivid Skylights focuses exclusively on premium double glazed skylights, which we include as standard in every single unit. This high-performance glazing is non-negotiable for thermal efficiency—it keeps your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, which means direct savings on your energy bills.
Our range of fixed and operable skylights are available for nationwide delivery in Australia and includes:
Double Glazed Fixed Skylights: For bringing pure, uninterrupted daylight into spaces where extra ventilation isn’t the main goal.
Double Glazed Operable Skylights: Available as electric or solar powered models, these are perfect for creating airflow and letting steam escape in kitchens and bathrooms.
All our skylights are built with tough, black powder-coated aluminium frames for incredible durability and a sharp, modern aesthetic. This combination of top-tier materials ensures your skylight doesn’t just look fantastic but performs flawlessly for years to come.
As you can see, while fixed skylights are the most direct route to adding light, the added convenience and functionality of electric and solar models offer a worthwhile upgrade for many homeowners.
Labour and Installation Charges
Professional installation isn’t just about putting the skylight in place. It’s about protecting your home’s structural integrity and ensuring a completely watertight seal for decades to come. Labour costs are driven by the complexity of the job. An installer has to carefully cut through both your roof and ceiling, build a “light shaft” to connect the two, and then expertly secure and seal the skylight.
An experienced installer’s expertise is your best defence against leaks. The peace of mind that comes from a guaranteed, leak-free installation is priceless, protecting your home from what could be thousands of dollars in water damage repairs down the line.
Factors like your roof’s pitch, its material (tiles vs. metal), and how easy it is to access all influence the time needed, and therefore the labour cost. While it might be tempting to find a cheaper option here, quality installation is one area you really can’t afford to compromise on.
Essential Supporting Materials
Beyond the skylight unit and the labour, a few other materials are critical to the final cost. One of the most important is the flashing kit—a custom-designed component that creates an impenetrable, weatherproof barrier between the skylight frame and your roofing material. Without the right flashing, your skylight is almost guaranteed to leak. It’s that simple.
At Vivid Skylights, we make this part easy. We include the correct flashing kit for tiled roofs with every skylight purchase, so you know exactly what you’re getting. You can find out more about why this component is so vital in our guide on skylight flashing kits.
Other potential costs can include:
Interior Finishing: After the light shaft is built, it needs plastering and painting to blend perfectly with your ceiling.
Structural Alterations: In some situations, a roof truss might need to be cut and reinforced by a qualified builder, which adds to the cost.
Council Permits: Depending on your location and the scale of the project, a council permit might be required.
By seeing how all these components fit together, you can appreciate that the skylight cost with installation is a complete package. With Vivid Skylights, you get the benefit of nationwide delivery and an unwavering commitment to quality, ensuring every dollar you invest goes toward making your home a brighter, more beautiful place to live.
Choosing Your Skylight: Fixed vs. Operable
Once you’ve decided to bring natural light into your home, you’ll face your next big decision: what kind of skylight is right for you? This isn’t just about looks; your choice has a direct impact on how you use your space and, of course, the final skylight cost with installation. The two main players are fixed and operable skylights, and each brings something different to the table for different parts of your home.
As a leading Australian supplier, Vivid Skylights is a leading supplier of both double glazed fixed and operable skylights, delivering our products nationwide. Getting to grips with what sets them apart is the key to picking a model that fits your lifestyle, your home’s layout, and your budget. Let’s break them down.
Fixed Skylights: The Purest Form of Natural Light
A fixed skylight is exactly what it sounds like—a sealed, non-opening window for your roof. Its one job is to let the maximum amount of daylight flood into a room, turning a dark, boxed-in area into a bright, inviting space. Its elegant simplicity is its biggest strength.
Think of a fixed skylight as a pure, uninterrupted window to the sky. They are the perfect solution for areas where you want all the light without needing extra ventilation.
Living Rooms and Family Areas: Add a sense of drama and openness.
Hallways and Entryways: Brighten up those traditionally gloomy transitional zones.
Home Offices or Studies: Create a more productive and pleasant work environment.
