The stair skylight is the only daylight in the middle of most brownstones, which is why everybody notices the day it starts leaking. We have been replacing them across Brooklyn and Manhattan since 2005. Real prices below, and the things about a hundred year old roof that change the number.
| What you are doing | Unit, incl. NYC tax | Labor | Installed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper pan flashed classic, fixed the brownstone standard, flashing built in | $396 | $1,585 | $1,981 |
| Copper pan flashed classic, venting lets the stairwell breathe in summer | $557 | $1,585 | $2,142 |
| Fixed curb mounted, flat rear roof | $474 | $1,585 | $2,059 |
| Solar venting, rear extension rain sensor, no electrician | $1,890 | $1,585 | $3,475 |
| Sun Tunnel for a dark hall or an interior bath | $366 | installed in a day | |
| Curb rebuild | Quoted after a site visit. On a house this old it is common, and it is the thing that decides whether the new unit lasts. | ||
Unit prices follow the current VELUX list, effective August 17, 2026, incl. NYC sales tax, and are subject to change. Every price is confirmed in writing on your quote. Full list on the pricing page.
The stair skylight is structural to how the house feels. It is usually the only natural light reaching the middle of a narrow, deep house. Replacing it with something smaller or cheaper is a decision people regret, and it is worth talking through before the unit is ordered.
The curb is the age of the house. Original framing, sometimes rebuilt badly in the seventies, often soft where water has been sitting. This is the single biggest variable in the price and the single most common thing other quotes leave out.
Front and back are not the same job. A skylight on a rear slope or set back on a flat roof is a different conversation from one visible from the street, both practically and, in a landmark district, in what is allowed. Ask early. It is much cheaper to find out before the order than after.
Copper still matters here. The pan flashed classic has the flashing built into the unit and reads correctly on an old roof. It is also the least expensive thing on the list, which surprises people.
Access is usually tight. No driveway, no place for a lift, and a narrow stair to carry glass up. It is normal and we work this way constantly, but it is why a phone quote from someone who has not seen the house is not worth much.
Brownstone and rowhouse work across Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Windsor Terrace, Ditmas Park, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Williamsburg and Greenpoint, plus the Upper West Side, Harlem and the East Village in Manhattan. Also Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.
The copper pan flashed classic starts at $1,981 installed fixed, $2,142 venting, on a curb that is sound. A rotted curb, a larger rear opening or difficult access changes that, and we will tell you by how much after we have seen it.
Because the curb underneath is a hundred years old and the last replacement ignored it. New glass on soft framing leaks on schedule.
Usually, and what is allowed depends heavily on whether the unit can be seen from the street. Rear slopes and set back flat roofs are treated very differently from visible facades. Ask us early and we will tell you what we are dealing with.
No. A new dome on old framing and old flashing cannot be sealed or warrantied honestly. Full unit replacement only.
Yes. Cutting and framing a new opening, flashing it in and finishing the interior starts at $2,900. On a brownstone the rear extension and the top floor bath are the two most common places people wish they had one.
Most brownstone jobs are occupied houses. Where the job allows we open, replace and close the same day, and where it does not we say so up front rather than discovering it on the roof.