Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
Skylights in Lazy Lake, FL
Skylights for homes in Lazy Lake and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
Lazy Lake is one of Florida's smallest incorporated municipalities — roughly a dozen homes on a single lane around a private lake, completely surrounded by Wilton Manors. The houses here and on the blocks nearby are mostly 1940s–1960s concrete block and stucco ranches with low-slope or barrel-tile roofs, so a skylight is usually cut into an older roof deck rather than a new one. On those roofs, the detail that keeps water out is the flashing kit at the curb, and in a wet season of near-daily thunderstorms that detail does all the work.
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 handle curb-mounted and deck-mounted units with the correct flashing kit, impact-rated units, and skylight work combined with 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.
Lazy Lake sits in Broward County's humid subtropical zone, only a few miles inland from the Atlantic and beside the tidal Middle River canals, so salt-laden air reaches these roofs and pits unprotected metal. That matters at a skylight, where fasteners, flashing and drip edge are the parts holding the assembly together. Add heat indexes above 100°F in late summer and sealant that was used in place of proper flashing will dry out and crack, usually showing up as a stain on the ceiling during the first hard August storm. Because the village's homes are mid-century block houses rather than new construction, we often find original framing and old deck sections around the opening that need to be checked before a new unit goes in.
Problems to watch for in Lazy Lake
Sealant doing a flashing's job
On older Lazy Lake roofs we often see caulk smeared around a curb instead of a proper head, side and apron flashing. Florida sun dries that sealant out, and wind-driven rain finds the gap.
Fogged or failed glazing
Year-round high humidity pushes moisture into a failed insulated unit, leaving permanent condensation between the panes. Once a unit fogs, the seal is gone and replacement is the fix.
Leaks at the head flashing
Driving rain from tropical storms does not fall straight down; it runs sideways up under the top of a skylight curb. The head flashing and the course of roof covering above it are the first places we look.
Corroded fasteners and metal
Salt air off the Middle River canals corrodes fasteners, flashings and drip edge years faster than it would inland. Rust streaks around a skylight usually mean the attachment is being compromised.
Tile and low-slope transitions
Barrel tile and low-slope sections on these mid-century ranches each need different flashing and curb heights. A unit installed with the wrong kit for the roof type tends to leak at the sides.
Units without impact ratings
Wind-borne debris is the dominant storm risk here, and older skylights were often installed before current impact requirements. Verify the product approval for any existing unit with the building department before a storm season.
Rotten deck around the opening
A slow leak at a curb soaks plywood and can spread along the framing in a hot, humid attic. We include rotten plywood and fascia replacement in our scope so the new unit lands on sound wood.
What we do
- New skylight installationWe cut and frame the opening into the roof and set the unit with the flashing kit made for that roof covering. On tile or low-slope sections we detail the curb to match how the roof actually sheds water.
- Replacing failed unitsFogged, cracked or leaking skylights are replaced with new units, including curb-mounted and deck-mounted types. We check and rebuild the curb and flashing rather than reusing worn metal.
- Leak diagnosisWe trace water at existing skylights to the head, sides, apron or the roof covering above, instead of adding another layer of sealant. The finding is written into the quote.
- Impact-rated unitsFor wind-borne debris exposure in Broward County, we install units carrying the product approval required for this site. Documentation goes with the permit file.
- Skylights with a re-roofReplacements are commonly bundled with dry-season reroofing, which is the cleanest time to reset curbs and flashing. Doing both at once avoids opening a new roof later.
- Permits and closeoutWe pull the permit under our own license, schedule inspections, and close the permit out. Full cleanup is included.
Licenses, permits and codes in Lazy Lake
Skylight work tied into the roof covering is normally performed by a DBPR-licensed roofing contractor; glazing or general/building contractors may also be appropriate depending on scope and whether structural framing is altered. Licensing runs through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and its Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), with local boards such as the Broward County Central Examining Board of Building Construction Trades also playing a role. Assume licensed work is required and confirm the correct category with DBPR or the local building department. A permit from the local building department is typically required for new openings and usually for replacements, since framing, flashing and impact/pressure ratings are inspected. Florida Building Code requirements for glazing in the wind-borne debris region apply, units need Florida Product Approval with design-pressure and impact ratings suited to the site, and because Lazy Lake is in Broward County — part of the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone — Miami-Dade NOAs are generally required. Skylights near pools or decks may also interact with safety glazing requirements; verify with the building department. Flat Rate Roofing Inc holds Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1334537, a state certification valid in every Florida county and verifiable on the DBPR website, and the company is insured.
When to call
Leak complaints cluster in the summer rainy season and after storms, and demand spikes ahead of and after hurricane season from June through November, with the heaviest calls in August through October. Winter is the quieter stretch and the easier time to schedule a planned replacement, though it is also when snowbird residents return and open up houses that have been closed for months and find stains under a skylight. Our phone is answered around the clock at (954) 775-8990, the office keeps weekday hours Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and you can also request an estimate with the form on this page.
We serve Lazy Lake and the surrounding areas including Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Middle River Terrace, Poinsettia Heights, Lake Ridge, Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, Imperial Point, Colee Hammock and the Wilton Drive district, along with Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Pompano Beach, Lauderdale Lakes, Plantation and Sunrise.
Skylights in Lazy Lake: questions we hear
- Do I need a permit for a skylight in Lazy Lake?
- A permit from the local building department is typically required for new skylight openings and usually for replacements, because framing, flashing and impact or pressure ratings are inspected. We pull the permit under our own license and close it out after inspection. Confirm any village-specific steps with the building department that serves Lazy Lake.
- Does the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone apply here?
- Yes — Lazy Lake is in Broward County, which is part of the HVHZ along with Miami-Dade. In the HVHZ, Miami-Dade NOAs are generally required for skylight units, in addition to Florida Building Code glazing requirements for the wind-borne debris region. We confirm the approval documentation for the unit before it is ordered.
- Can a skylight go on a barrel-tile or flat roof?
- Yes. The mid-century homes in and around Lazy Lake commonly have barrel-tile or low-slope sections, and each needs its own curb height and flashing kit. The install detail is what determines whether it holds up to wind-driven rain, not the unit alone.
- My skylight is fogged but not leaking. Does it need replacing?
- Fogging between the panes means the seal has failed, and in this humidity it does not clear up. The unit should be replaced; the curb and flashing are inspected at the same time so a dry opening stays dry.
- Should I replace skylights during a re-roof?
- It is usually the practical time. Replacements are commonly bundled with dry-season reroofing, so the curb, flashing and surrounding roof covering are all installed as one system rather than cutting into a new roof later.
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