Because they have no moving parts, fixed skylights are generally the most affordable option. This makes them a fantastic way for homeowners to make a huge visual splash without a complex or costly installation. The cost for a fully installed fixed skylight typically ranges from $2,250 to $4,800, making it a go-to choice for brightening windowless rooms without blowing the budget.
Vivid Skylights’ Advantage: Every one of our fixed skylights is double glazed as standard, ensuring top-notch thermal performance. You get all the beautiful light without sacrificing your home’s insulation.
Operable Skylights: Light Plus a Breath of Fresh Air
Operable skylights, sometimes called venting skylights, take things to the next level. They deliver the same gorgeous natural light as fixed models, but with a major bonus: they open up to let fresh air in and stale, hot air out. This dual function makes them a game-changer for certain rooms.
Vivid Skylights offers both electric and solar powered operable skylights, giving you automated convenience at the push of a button. They are absolute lifesavers in moisture-prone or heat-generating areas like:
Kitchens: Quickly vent cooking odours, smoke, and steam.
Bathrooms: Expel humidity to stop mould and mildew in their tracks.
Laundries: Improve air circulation and help manage dampness.
Our operable models are kitted out with features designed for modern life. A built-in rain sensor automatically closes the skylight at the first hint of a downpour, so you never have to worry about being caught out by a sudden storm. Plus, an integrated fly screen keeps the bugs outside while you enjoy the breeze.
Deciding between electric and solar-powered options often comes down to your home’s wiring and personal preference. Solar models are completely self-sufficient and don’t need internal wiring, which can simplify the installation process. Both types offer incredible convenience, transforming your room into a healthier, more comfortable space.
If you’re still weighing it all up, our guide on the different types of skylights available in Australia has even more detail. Ultimately, the choice between fixed and operable is about balancing your budget against your need for ventilation, and Vivid Skylights has premium, nationwide-delivered options for whatever path you take.
How Your Roof And Home Design Affect The Price
When you’re trying to pin down the total skylight cost with installation, you really need to look up—at your own roof. Not every installation is a simple cut-and-fit job; your home’s unique architecture plays a huge part in the final price. The complexity of the work, and by extension the labour cost, is tied directly to the specific design of your house.
Just picture an installer working on a steep, terracotta-tiled roof compared to one on a low-pitch metal roof. The first job involves carefully lifting and replacing fragile tiles, navigating a tricky angle, and making absolutely sure everything is sealed tight against the weather. The second is usually a much more straightforward process. These differences in complexity can easily add hours to the job, and that will show up on your quote.
As a leading Australian supplier, we’ve seen just about every type of home design out there. That’s why Vivid Skylights offers premium double glazed fixed and operable skylights—including electric and solar powered models—with flashing kits designed to handle different roof types. We deliver our skylights nationwide to ensure you can get a high-quality finish, no matter your home’s style.
The Impact of Roof Type and Material
The material and pitch (or steepness) of your roof are the two biggest factors that move the needle on labour costs. A simple installation on an easy-to-access, low-slope metal roof will always be more budget-friendly than a tricky one on a steep, multi-level tiled roof that demands extra safety gear.
Key factors that change the scope of the work include:
Roof Pitch (Steepness): The steeper the roof, the more time, specialised safety harnesses, and careful maneuvering are needed. This naturally increases labour hours.
Roofing Material: Tiled roofs, like terracotta or concrete, require a delicate touch to remove, cut, and replace tiles without causing cracks or damage. It’s a lot more painstaking than working with metal sheeting.
Accessibility: If the roof area is hard to get to, needing extra scaffolding or equipment to work safely, you can expect installation costs to go up.
At Vivid Skylights, we help you manage these variables by providing expertly designed flashing systems. For example, the flashing kits included with our skylights for tiled roofs are engineered for a perfect, weatherproof fit, which can seriously streamline the installation. You can learn more about the specifics in our guide on installing a skylight on a tile roof.
The Light Shaft: An Important Cost Factor
Another crucial element to consider is the distance between your roof and your ceiling. This gap determines the length of the “light shaft” or “tunnel” that must be built to channel sunlight down into the room. A bigger gap means a longer, more involved shaft is needed.
