Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
Skylights in Miami Gardens, FL
Skylights for homes in Miami Gardens and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
Miami Gardens housing is dominated by single-story concrete block and stucco homes from the 1950s–1970s suburban expansion of north Miami-Dade, many with flat or low-slope roofs. The Census (ACS 5-year, 2022) puts the median year built around 1968, so a skylight on one of these houses has usually been through several roof coverings, and the opening it sits in may have been flashed more than once. Add a humid subtropical climate with a hot wet season from May through October and near-daily summer storms, and any weak point at a skylight curb tends to show itself as a stain on the ceiling.
Flat Rate Roofing Inc handles skylights as roofing work: new units cut and framed into the roof, replacement of failed, fogged or cracked units, curb-mounted and deck-mounted units set with the correct flashing kit, leak diagnosis at existing skylights, and impact-rated units installed as part of a re-roof. You get a free estimate and a written flat rate quote that says what is included, permits pulled under our own license, inspections scheduled and passed and the permit closed out, rotten plywood and fascia replacement included in the scope, and full cleanup.
Miami Gardens sits in Miami-Dade County, part of Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so skylight units here generally need a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) for the intended use and are installed per that approval. The city is roughly seven miles inland from the Atlantic, and salt-laden air still arrives on easterly breezes — less aggressive than on the barrier islands, but enough to work on exposed metal flashings and fasteners over time. Hurricane and tropical-storm exposure from June through November, along with embedded tornadoes and extreme wind-driven rain, is the dominant risk, and a skylight is simply a hole in the roof that has to be detailed well enough to handle it.
Problems to watch for in Miami Gardens
Sealant used instead of flashing
Caulk spread around a curb is a common shortcut, and Florida sun dries it out. Once it cracks, water follows the opening straight into the ceiling below.
Wind-driven rain at head and side flashings
Extreme wind-driven rain during tropical systems can push water uphill under a poorly lapped head flashing. A unit that never leaks in an ordinary shower can leak hard in a storm.
Fogged or failed glazing
Condensation between panes means the seal has failed, and year-round high humidity in Miami Gardens makes it obvious fast. Those units are replaced, not repaired.
Units not rated for the HVHZ
Older skylights on 1950s–70s Carol City and Norland era homes predate current wind-borne debris requirements. Replacements in Miami-Dade generally need an NOA with design-pressure and impact ratings suited to the site.
Low-slope roof details
Flat or low-slope roofs are typical on this housing stock, and a skylight on a low slope needs an adequate curb height and proper membrane termination rather than a shingle-style flashing kit.
Hidden deck rot around the opening
A slow leak at a curb soaks the plywood edge long before anyone sees a ceiling stain. We include rotten plywood and fascia replacement in the scope so the new unit lands on sound decking.
What we do
- New skylight installationWe cut and frame the opening, build or set the curb, and flash it into the roof covering. Framing changes may affect which license category and inspections apply, so scope is confirmed before work starts.
- Replacement of failed unitsFogged, cracked or leaking skylights are replaced with units carrying the approvals required for the location. In Miami-Dade that generally means a Miami-Dade NOA.
- Curb-mounted and deck-mounted unitsEach mounting type has its own flashing kit, and we install the one the manufacturer's approval calls for rather than improvising with sealant.
- Leak diagnosis at existing skylightsNot every stain under a skylight starts at the glass. We check head and side flashings, the curb, and the surrounding roof covering before recommending work.
- Skylights combined with a re-roofReplacing units while the roof covering is off is the cleanest way to integrate flashing. Florida's dry season is when reroofing work is most often bundled this way.
Licenses, permits and codes in Miami Gardens
Roofing work in Florida legally requires a licensed roofing contractor and generally a permit from the local building department. Skylight work tied into the roof covering is normally performed by a DBPR-licensed roofing contractor, though glazing or general/building contractors may be appropriate depending on scope and whether structural framing is altered — confirm the correct category with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, or with your building department. A permit is typically required for new openings and usually for replacements, because framing, flashing and impact/pressure ratings are inspected. Florida Building Code glazing requirements for the wind-borne debris region apply, and units near pools or decks may also interact with safety glazing requirements. If more than 25% of a roof section is involved, Florida's 25% rule (Existing Building volume, section 706.1.1) may come into play, with a Senate Bill 4-D exception for roofs built to the 2007 code or later; application varies, so verify with the City of Miami Gardens or Miami-Dade County 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 across South Florida rises ahead of and during hurricane season from June through November, so if a skylight is already showing stains it is worth looking at before the wet season builds. Dry-season months are when skylight replacement is most often bundled with reroofing. 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 a free quote using the form on this page. Our office is at 9610 NW 24th St, Sunrise, FL 33322, and we serve all of Florida.
We serve Carol City, Bunche Park, Norland, Andover, Lake Lucerne, Rolling Oaks, Scott Lake, Opa-locka North, Country Club and Vista Verde, along with nearby Opa-locka, Miami Lakes, Hialeah, North Miami Beach, Miramar, Hollywood, Aventura and Pembroke Pines.
Skylights in Miami Gardens: questions we hear
- Do skylights in Miami Gardens need a Miami-Dade NOA?
- Miami Gardens is in Miami-Dade County, part of Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so roofing products used there generally need a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance for that use. The unit is then installed according to its approval. Your building department can confirm what applies to your specific opening.
- Is a permit required to replace an existing skylight?
- A permit from the local building department is typically required for new openings and usually for replacements as well, since framing, flashing and impact and pressure ratings are inspected. We pull permits under our own license, schedule inspections and close the permit out.
- My house was built in the 1960s. Does that change anything?
- Much of the city's housing dates to the Carol City and Norland building boom of the 1950s and 60s, and the Census puts the median year built around 1968, with most homes owner-occupied. Older roofs can have multiple layers of past repair around a skylight curb, so we check the decking and flashing condition before quoting.
- Why does my skylight only leak during storms?
- Extreme wind-driven rain can push water sideways and upward under head and side flashings that handle ordinary rain fine. Sealant that has dried out in the Florida sun often fails the same way. A leak that only appears in heavy weather usually points to flashing detail rather than the glass.
- Can you install skylights while re-roofing?
- Yes. Replacements are commonly bundled with dry-season reroofing, which lets the flashing be integrated with the new roof covering instead of patched into an existing one. We provide one written flat rate quote covering what is included.
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