Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC 1334537
Skylights in West Park, FL
Skylights for homes in West Park and the surrounding area — from our Sunrise headquarters. Free quote.
West Park sits in a hot, humid subtropical zone where the May through October wet season brings near-daily thunderstorms, and that rain almost always arrives sideways. A skylight is a hole cut through the roof deck, so the head and side flashings around it take the full force of wind-driven rain. On the one-story concrete block and stucco homes that dominate this city — most built from the 1950s through the 1970s, with low-slope or tile roofs — a skylight that was installed decades ago and sealed with caulk rather than flashed properly is a predictable source of interior water 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 in West Park. We work with both curb-mounted and deck-mounted units using the correct flashing kit for the roof covering, and we handle skylight work bundled into a re-roof when that makes more sense than opening the same roof twice. Our office is at 9610 NW 24th St in Sunrise, Broward County, and the state roofing certification covers every Florida county.
West Park incorporated in 2005 from several long-established unincorporated Broward communities, so much of the housing here is mid-century block construction now receiving second- and third-generation upgrades. Older skylights on those roofs often predate current impact and pressure requirements, and the city's position a few miles inland from the Atlantic means wind-borne salt reaches metal fixtures and accelerates corrosion on fasteners, flashings and drip edge. Add constant humidity and strong sun, and sealant that was used in place of real flashing dries out, shrinks and cracks. Because West Park is in Broward County, it falls inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which raises the bar on what products may be used overhead.
Problems to watch for in West Park
Caulk used instead of flashing
On older West Park roofs, skylights are sometimes bedded in sealant rather than flashed with a proper kit. Florida sun dries that sealant out, and the first heavy wet-season storm finds the gap.
Wind-driven rain at the head flashing
Near-daily summer thunderstorms push water uphill against the top edge of the curb. If the head flashing and underlayment are not lapped correctly, water enters above the unit and shows up on the ceiling well away from the skylight.
Fogged or failed glazing
High year-round humidity and long cooling seasons stress sealed units, and a failed seal shows up as permanent condensation or haze between the panes. At that point the unit is replaced rather than repaired.
Cracked plastic domes
Older acrylic domes on low-slope sections yellow and craze after years of direct sun, then split. A cracked dome leaks and no longer meets current impact expectations for this area.
Corroded fasteners and metal flanges
West Park gets enough wind-borne salt from the Atlantic to corrode exposed metal faster than inland Florida. Rusted screws and flanges loosen the unit's attachment and open paths for water.
Rotten deck and framing around the opening
A slow skylight leak soaks the plywood at the curb long before anyone sees a stain. Our scope includes replacing rotten plywood and fascia we find when the unit comes out.
Units not rated for wind-borne debris
Skylights installed before current requirements may lack documented impact and design-pressure ratings. Any replacement here should carry approval appropriate for this site — confirm specifics with the Broward County or local building department.
What we do
- New skylight installationWe cut and frame a new opening in the roof deck, set the curb, and tie the unit into the roof covering with the correct flashing kit. Framing changes are coordinated so the permit and inspections cover the work.
- Replacement of failed unitsFogged, cracked or leaking skylights are removed and replaced with units carrying Florida Product Approval and the ratings required for the site. Because West Park is in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, Miami-Dade NOAs are generally required here.
- Curb-mounted and deck-mounted workWe install both types and match the flashing kit to the roof — tile, shingle or low-slope — which matters on the mixed roof coverings common on mid-century West Park homes.
- Leak diagnosis at existing skylightsWe trace whether water is entering at the glazing seal, the head and side flashings, or the surrounding field of the roof, then quote the repair that actually addresses it.
- Skylights combined with a re-roofIf the roof is due for replacement, integrating the skylights at the same time means one set of flashings, one permit scope and one clean tie-in. Rotten plywood and fascia replacement is included, and we clean up fully.
Licenses, permits and codes in West Park
Skylight work tied into the roof covering is normally performed by a licensed roofing contractor; glazing or general/building contractors may also be appropriate depending on scope and whether structural framing is altered. Licensing is handled by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation through the Construction Industry Licensing Board, with local boards such as the Broward County Central Examining Board of Building Construction Trades also playing a role for registered and specialty contractors. Assume licensed work is required and verify the correct category with DBPR or your local building department. A permit from the local building department is typically required for new skylight openings and usually for replacements, because framing, flashing and impact and pressure ratings are inspected. Florida Building Code requirements for glazing in the wind-borne debris region apply, units require Florida Product Approval with design pressures suited to the site, and in the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone covering Broward and Miami-Dade, 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. We pull permits under our own license, schedule and pass inspections, and close the permit out.
When to call
Leak complaints in this area cluster in the summer rainy season and right after storms, and demand across West Park peaks in late spring and early summer as residents prepare for the June 1 to November 30 hurricane season, then spikes again immediately after a named storm. Replacements are commonly bundled with dry-season reroofing, so if a skylight is fogged or weeping now, the winter months are a reasonable time to deal with it. Call (954) 775-8990 — the phone is answered around the clock, and the Sunrise office keeps weekday hours Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm — or request an estimate with the form on this page. You get a free estimate and a written flat rate quote that says what is included.
We serve Carver Ranches, Lake Forest, Miami Gardens (West Park), Utopia, Washington Park, the State Road 7 / US 441 corridor, the Pembroke Road corridor and the Hallandale Beach Boulevard corridor, along with nearby Hollywood, Pembroke Park, Hallandale Beach, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Dania Beach, Miami Gardens and North Miami Beach.
Skylights in West Park: questions we hear
- Do skylights in West Park need a Miami-Dade NOA?
- West Park is in Broward County, which is inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and in the HVHZ Miami-Dade NOAs are generally required for skylight units. Florida Product Approval with design-pressure and impact ratings suited to the site also applies. Confirm the exact documentation your plans examiner wants with the local building department.
- 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 roofing license, schedule inspections and close the permit out.
- My skylight only leaks in heavy storms. Why?
- West Park's May to October wet season brings near-daily thunderstorms with wind-driven rain that pushes water against head and side flashings in a way light rain never does. Sealant used in place of proper flashing can hold up in a drizzle and fail under storm conditions. A leak diagnosis at the unit will show whether the glazing seal or the flashing is the source.
- Can a fogged skylight be repaired?
- Condensation between the panes means the sealed unit has failed, and that is replaced rather than repaired. On older West Park homes it is often worth checking the deck around the opening at the same time, since slow leaks rot plywood out of sight.
- Should I wait and do skylights with my re-roof?
- Often yes — replacements are commonly bundled with dry-season reroofing, which avoids flashing the same roof twice. On the mid-century block homes common in West Park, where roofs may be low-slope or tile, combining the work gives one continuous flashing detail. Ask for a free quote either way.
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