A longer light shaft requires more framing timber, more plasterboard for the interior walls, and more time for plastering and painting. This directly adds to both the material and labour components of your total cost.
This is where planning ahead with standard sizes really pays off. Vivid Skylights offers a huge range of standard skylight sizes, allowing you to choose an option that neatly fits between common rafter or truss spacing. This smart approach helps you avoid the need for expensive custom structural work, keeping your project on track and on budget.
By offering nationwide delivery, we ensure homeowners across Australia can access these efficient and cost-effective solutions. And for those looking to add ventilation, the investment can be particularly worthwhile. For instance, ventilated skylights with electric opening features might range from AUD $2,100 to $5,500 fully installed, a price reflecting their advanced features and high demand. You can find more real-world pricing insights for these advanced models from recent Australian installation reports.
DIY Installation Vs Hiring A Professional
When you’re looking at the total skylight cost with installation, labour is undeniably one of the biggest line items. It’s only natural to wonder if you can save a few bucks by tackling the job yourself. Going the DIY route can definitely shave hundreds, or even thousands, off the final bill, but it’s a path that demands a really honest look at your own skills and what you’re willing to risk.
There are certainly some simpler products out there geared towards DIYers. Tubular skylights, for example, have become a popular choice for brightening up small spaces like hallways or walk-in robes, often costing between $800 and $2,000 fully installed. They’re a budget-friendly option and generally more straightforward to fit.
But installing a premium double glazed fixed or operable skylight from Vivid Skylights is a different ball game entirely. As a leading Australian supplier, we deliver our high-performance skylights nationwide. While we’ve engineered our products to be as straightforward to install as possible, the job is best left to those who are already in the trades—think builders, carpenters, or experienced roofers.
The Case For DIY Installation
For the confident renovator with the right skillset, there’s one massive plus to installing a skylight yourself: the cost savings. It’s a big one. If you have legitimate, hands-on experience with roofing, framing, and—most importantly—waterproofing, you could potentially slash your total project cost.
If this sounds like you and you’re keen to explore it further, we’ve put together a resource to help. You can learn more by reading our guide on what a DIY skylight installation involves.
The Overwhelming Value Of A Professional
Despite the allure of saving money, the argument for hiring a professional is incredibly compelling. A skylight installation isn’t just about popping a window in your roof; it’s a structural change to your home’s most critical line of defence against the elements. Getting it wrong can lead to some massive, and expensive, headaches.
A professional installer’s fee is more than just a labour charge; it’s an insurance policy against future problems. Their expertise guarantees a flawless, leak-free finish that protects your home, your warranty, and your peace of mind.
Here’s what a professional brings to the table:
A Leak-Free Guarantee: This is the absolute number one reason. A pro has the right tools, materials, and years of experience to create a perfect, watertight seal. This is usually backed by their own workmanship warranty, giving you complete confidence.
Structural Integrity: They know precisely how to cut into your roof and ceiling without compromising the structure of your home. This includes properly reinforcing rafters if the job calls for it.
Building Code Compliance: An expert will make sure the entire installation meets all local building codes and Australian Standards, so you won’t have any compliance issues pop up later on.
Warranty Protection: A botched DIY job can do more than just cause a leak. It can void the manufacturer’s warranty on your new skylight and might even affect your home insurance coverage for any resulting damage.
When you’re weighing up your options, knowing how to choose the best contractor is crucial. For a high-value investment like one of Vivid Skylights’ electric or solar powered operable skylights, professional installation is the only way to ensure every feature works flawlessly from day one. With nationwide delivery across Australia, we make it easy to get our premium skylights to your chosen installer, wherever they are.
Alright, you’ve explored all the factors that go into the total skylight cost with installation, from the product itself to the complexities of your roof. Now, it’s time to move from those general figures to a real-world estimate for your own home.
Vivid Skylights makes this super simple. We created our online Pricing Estimator to give you a clear, personalised cost estimate in just a few minutes. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between your research and your renovation reality.
This isn’t some generic calculator that spits out a vague number. It’s a smart tool that considers the specific details of your project to give you a reliable cost projection. All it takes is a few key pieces of info about your home and what you’re looking for.
