What Counts as a Specialty Skylight
Most skylights are fixed units that let in light and that is it. Specialty skylights solve problems a fixed unit cannot: a ceiling too high to reach, a bathroom with no roof above it, a family that keeps forgetting to close the skylight before it rains.
Solar-powered venting units open by remote with no wire run through your ceiling. Sun tunnels bring daylight through the attic into rooms that are nowhere near an exterior wall. Smart skylights close themselves at the first drops of rain. We install all three, with ESA permits and TSSA solar electric compliance handled in-house.
The 3 Specialty Skylight Services We Offer
- Solar-powered skylight installation with Velux VSS and Fakro FXP units, $3,500 to $8,500.
- Sun tunnel daylighting installation with Velux TGR rigid tubes, $1,800 to $4,500.
- Smart rain-sensor skylights hardwired or solar, $3,200 to $7,800.
Residential Specialty Skylights
Cathedral Ceilings
Solar VSS units you could never reach by hand. A Velux VSS solar venting skylight opens by remote and closes itself when the rain sensor trips, so a cathedral ceiling twenty feet high does not need a pole or a ladder to operate. The integrated solar panel and battery mean no wire run through the ceiling, which suits heritage trim and finished interiors.
Interior Bathrooms
Sun tunnels where there is no room for a shaft. A Velux TGR rigid tube runs through the attic and lands daylight into a small ceiling diffuser, which is the only practical option when there is no full skylight shaft to frame over an interior bathroom. The 10 inch tube suits most powder rooms, while the 14 inch is brighter and better for windowless ensuites.
Walk-In Closets
Small sun tunnels for true colour light. Walk-in closets rarely have a window and rarely have room for a full skylight shaft, so a 10 or 14 inch Velux TGR sun tunnel is often the only practical way to get real daylight in. We mount the dome on the roof above and finish the diffuser flush with the closet ceiling, usually in under half a day.
Hallways
Sun tunnels or solar units, depending on attic depth. A short attic run with clear framing suits a Velux TGR sun tunnel and a flat ceiling diffuser, while a deep attic with obstacles to navigate suits a Velux VSS solar venting unit instead. We check the attic on the assessment and recommend whichever fits the build.
Bedrooms
Solar units with solar blackout blinds. A Velux VSS solar venting skylight over a bedroom gives you remote-controlled fresh air, automatic rain closing and a true blackout blind for sleeping in. The blind is solar-powered too, so there is no extra wiring and no batteries to replace.
Cottages and Second Homes
Smart rain-sensor units that look after themselves. A Velux VSS or smart hardwired unit closes itself when the rain sensor trips, so a cottage or weekend property can be left unattended without worrying about an open skylight in a storm. Velux Active integration lets owners check and close the skylight from anywhere with cell service.
Commercial Specialty Skylights
Offices
Sun tunnels in interior meeting rooms. Interior conference rooms and boardrooms with no exterior wall get real daylight through a Velux TGR rigid tube, which keeps the room off artificial lighting during the day. We run the tube through the plenum or above the drop ceiling and trim the diffuser flush with the tile for a finished, installable result.
Retail
Tubular daylighting for back-of-house spaces. Stockrooms, staff rooms and back-of-house corridors rarely have windows, and a sun tunnel gives staff a daylight view without giving customers a sightline through the public area. We typically install one 14 inch TGR per 200 sq ft of back-of-house space, phased around store hours.
Clinics
Interior exam rooms brightened with sun tunnels. Exam and treatment rooms in the middle of a clinic floor get true daylight through a Velux TGR rigid tube, which keeps patients calmer and staff more alert than fluorescent-only lighting. We coordinate the install around patient hours and infection-control protocols, which is part of the planning on the assessment.
Schools
Corridors and washrooms daylit without big openings. School hallways and washrooms rarely have windows along the full length, and a row of Velux TGR sun tunnels brings real daylight to both without big structural openings. We plan the layout with facility staff and schedule the install outside instructional hours so the building stays open.
Specialty Options by Technology
Solar Power
Integrated panel and battery. A Velux VSS solar venting skylight has its own PV panel and rechargeable battery, so it operates without any wire run through the ceiling or finished drywall. In Toronto winter light the battery stores enough charge for normal daily use of the rain sensor, remote and Velux Active app.
