Clear SkylightsCrawley

Surrey · 10.5 miles from Crawley by road

Rooflights and skylights in Redhill, beside the junction

Redhill grew around its 1841 junction, and its roofs still sit beside the tracks. We fit rooflights and skylights to lofts and extensions here, and we write down the glass we choose for the trains and the rain.

Get a quote What is a quiet spec?

A new flat rooflight with clear glass on a clean upstand
Planning
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
Homes
Victorian growth after the 1841 station, and the streets that followed
Roofs
Read at the survey, house by house
Setting
A gap in the Greensand Ridge, at a three-line rail junction

Junction trains, conservation streets and flat roofs in rain

  • Trains pulling out of the junction

    Three routes meet at Redhill station, so a loft facing the tracks hears brakes and starts as well as steady passing trains.

  • Conservation streets to check

    Shaws Corner, St Johns and Linkfield Street are named in the council's review, so each address gets its own planning check.

  • Extension glass in heavy rain

    A flat rooflight or lantern over a Redhill kitchen rings under heavy rain unless the top glass and the kerb under it are picked with care.

  • Old loft windows past their best

    Mist between panes and loose sashes let in cold air and town noise together, and a renewal is the moment to add acoustic glass.

Quiet spec sketch for a loft by the station

Below, a written spec as it might read for a railway-era Redhill loft. Each quote includes one, made for the room we listened in.

Room:
loft bedroom in a Victorian house a few streets from Redhill station, rear pitch
What we would listen for:
trains easing into the junction, heard through the closed old window, then gusts
Glazing:
acoustic laminate on the inner pane, a thinner outer pane, and as deep a gap between them as fits
Seals and upstand:
continuous compressed gaskets, new trimmers around the opening, lined and insulated reveals

Noise out hereStill in here

The survey file

Rooflights in Redhill

Redhill grew because of a railway. The station opened on 12 July 1841, the line brought the builders, and the town spread out from the junction. A rooflight installation in Redhill therefore starts with a question about the house: how old is it, which street is it on, and how close is it to the trains? This page walks through those questions in order, and sets out the glass, the flashing and the paperwork we would choose for each answer.

Railway town

A town built around a junction

Redhill's shape and most of its roofs come from the station, so the survey starts by reading the age of the house.

Redhill's shape comes from its station, and so do most of its roofs. Knowing that one fact tells us where to look first when we arrive to survey a loft or an extension.

The London and Brighton Railway built its line here, and the station opened in 1841. Victorian expansion followed, which means a large share of the older streets around the centre date from the decades after the railway arrived. The town sits about 19.5 miles south of London, in a natural gap in the Greensand Ridge, and it is one of the places where the railway, the road and the hills all pass through the same opening.

For a rooflight, age matters more than address. A house from the railway era was built to the methods of its day: hand-cut timbers, rafters at whatever spacing the carpenter chose, and a loft that was rarely meant to be lived in. A later house has its own habits. We never assume which kind we are standing under. At the survey we go up, read the rafters, measure the spacing, and find out what the roof is actually made of before anyone draws an opening on a plan.

The same reading tells us how to treat the two jobs Redhill homeowners most often ask about, which are a new rooflight over a loft room and a new lantern or flat rooflight over an extension. Each is a different piece of work, and each gets its own section below.

NextWhat a Victorian-era loft asks of a roof window

Railway-era lofts

What a Victorian-era loft asks of a roof window

The timber in a loft of this age was never designed to be cut, so the opening is framed around what is there.

A loft in a railway-era house is usually a good candidate for a roof window. It is also where the most care is needed, because the timber was never designed to be cut.

A roof window needs an opening, and an opening means trimming rafters. In a house of this age the rafters may be slender, unevenly spaced and carrying the weight of the roof covering above them. We frame the opening with new trimmers sized to the span and fixed so the load passes around the window and back into the wall plate. Where the existing spacing is awkward, we choose a window width to suit the rafters rather than forcing the rafters to suit a standard window.

Then comes the insulation. An old loft is often cold, and a rooflight without a proper insulated reveal becomes the coldest spot in the room. We line the reveals, keep the insulation continuous up to the frame, and fit the vapour control layer so warm damp air from the room cannot reach cold timber. These details also decide how the room sounds. A window set in a loose, uninsulated opening rattles and hums. One set into a tight, lined opening is quiet.

Building the opening, in order

  1. 01Read the raftersSlender, unevenly spaced and carrying the roof covering.
  2. 02Choose the widthThe window is picked to suit the rafters, not the other way round.
  3. 03Frame with trimmersSized to the span, so the load passes round the window into the wall plate.
  4. 04Line and insulate the revealContinuous insulation to the frame, with a vapour control layer behind.

