Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
Skylights in Hollywood, FL
Skylights for homes in Hollywood and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
Hollywood sits on the Atlantic in a humid subtropical zone, with a hot, storm-heavy wet season from roughly May through October and salt-laden onshore breezes that reach well inland. A skylight is a hole cut through the roof, so it lives at the exact spot where wind-driven rain, constant UV and year-round humidity do their worst work. Get the flashing right and a skylight is a quiet source of daylight; get it wrong and it becomes the first place a ceiling stains.
Flat Rate Roofing Inc installs new skylights cut and framed into the roof, replaces failed, fogged or cracked units, and diagnoses leaks at existing skylights. We work with both curb-mounted and deck-mounted units using the correct flashing kit for the roof system, including impact-rated units, and we frequently handle skylight work as part of a re-roof. You get a free estimate and a written flat rate quote that says what is included, with permits pulled under our own license, inspections scheduled and passed, and the permit closed out.
Census ACS 5-year data (2022) puts the median Hollywood home's construction year at 1969, and much of the city's housing stock dates from the 1950s through the 1970s: one-story concrete-block-and-stucco ranch homes with tile or flat roofs. Most homes here are owner-occupied, so skylight decisions usually sit with the person who will be looking at the ceiling for the next decade. On those older roofs, original skylights were often set with sealant rather than a proper flashing kit, and Florida sun dries sealant out until wind-driven rain finds the head flashing. Closer to the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal, constant salt spray also attacks fasteners and metal flashings years faster than it would inland, which is why corrosion-resistant hardware is worth specifying.
Problems to watch for in Hollywood
Sealant used instead of flashing
On 1950s-70s Hollywood roofs it is common to find a skylight bedded in caulk rather than fitted with a flashing kit. Under constant Florida UV that sealant dries, cracks and lets water in at the curb.
Wind-driven rain at the head and sides
The May-October rainy season brings near-daily thunderstorms and rain driven sideways by storm wind. Water pushed uphill at the head flashing will get past details that handle ordinary vertical rain just fine.
Fogged or failed glazing
Year-round high humidity shows up as condensation between the panes once a sealed unit fails. A permanently fogged skylight cannot be restored and is replaced rather than repaired.
Corroded fasteners and flashings
Salt air along the beach, the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal corridor accelerates corrosion on fasteners and flashings. Rust streaks around a skylight curb are a sign the metal work needs attention, not just more sealant.
Units that predate current impact rules
Broward sits in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone under the Florida Building Code, and windborne-debris requirements apply to glazing. An older skylight on a 1960s or 1970s roof may well predate those requirements.
Flashing that does not match the roof system
Hollywood's single-family roofs run to tile and low-slope flat sections, often over additions, carports and Florida rooms. A flashing kit built for one system will not seal correctly on another.
Association approval missed
HOAs, condo associations and gated communities are widespread in Hollywood, especially in beachfront towers and newer western subdivisions. Changing anything visible on a roof usually needs the association's sign-off first.
What we do
- New skylight installationWe cut and frame the opening into the roof and set the unit with the flashing kit made for it. Rotten plywood and fascia replacement is included in our scope if we find decay around the opening.
- Replacement of failed unitsFogged, cracked or leaking skylights are swapped for new units, with the option to move to impact-rated glazing suited to Broward's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements.
- Curb-mounted and deck-mounted workBoth mounting styles are handled, matched to whether the roof is tile, shingle or low-slope. The flashing has to be compatible with the surrounding roof system, which drives the choice.
- Leak diagnosis at existing skylightsNot every ceiling stain near a skylight starts at the skylight. We trace the water path at the head, sides and surrounding field before recommending anything.
- Skylights combined with a re-roofThe cleanest time to install or replace a skylight is while the roof is open. Flashing, underlayment and the new roof covering can then be integrated in one sequence.
- Permits and inspectionsWe pull permits under our own license, schedule and pass inspections, close the permit out and clean up fully when the work is done.
Licenses, permits and codes in Hollywood
Roofing work in Florida must be performed by a licensed contractor, and the state regulator is the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) through the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), with county and municipal building departments also playing a role in South Florida. Skylight work in a roof is typically handled by a licensed roofing contractor or a general/building contractor, and glazing or window specialty licenses can also apply depending on scope; Florida does not have a widely recognized standalone state 'skylight' license class, so confirm the correct scope with DBPR and the Hollywood building department. Adding or replacing a skylight normally requires a permit from the local municipal building department or county building division, especially where the roof opening or framing is altered, and like-for-like replacement may still require one in most South Florida jurisdictions. Units must meet Florida Building Code impact and wind pressure requirements; in Broward's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance is generally needed, with impact-resistant glazing or approved protection in windborne-debris areas. Flat Rate Roofing Inc holds Florida Certified Roofing Contractor license CCC1334537, a state certification valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the DBPR website, and the company is insured.
When to call
Across South Florida, leak complaints surface during the May-October rainy season and after storms, while replacements and upgrades are commonly scheduled in the dry season, often alongside a re-roof. In Hollywood, demand also rises in late spring and early summer as residents prepare for hurricane season, which runs June 1 through November 30, and again during the November-April snowbird season when seasonal owners return and open up homes and condos that have sat closed. If you are opening a house for the season, a skylight is worth checking early. Call (954) 775-8990 — the phone is answered around the clock — or request an estimate with the form on this page. Our office keeps weekday hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, at 9610 NW 24th St in Sunrise, and we serve Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
We serve Hollywood Beach, Downtown Hollywood, Hollywood Lakes, Hollywood Hills, Emerald Hills, Boulevard Heights, Driftwood, Liberia, Beverly Park, the Playa del Mar area and North Beach, Oakwood Hills and Washington Park, along with nearby Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Cooper City.
Skylights in Hollywood: questions we hear
- Do I need a permit to replace a skylight in Hollywood?
- Adding or replacing a skylight normally requires a permit from the local municipal building department or county building division, particularly where the roof opening or framing is altered. Even like-for-like replacement may still require a permit in most South Florida jurisdictions. We pull permits under our own license and close them out after inspection.
- Does my skylight have to be impact-rated?
- Broward is one of the two counties designated as the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone under the Florida Building Code, and skylights must meet impact and wind pressure requirements. In the HVHZ the unit generally needs a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, with impact-resistant glazing or approved protection in windborne-debris areas. Verify the specific requirement for your address with the Hollywood building department.
- My skylight is fogged up. Can it be repaired?
- Condensation between the panes means the sealed unit has failed, and Hollywood's year-round high humidity makes that failure obvious quickly. A fogged unit is replaced rather than repaired. We can quote the replacement with the correct flashing kit for your roof.
- I live near the beach. Does salt air affect skylights?
- Salt-laden onshore breezes reach well inland in Hollywood and accelerate corrosion of fasteners and flashings. Homes within a mile or two of the Broadwalk and the Intracoastal see this most clearly. Corrosion-resistant hardware and properly detailed metal flashing are worth specifying there.
- Should I do the skylight at the same time as my roof?
- It is usually the most practical sequence, since flashing, underlayment and the roof covering are all integrated while the roof is open. Many Hollywood homes date from the 1950s through the 1970s, so a skylight on an original roof is often due at the same time. Ask for a free quote covering both.
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