Skylights are a great way to bring natural light into the darker areas in your home. When a skylight gets to be 8-10 years old, however, they begin to break down, making it harder for them to survive a roofing project. When we replace a roof or make repairs near a skylight we have to lift and adjust it in order to re-seal the opening. When a skylight has weathered many years of exposure, its internal seal becomes brittle and may crack or shift when being moved to facilitate roofing. This is likely to cause an eventual leak. Also, the argon gas filling the space between the glass panes dissipates after this much time (depending on exposure to the elements) reducing the skylight’s insulating power. For these reasons we generally suggest replacing older skylights during roof work.