Skylight Leak Repair in Seattle

Seattle loves skylights for an obvious reason: we spend two-thirds of the year under cloud cover, and a skylight is the difference between a dark hallway and a livable one. But every skylight is a hole in the roof, and when one starts dripping during a January soaker, it becomes the most urgent rectangle in the house.

The good news is that most 'leaking skylights' aren't failed skylights. They're failed flashing around the skylight, failed weep systems clogged by needle debris, or — surprisingly often — condensation, not a leak at all. Diagnosing which one you have is the whole game, because the fixes range from a $400 cleaning-and-reseal to a full reflash to unit replacement.

Older acrylic bubble skylights from the 70s and 80s, still common on Seattle mid-century homes, do eventually craze and fail as units. When that's what you have, you'll hear it straight, along with what a curb-mounted replacement actually costs.

Signs this is your problem

• Dripping or staining at the skylight corners during rain
• Water stains on the skylight well (the shaft) walls
• Condensation pooling at the bottom edge of the glass in winter
• Cracked or yellowed acrylic dome on an older unit
• Debris visibly packed around the skylight from overhanging trees

How the repair works

1. Leak vs. condensation testWe determine whether water is entering from outside or condensing inside — a five-minute diagnosis that saves people from paying for repairs they don't need.
2. Clear and inspectDebris out of the flashing channels and weeps; seals, glass, and flashing inspected.
3. Reseal or reflashFailed gaskets and seals replaced, or the full flashing kit re-installed and woven into the surrounding shingles.
4. Replace only when honestIf the unit itself is done, you get replacement options and pricing — not a reseal that buys six months.

What it costs

The Seattle factor

Tree cover is the skylight's enemy in this city. Needle debris from firs and cedars packs the flashing channels on Wedgwood, Ravenna, and North Seattle roofs, damming water above the skylight until it finds a way in. Homes with overhanging conifers should have skylight channels cleared every year or two.