Pasadena Skylight Installation & Repair

Why Homeowners in Pasadena Choose LA Skylight Pros

The call we get most often from Pasadena is a homeowner whose skylight has been leaking since it was installed, or started leaking within two years of installation. We re-flash these regularly. The failure is almost always the same: step flashing that relied on caulk instead of mechanical overlap with the tile course, or counter-flashing at the head that was undersized and sealed shut rather than properly lapped. Caulk-dependent tile roof installations start leaking in Southern California’s thermal cycling environment within a few years. A proper re-flash fixes them.

The fragile tile issue is specific to Pasadena. Spanish Colonial and Craftsman homes here have original S-tile and flat mission tile that can be 60, 80, or even 100 years old. This tile is irreplaceable in many patterns, the manufacturer is gone, the profile is discontinued, or the glaze color cannot be matched. When we remove tile on an older Pasadena roof, we do it carefully and we tell the homeowner upfront if we think breakage is a real risk on their specific roof. A cracked tile that cannot be matched becomes a roofing problem on top of a skylight job.

For new installations in Pasadena, the clay tile work is more involved than shingle. Every tile around the opening comes off, step flashing gets installed under each course, and the tile goes back with mortar that matches the existing work. We do not rush this. New cuts start at approximately $3,500 on tile in Pasadena and go up from there based on pitch, access, and structural requirements.

Pasadena Building and Safety processes permits on its own timeline, plan check typically runs one to two weeks for standard residential work. Properties in designated historic areas may need Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission review for street-facing modifications. Rear slope installations generally do not trigger this. We check the historic overlay for each Pasadena address before starting the permit process.