The choice of product follows. A roof window in a pitched roof is the usual answer, and a VELUX window is one of the ranges we fit. For a dark stairwell or a landing where no window will fit between the rafters, a sun tunnel can bring daylight through a much smaller opening. We explain which is right once we have seen the roof.

NextThree conservation areas named, and a fourth proposed

Planning in Redhill

Three conservation areas named, and a fourth proposed

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council decides, and a conservation area can change what a rooflight must look like.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is the planning authority for Redhill, and its conservation areas can change what a rooflight needs to look like and whether it needs permission at all. The position is always checked for the address.

The borough has 25 conservation areas. The council's review names three in Redhill: Shaws Corner, St Johns and Linkfield Street. It also proposes a new one, Warwick Road, Redhill, put forward in 2024. A house inside one of these areas, or on a street the council is considering, is handled differently from one outside.

We do not guess at the result. Whether a rooflight is permitted development depends on the slope it sits on, whether the house is listed, whether an Article 4 direction removes the usual rights, and whether the roof faces a highway. Conservation areas often treat the front slope most strictly and the rear slope more lightly. Our page on planning permission for rooflights and skylights sets out the general rules, and we confirm the position for your address before the quote is final.

The numbers in the council's review

  • 25Conservation areas in the boroughReigate and Banstead Borough Council is the planning authority.
  • threeNamed in RedhillShaws Corner, St Johns and Linkfield Street.
  • 2024Year Warwick Road was put forwardA proposed new conservation area in Redhill.

Where a roof does sit under tighter rules, the usual answer is a flush, slim-framed unit set low in the slope. Our conservation rooflight installation page describes that product in detail. Where the work is notifiable under the Building Regulations, we handle the Building Control notification ourselves, and the Building Regulations guide explains what the rules cover.

NextThree railway lines and a motorway: where the noise comes from

Trains, traffic, rain

Three railway lines and a motorway: where the noise comes from

Redhill's noise comes from the ground: three rail routes, the M23 and rain on every flat roof.

Redhill's noise comes from the ground: trains, traffic and, for every flat roof, the rain. Each of those gets through a rooflight differently.

Redhill station is a junction for three routes: the Brighton Main Line, the North Downs Line and the Redhill to Tonbridge line. Trains on several lines pass through, slow down and pull away, so a room near the tracks hears more than a steady rumble. It hears brakes, horns and starts. The M23, built between 1972 and 1975, took much of the north to south traffic out of the town, but it still runs close enough to be heard from some roofs.

Low-frequency rumble is the hard part. It travels through the structure and through thin glass, and a rooflight is usually the thinnest part of the roof. A single pane of standard glass passes more of it than the tiles around it. The remedy is not simply thicker glass. We use an inner pane of laminated acoustic glass, and we set it against an outer pane of a different thickness, because two panes of the same thickness tend to ring at the same pitch and help each other along. A wide cavity and continuous seals finish the job. Our page on acoustic laminated glass explains why, and the guide to road and rail noise through a rooflight goes further into the route sound takes.

What reaches a Redhill rooflight

  • Three rail routesThe Brighton Main Line, the North Downs Line and the Redhill to Tonbridge line meet at the junction.
  • The M23Built between 1972 and 1975, and still close enough to be heard from some roofs.
  • Rain on a flat roofA flat, stiff rooflight or lantern can drum in a downpour.

The other noise is rain. A flat rooflight or a lantern over an extension can drum in a downpour, because rain strikes a flat, stiff surface. We reduce it with the choice of outer sheet, the build-up of the glazing and the upstand beneath it. The page on rain noise under a flat rooflight covers the detail.

NextMatching glass to Redhill roofs, four ways

Roof by roof

Matching glass to Redhill roofs, four ways

Redhill's roofs fall into a few groups, and each group has a product that suits it.

Redhill's roofs fall into a few groups, and each group has a product that suits it. The table matches them, and the notes below explain the reasoning.

Railway-era pitched roof

Good fit
Roof window
Main care
Slender rafters, cold reveals

Conservation area slope

Good fit
Flush slim-frame unit
Main care
Planning position

Flat extension roof

Good fit
Flat rooflight or lantern
Main care
Fall, upstand, rain noise

Landing or stairwell

Good fit
Sun tunnel
Main care
Route through the roof space
RoofGood fitMain care
Railway-era pitched roofRoof windowSlender rafters, cold reveals
Conservation area slopeFlush slim-frame unitPlanning position
Flat extension roofFlat rooflight or lanternFall, upstand, rain noise
Landing or stairwellSun tunnelRoute through the roof space

A pitched roof that has not been altered is the simplest of the four. The opening is framed, the window is fixed, and the flashing is made to suit the covering. A slope in a conservation area adds the planning step, and the window itself becomes smaller and lower in profile.

