Skylights & rooflights in Selston
Selston is a spread-out Nottinghamshire village with detached houses, semis, bungalows and older cottages. Skylights, rooflights and roof windows, installed or replaced, are what we do here, and every quote carries a plan for the parts that will need attention later.
What a Selston roof needs from a skylight
A village that spreads along its roads rather than clustering round a centre gives houses more room on their plots and more sky around them. That helps the light, but it also leaves roofs more open to weather, and a skylight here needs to be chosen with the weather in mind. That is the thread running through the three cases below.
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Detached houses with long, open roofs
A detached house has four sides open to the weather, and its roof takes wind from whichever way it blows. A roof window on such a slope is exposed to driven rain, so the flashing, the glazing bars and the seal all earn their keep. Aspect and neighbouring trees or buildings are noted before a unit is chosen.
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Bungalows whose roofs meet the garden
Single-storey roofs in Selston are close to the ground and often overhung by trees. Leaf litter in the valley of a roof, and moss on the slope, can hold water against a frame. We pay attention to the tile laps and the valley lines around any opening.
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Older cottages with thick walls and small windows
Where an older cottage has deep window reveals and low ceilings, the rooms upstairs can be dim whatever the weather. A roof window set into the slope gives light without having to alter the front, and a slim frame keeps the roofline tidy.
Selston's houses, one road at a time
Selston does not have a tight town centre. The houses sit along its roads and lanes, and the mix changes quickly as you drive. There are detached houses and bungalows on generous plots, semis along some stretches, and older brick cottages in places. That is a drive-through impression and not a history, and every roof still gets its own survey.
The detached houses have the most roof to work with. A long rear slope can hold a pair of roof windows with room to spare, and the lofts are often tall enough to be used. If the loft is to become a room, the roof window is the lesser part of the job: the stair, the floor and the means of escape come first, and we say so at survey.
Bungalows are the quieter story. A low hipped roof, a dark hall and a bathroom without a window are the pattern, and either a tube or a compact roof window answers it neatly. The tiles lie close to the garden, so cleaning and checking the unit is easier than on a taller house, which is a real point in its favour when we talk about the life plan.
Older cottages call for a gentler touch. Walls can be thick, roof timbers may be irregular, and a covering of old tile deserves care. We take tiles off one at a time, keep them for relaying, and fit the window to what the timbers allow. A flush conservation-style frame is often the one we show first on these roofs.
Outbuildings and garages are a feature of plots like these, and some have become offices or studios. A flat-roofed garage conversion with no window on the garden side suits a low rooflight or a compact lantern, and it is a gentler job than a house roof. Because these rooms are often used in the daytime, daylight matters more than people expect, and a good opening can cut the use of lamps in winter.
Trees, hedges and neighbouring roofs shade some plots and leave others open. We look at what stands to the south, east and west of the roof before we choose the glass, because a shaded slope and a sunny one want different coatings. On the sunny side a solar control layer and a blind guard against summer heat. On the shaded side, clear glass lets in every bit of light available.
Detached houses and chalet bungalows on the larger plots usually have a long, steady tiled roof, and a pair of roof windows suits that shape. Over the years the parts that wear are the tile flashing, the seals on the sash and the opening gear. A tall house makes access harder, so we plan which parts can be reached from inside. The glazing unit on many models is swapped from the room, and the blind and the vent can be changed in the same way, which leaves the roof covering alone. On a chalet roof the sill height, the opening size and the height of the floor above the ground all bear on whether the window can serve as an escape route, so we measure them from the finished floor. At survey we also check the rafters, the insulation depth and how the new lining will meet the ceiling, since those decide how neat the finished opening looks.
Skylights and rooflights for Selston properties
The work here runs from replacement of tired units on long detached roofs to small tubes for bungalow hallways. Each quote names the unit, which parts wear and how they are changed, and gives the choice of frame and glazing, so your decision is made with the later years in mind. Roofs of different heights and ages sit together here, so we look at each one separately and write the findings into the quote.
Roof WindowsFor the long rear slopes of detached houses, where a pair of windows can light a loft room or a landing.
Sun TunnelsFor bungalow bathrooms and hallways in Selston, where a short run through the roof void is all that is needed.
Conservation RooflightsFor older cottages and any property near Lower Bagthorpe, where a slender flush frame leaves the roof looking unchanged.
Roof LanternsFor the larger extensions on generous plots, where the middle of a deep room needs light from above.
Electric & Opening RooflightsFor tall rooms with a rooflight out of reach, opened by a switch and closed automatically when rain starts.
Misted & Failed Rooflight UnitsFor older units gone cloudy inside the glass, where the sealed pane might be the only part to change.