How to Get Your Personalized Quote
Getting started couldn’t be easier. Our estimator will walk you through a few quick questions to get a handle on your needs. To get the most accurate result, it helps to have this information ready:
Skylight Type: Are you thinking of a double glazed fixed skylight for pure, uninterrupted light, or an operable model to bring in a fresh breeze?
Operable Model Power: If you’re leaning towards an operable skylight, will you go with an electric or solar-powered version?
Roof Type: Is your roof tile or metal?
Your Location: Just your postcode is enough. This helps us factor in any local considerations.
Once you’ve made your selections, the tool instantly calculates an estimated cost and provides a clear breakdown of the investment. This transparency is huge—it lets you plan your budget with confidence, knowing exactly what to expect before you even make a call.
Using the Pricing Estimator is the fastest way to see how a premium Vivid Skylight fits into your renovation budget. It empowers you to make an informed decision based on real numbers tailored specifically to your project.
Why Choose Vivid Skylights?
Getting a quote from us is more than just a price check; it’s the first step in partnering with a leading Australian skylight supplier that’s all about quality and service. We stand behind every product we sell with benefits designed to give you complete peace of mind.
Our commitment to you includes:
Nationwide Australian Delivery: Whether you’re in a major city or a regional town, we deliver our premium skylights directly to you or your chosen installer.
A 10-Year Leak-Free Warranty: We have total confidence in our products’ durability and performance, and we back it up with a solid warranty.
Flexible Finance Options: We offer straightforward financing to help you manage the investment and bring your vision to life sooner rather than later.
After you have your estimate, our team is here to answer any questions you might have. We’re dedicated to making your journey from an informed reader to a confident customer as smooth as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you’ve got a handle on the factors that go into the total skylight cost with installation, a few last questions usually pop up. It’s completely normal. We’ve put together some straightforward answers to the most common things we get asked by homeowners around Australia.
As a leading supplier of premium skylights, we get the practical side of things. Vivid Skylights is all about being transparent, from our double glazed fixed and operable skylights to our nationwide delivery. Let’s clear up those final details for you.
How Long Does A Skylight Installation Typically Take?
For a standard, professional installation, you can usually expect it to be all done within half a day to a full day. Of course, this can change depending on a few things. A more complex roof, the type of skylight you’ve chosen, and any detailed interior finishing work can extend that timeframe a little.
While Vivid Skylights are designed to be fitted efficiently by trade professionals, you can never rule out the weather throwing a spanner in the works. Your installer will give you a much firmer timeline once they’ve had a good look at your home.
Will Installing A Skylight Increase My Home’s Value?
Absolutely. A quality skylight isn’t just an expense; it’s a high-impact upgrade that delivers a solid return on investment. It instantly boosts a home’s architectural appeal and floods rooms with natural light, making spaces feel bigger, more inviting, and far more attractive to potential buyers.
Homes with brilliant natural light often sell faster and for a better price. But beyond the dollars and cents, a skylight genuinely improves your day-to-day life and can even trim your power bills by cutting down the need for artificial lights.
What Warranty Comes With Vivid Skylights Products?
We stand by the quality and durability of our skylights, no question. Every single unit from Vivid Skylights is backed by a comprehensive 10-year leak-free warranty. This covers both the skylight itself and the flashing kit we provide, as long as it’s installed correctly following our guidelines.
On top of that, the motors and accessories for our electric and solar powered operable skylights come with their own specific manufacturer warranties. This layered protection gives you peace of mind that your investment is secure for years to come.
Can I Install A Skylight On A Flat Or Low-Pitch Roof?
Yes, you certainly can. We’ve engineered our skylights to be incredibly versatile, making them suitable for a huge range of roof pitches. Vivid Skylights offers specialised flashing systems specifically designed to create a completely watertight seal on both standard pitched roofs and those with a low incline.
Using the right flashing for your roof type is non-negotiable for a leak-free result. Our team is always here to make sure you get the exact kit you need for your home’s design, making a secure installation possible on just about any roof.
Ready to bring beautiful, natural light into your home? At Vivid Skylights, we make getting started simple. Take a look at our full range of premium fixed and operable skylights and get a personalised estimate for your project today.