A flat roof is where the detail matters most. A flat roof rooflight needs a fall so water clears the glass, and a proper upstand so the kerb is warm and watertight. Where a kitchen or family room wants a lot of daylight, a roof lantern gives height and light from several sides. Because a lantern has more glass and more bars, its rain behaviour deserves extra thought, which is why the written spec always names the outer sheet.

The size of the opening is a separate decision. Too small and the room stays dim. Too large and it overheats in summer and loses heat in winter. Our guide on how to size a rooflight gives the method we follow, and where to position a skylight covers placement.

NextWhat the survey writes down before the quote

The written spec

What the survey writes down before the quote

The spec records what we heard in the room and names each part of the build, in a form a builder could price.

Every quote we give comes with a written quiet spec for the room. It records what we heard at the survey and what we propose to fit because of it.

At the survey we stand in the room with the window shut and listen. In Redhill that might be a train pulling out of the junction, a run of cars from the M23, or simply the wind and rain on a flat roof. We write down what we heard, and the list of what we would fit follows from it.

The spec names the glazing build: the laminated inner pane, the outer pane, the thickness of each and the width of the cavity. It names the seals and how the sash closes against them. It describes the upstand or the flashing, and the insulation in the reveals. None of this is marketing language. It is a list a builder could price and an inspector could check against the finished work. Our page on the quiet spec shows the format, and the guide to what goes into a quiet rooflight specification explains each line.

What the spec names, outside to room

  1. 1Outer pane Its thickness is written down.
  2. 2Cavity Its width is written down.
  3. 3Laminated inner pane The acoustic glass, with its thickness.
  4. 4Seals And how the sash closes against them.
  5. 5Upstand, flashing and reveal Plus the insulation in the reveals.

We never put a number of decibels on a promise. Sound depends on the room, the furniture, the wind and the listener. What we can write down honestly is the build we chose and the reasons for it, and that is what the spec contains.

NextRenewing tired rooflights on Redhill homes

Time for a new unit

Renewing tired rooflights on Redhill homes

The signs that an old rooflight has had its time are plain from the room below.

Some Redhill homes already have a rooflight, and it has had its time. When a unit has failed, we replace it and use the moment to fit a better one.

The signs are plain. Mist between the panes means the seal has gone. A dark line of mould along the frame points to condensation and a cold edge. A sash that no longer closes firmly lets in draughts and sound together. On a flat rooflight, water lying on the glass means the fall has shifted. Our list of signs a rooflight has failed sets them out, and the page on when to replace a rooflight helps you decide on timing.

A like-for-like swap is often possible, because the opening already exists. But an old unit rarely had an acoustic inner pane, and its flashing is worn, so a straight swap wastes a chance. Our guide on replacing an old skylight compares a like-for-like unit with a better one. If the upstand under an old flat rooflight is short, cold or rotten, we rebuild it before the new unit goes on.

Signs the unit has had its time

  • Mist between the panes The seal has gone.
  • A dark line of mould along the frame Condensation and a cold edge.
  • A sash that will not close firmly Draughts and sound come in together.
  • Water lying on flat glass The fall has shifted.

Better glass also helps the heating bill. The energy efficient rooflights page explains how glazing and frame choices change heat loss, and the costs page sets out what moves the cost of a replacement. Our guarantee covers the workmanship for ten years.

NextRedhill questions about rooflights, rails and rules

Rails and rules

Redhill questions about rooflights, rails and rules

The questions a Redhill roof tends to raise, with the longer answers in the chapters above.

These are the questions a Redhill roof tends to raise. The longer answers sit in the chapters above.

Will I hear the trains through a new rooflight?

You will hear much less with the right build. A laminated acoustic inner pane, unequal pane thicknesses, good seals and a lined opening bring the rooflight close to the roof around it. The quiet spec records exactly what we would fit for your room.

My house is near Linkfield Street or St Johns. Do I need permission?

Possibly. Both names appear among the conservation areas in the council's review, so the position needs checking for your address. Many rooflights still fall within permitted development, but a listed building, an Article 4 direction or a street-facing slope can change that. We confirm it before the quote is final.

Can a rooflight go into an old loft with thin rafters?

Usually, yes. We frame the opening with new trimmers and choose the window width to suit the rafter spacing. If the loft has no room for a window, a sun tunnel can still bring light into the space below.

Will a lantern over my extension drum in the rain?

It can, if nobody plans for it. The outer sheet, the glazing build and the upstand all affect it, and we choose them for the room. The spec names each choice.

Redhill sits beside several neighbours with roofs of their own. See our pages on Reigate, Merstham and Horley. For the wider range of work, start at the homepage, or get a quote and we will arrange a survey of your Redhill roof.

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