Home › Recent Projects › Skylight Replacement in Kirkland, WA (Opening Skylight + Flapper Vents)
Squatch Roofing replaced a worn opening skylight with a custom 2.5 by 4 foot opening skylight and replaced the old metal flapper exhaust vents on a home in Kirkland, WA 98034 on August 19, 2026. The May 16 inspection found the old skylight’s frame weathered, with its sill wood exposed and its gasket loose, and the old exhaust hoods’ screens caked in lint and debris. The crew measured the old opening on that visit so the new unit could be ordered to fit it.
| Location | Kirkland, WA 98034 |
|---|---|
| Service | Skylight replacement and exhaust vent replacement (roof repair) |
| Property | Home with an asphalt shingle roof, one opening skylight over a light shaft, and metal flapper exhaust vents |
| Inspection | May 16, 2026: attic, skylight inside and out, exhaust vents, and shingle field; 39 photos on file |
| Old skylight | Aluminum-framed opening skylight; weathered wood sill, loose gasket, needles and moss packed against the frame |
| New skylight | Custom opening (swivel) skylight, 2.5 by 4 feet, black frame, new flashing, interior screen |
| Exhaust vents | Old metal flapper hoods with lint-caked screens replaced with new black flapper vents (count not recorded in the job file) |
| Shingles | Replacement shingles woven in around the new vents |
| Schedule | Inspection May 16; installation and close-out August 19, 2026, one visit |
| Project investment range | $3,300 to $5,200 |
What Squatch Found on the Inspection
The 21-point inspection on May 16, 2026 started inside, under the skylight’s light shaft, then went through the attic and onto the roof.
- The skylight: an older aluminum-framed opening unit. At the frame corners the wood sill was weathered and exposed, the gasket had come loose, and conifer needles and moss had packed in against the frame on the roof side.
- Measurements: the inspector put a tape on the frame in both directions. Those measurements are what the custom 2.5 by 4 foot replacement was ordered from.
- Exhaust vents: the old metal flapper hoods had screens inside them caked with lint and debris.
- Attic: flexible exhaust ducts running to the roof, spray foam around the duct penetrations, and blown insulation.
- Shingle field: moss in the course lines and a scuffed spot on one shingle, documented but not part of this job’s scope.
Why We Recommended Replacing the Skylight
The problems on this skylight were in the unit itself: the frame, the sill, and the gasket, not the shingles around it. Re-sealing a weathered frame does not fix a loose gasket or exposed sill wood, so the quote was for a full replacement in the same size opening, keeping the opening (swivel) function the homeowner already had. The flapper vents were the second line on the same quote: a screen packed with lint sits in the path of the exhaust the hood is there to let out, and new vents replace the hood, flapper, and screen together.
How the Project Was Completed
August 19, 2026, one visit. The old skylight came out and the new custom 2.5 by 4 foot opening unit went into the same opening with new flashing, and the old flapper hoods were replaced with new black flapper vents, with replacement shingles woven in around them. The job file holds completion photos from that day rather than a step-by-step log. They walk the whole roof: the skylight from above and from inside the light shaft, each new vent, the ridge, and the slopes.
The Finished Result
The skylight is new from the flashing to the glass, in the same opening and with the same opening function. The exhaust vents are new black flapper hoods. One honest detail from the completion photos: the shingles woven in around the new vents are a lighter gray than the weathered roof around them, so the vent locations read as lighter strips. That is normal for spot shingle replacement on an older roof, and the color difference shows in the photo below.
What This Skylight and Vent Replacement Cost
Project investment range: $3,300 to $5,200. This range reflects the scope of this completed project and is not a current quote. It is anchored on the final invoice total, which includes Washington sales tax.
Most of the price is the skylight: a custom-sized opening unit costs more than a fixed one, and this one was built to the measured opening. The flapper vents are priced each on the invoice. The final invoice matched the quote plus sales tax. For comparison, a fixed flat-glass skylight swap on a Bellevue roof in these records ran $1,600 to $2,500.
What Homeowners With Similar Roofs Should Know
Check the frame corners. On this skylight the failure was at the corners of the frame, where the gasket had come loose and the sill wood was exposed. Needles and moss packed against the frame hold water there.
An opening skylight can be replaced with an opening skylight. The homeowner kept the same function in the same opening. Ask whether your replacement is being sized to your existing opening or whether the opening is being changed.
Look inside your exhaust hoods. Lint builds up on the screens of flapper vents, out of sight from the ground. The ones on this roof were caked.
Related questions
How much did this skylight replacement in Kirkland cost?
The project investment range was $3,300 to $5,200 for a custom 2.5 by 4 foot opening skylight and new flapper exhaust vents. The range reflects this project’s scope and is not a current quote.
What was wrong with the old skylight?
The May 16, 2026 inspection photos show the frame corners weathered, with the wood sill exposed, the gasket loose, and needles and moss packed against the frame on the roof side.
What size and type of skylight was installed?
A custom opening (swivel) skylight, 2.5 by 4 feet, with a black frame, new flashing, and an interior screen, sized from measurements taken on the inspection.
Why were the flapper vents replaced?
The screens inside the old metal flapper hoods were caked with lint and debris. The new black flapper vents replace the hood, flapper, and screen together.
How long did the job take?
One visit on August 19, 2026, about three months after the May 16 inspection. The job closed the same day.
Have a skylight or vent showing its age?
If your skylight frame is weathering or your exhaust hoods are clogged, Squatch Roofing can run a free 21-point inspection, show you the photos, and tell you whether it needs a skylight replacement or a smaller roof repair. Squatch serves Kirkland, nearby Bothell, the Eastside, and the greater Seattle area. Related projects: the acrylic dome to flat-glass skylight replacement in Bellevue and the bath exhaust ducts routed to new roof caps in Renton. Schedule an inspection or call (425) 292-8327.
This project documentation was prepared by Squatch Roofing from the job records and photos from our crew, October 2026. Technical review by Ben Metsker, Manager, Squatch Roofing.