Selston: planning, the conservation area and consent
Ashfield District Council
Ashfield District Council handles planning for Selston, which lies outside any national park. Houses here can mostly take a small rooflight without an application, subject to conditions that are the same across England. Our planning and Building Regulations guide holds them, so this page leaves them out.
The planning data places a conservation area named Lower Bagthorpe near Selston. Which houses it covers is not something we assume. Your address is checked on the day of the survey, and if your roof lies inside, we show a flush unit alongside the standard one and explain what consent is needed.
Older cottages and farm buildings sometimes carry extra conditions from earlier work, such as limits on materials or on the roof's appearance. If you have the papers for a past extension or conversion, bring them to the survey. Where papers are missing, we work from what can be seen on the roof and say where we have had to assume.
The unit itself has to meet the thermal figures set for replacement and new rooflights, whether the roof is a cottage or a modern bungalow. That is a condition of the work and not a choice. You will receive a certificate after the inspection, which belongs with the house papers and is worth keeping for when you sell.
Since the village is spread out, the question of access matters more than elsewhere. A long drive, a narrow lane or a gate that does not open fully can all affect how materials arrive and where a tower stands. We ask about these things at the first call so that the survey is not the first time they come up.
Conservation areas
Lower Bagthorpe is the conservation area the planning data places near Selston. We read your address against the council's map for its edge and for added controls, and a unit follows after that.
Selston to South Normanton and Kirkby-in-Ashfield
The nearest neighbours are South Normanton, 2.8 miles away on the north-western side, and Somercotes, 2.8 miles west. Kirkby-in-Ashfield is 3.1 miles north-east. Huthwaite and Alfreton are both 4 miles away, one due north and one north-west, and Sutton-in-Ashfield is 4.1 miles north-east. Stanton Hill is 5 miles north and Mansfield 6.7 miles beyond, to the north-east. All are within our area, each with its own page. Heading north from Selston the roads grow busier and the housing denser, while the land around the village itself stays more open. If your house is somewhere between two of these, a postcode is enough for us to say which page applies.
Selston
Fitting and keeping a skylight on a Selston roof
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Site visit
Reading the roof and what surrounds it
Selston is 27.5 road miles south of central Sheffield, a drive of about 44 minutes. At the visit we note which way the roof faces, what trees stand near it and how open the plot is to wind. Then we go into the loft to look at the timbers. For a tube we trace the run from roof to ceiling, and we check the covering round the position for age and condition.
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The fit
Weathering an exposed slope
On an open roof the flashing and the lap of tile around the frame decide how it performs in a gale. We build those carefully, working from the bottom of the frame upwards, and finish with a bead and a check of the tile lines on both sides. Gutters and valleys near the opening are cleared while the access is there.
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Year 4
Leaves, moss and seals after four winters
Roofs near trees collect debris. At year four we look at the valley lines and tile laps round the frame, and at the seals, so anything marginal is dealt with before the next winter. The plan names the parts that can be reached from a ladder and those that need a tower.
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Year 12
The glass and the moving parts
By year twelve the hinges, the gasket and any motor should have a note against them. The life plan says which can be done from inside the room and which need access on the roof. The guarantee on the fitting has run its ten years by now, and the plan carries the work.
Selston skylight and rooflight questions answered
Does the Lower Bagthorpe conservation area cover my Selston house?
The road name does not settle it. The planning data places Lower Bagthorpe near Selston, so your address goes against Ashfield's map at survey. Inside it, we show a slim flush unit beside the standard one.
Will a roof window cope with an exposed detached roof?
Yes, when the unit and flashing are chosen for the exposure. We look at the slope's aspect and the surroundings at survey and pick the frame and the flashing kit to suit, so the window stays dry when rain arrives sideways. Wind-driven rain is the main thing to design against, and flashing kits exist for exactly that.
I have a bungalow with a windowless bathroom. What are my options?
Usually a tube is simplest, a short run of tube through the roof void. Where that void is crowded, a small window in the slope does the job. Both are checked against the timbers and the room below before a quote.
Who looks after Building Control?
We do. The notification goes to the district's team or to a registered building control approver, and the completion certificate reaches you after inspection.
Do you cover South Normanton and Somercotes from here?
Yes. Both lie a few miles from Selston and inside our area, each with its own page showing its housing and planning authority.
Can a chalet bungalow roof window in Selston be reached for cleaning and checks?
On a chalet roof the lower edge of the frame is usually near enough to reach from inside. Many models let the sash rotate or tilt so the outer pane can be cleaned from the room. At survey we check the sill height and the access route, then note any outside check, such as the flashing, in the life plan.