Most of us would like to increase the amount of daylight in our homes, for example by adding an overhead light to a door. However, the opposite situation also occurs, namely the wish to close the upper light of a door. This can be the case when a door with overhead lighting lets in (too much) unwanted daylight. Perhaps you want to create a different look or style in your home. Fortunately, you can have an upper light closed. In this article we will explain to you what the possibilities are, how this is done and who you can best turn to if you want to do this job yourself.
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Closing the skylight yourself or leaving it to the professional
If you want to seal the skylight of one or even several doors, you can do this yourself. The easiest and cheapest way is to apply a black-out film to the glass of the fanlight. You can usually do this easily yourself.
Another way is to close the skylight with sheet material such as plaster, wood or plasterboard. Depending on your experience with odd jobs, you can do this yourself. If you have two left hands, no time for this job or you don't feel like it, then you can call in a professional, for instance via Zoofy.
The last and most rigorous method is to have the skylight removed by a specialist. This can be done in several ways:
- The skylight is removed and a room-height frame is installed with a door reaching to the ceiling
- The fanlight is removed, a normal window frame is placed and the area around the new window frame is neatly finished (plastered).
Costs for closing the skylight
Are you curious about the costs of closing the skylight? The costs depend on the chosen method and on whether you do the job yourself or outsource it to a professional. In the table below you can read what the costs may be.
Type of method Who does the work Price indication
Apply adhesive film to overhead lighting DIY € 5 to € 15
Installing a wooden plate overhead light yourself € 10 to € 20
Plasterboard application of fanlight by yourself € 10 to € 20
Plastering the HPL sheet above the light by yourself € 20 to € 40
Toplight glass replacement job € 70 to € 100
Order the removal of the fanlight and replacing the frame Price on request
The cheapest option to close the fanlight
The cheapest and quickest method to close your skylight is to apply a darkening film. This is a job you can easily do yourself. This keeps the costs down. The only drawback is that the film sometimes comes loose and the result is not as attractive as with other options (see below).
The middle option of closing the skylight
An option which is slightly more expensive but gives a nicer result is to replace the glass in the skylight with another type of glass, for example milk glass or textured glass.
However, the glass can also be replaced by panels such as wood, plaster or HPL. Installing an HPL sheet is the best method, but also the most expensive.
Do you want to do this job yourself? Here is how it works:
Step-by-step plan:
Remove the glass strips located on the sides of the glass plate with a flat screwdriver.
Carefully press the glass pane downwards. This presses down the springs. The top glass strip should now spring free.
Tilt the glass plate forwards and carefully remove the glass plate.
Now measure the length, width and thickness of the glass plate.
Order a new glass plate.
Slide the bottom glass strip onto the new glass plate.
Place the new glass plate obliquely back into the frame. The springs will be pressed in again.
Do not let go of the glass plate until it is vertical and screw the left and right glass plate back in place.
The most expensive option to close the skylight
Have you had enough of your existing door with skylight? You can also choose to have the skylight removed and replaced with stucco. For this you have to replace the window frame with a normal window frame (without skylight). After the installation of the new window frame a plasterer will finish the space above the door neatly so that you will not see anything anymore.
A second possibility is to not only say goodbye to your skylight, but to immediately place a ceiling-high door. For this the old window frame including the skylight is removed and replaced by a room-height window frame including the matching door. This gives the room/your house a modern look.
It is not possible to give an indication of the costs for both options. It is best to ask the tradesman for an estimate.