Hardwired Electric
Keypad control under ESA permit. A Fakro FXP preselect electric unit runs on household power with a wall keypad, and we file the ESA electrical permit at cost as its own line on the quote. Best when you want a real switch on the wall and the unit is reachable for a hardwired power run.
Tubular Daylighting
Rigid reflective tubes with diffusers. A Velux TGR sun tunnel uses a 10 or 14 inch rigid aluminum tube with a highly reflective interior, much brighter than the flexible tubes that gave the category a bad name on early installs. The ceiling diffuser spreads the captured daylight evenly across the room below.
Smart Sensors
Rain, temperature and humidity triggers. Smart rain sensors trip the motor to close the skylight at the first sign of weather, and indoor temperature and humidity sensors can automate venting on a daily schedule. We pair every sensor and walk you through the triggers at handover so nothing is left to guesswork.
App Control
Velux Active integration. The Velux Active kit pairs your VSS or VCS skylight with a phone app and an indoor climate sensor, so you can open, close and schedule from anywhere with cell service. Useful for vacation homes and for venting the house before you get home on a hot summer day.
Specialty Products We Install
| Product | Type | Installed price |
|---|---|---|
| Velux VSS | Solar venting with rain sensor | $4,500 to $7,500 |
| Fakro FXP | Preselect electric venting | $4,500 to $6,800 |
| Velux TGR | Rigid sun tunnel, 10 or 14 inch | $1,800 to $2,900 |
| Smart units | Hardwired or solar with sensors | $3,200 to $7,800 |
Our Specialty Expertise
Specialty skylights add motors, batteries, sensors and sometimes wiring to the usual roofing and framing work. We handle the ESA permit, commission every unit and pair every remote before leaving. It still blows our mind when we finish one and a dark interior bathroom lights up like it has a window.
What Actually Stops Homeowners From Choosing Specialty Units
“Motors will break.”
In our opinion, modern Velux and Fakro motors are reliable, and the manufacturer warranty covers them. Solar units also avoid wiring faults because there is no wire run to fail in the first place. We have changed motors on installations from the early 2000s only a handful of times, mostly on units we did not install.
“Sun tunnels are just a gimmick.”
Rigid, highly reflective tubes deliver real daylight. Flexible cheap tubes are what gave the category a bad name on early installs, because they lost most of the captured light through the bends. A modern Velux TGR with a straight or gently angled rigid tube can light a 200 sq ft room comfortably on a sunny Toronto afternoon.
“Smart means complicated.”
We set it up and show you how it works. Pairing the remote, the rain sensor and the Velux Active app takes us about ten minutes per unit, and we run through the everyday controls before we leave. Honestly, the smart features are the reason to buy a specialty unit, not a barrier to owning one.
“Permits for electrical work sound slow.”
ESA permits for these are routine and we file them. Hardwired units need an electrical permit, but the ESA filing is a short turnaround for the size of work involved. Solar units with integrated panels follow TSSA solar electric compliance, and we handle both in-house so the install day is the install day.
Specialty Skylight Timeline
Assessment
Match product to problem. We visit the room, check the attic and the roof above, and recommend the specialty product that fits the actual constraint: a windowless bathroom, a high cathedral ceiling, or an unattended cottage or weekend property.
Ordering
One to three weeks. Velux VSS, FXP and TGR units ship from Velux Canada and Fakro Canada through our dealer accounts, and most orders land within ten business days. Larger commercial orders or unusual sizes can take the full three weeks.
Install
Half a day for sun tunnels, one day for solar or electric. We mount the dome, run the tube or wiring, flash the unit to the roof and finish the interior side in one visit. For solar units there is no electrician required on site, which keeps the day simple.
Commissioning
Pair remotes, test sensors. Every motor, rain sensor and Velux Active connection is paired and tested before we leave, and we show you how the everyday controls actually work. Honestly, this is the part where specialty units feel like the future, and the demo takes about ten minutes per unit.
Specialty Skylight Cost in Toronto: What You Are Paying For
Product
Sun tunnels cost least, solar and smart units most. A Velux TGR sun tunnel runs $1,800 to $2,900 installed, while a Velux VSS solar or smart hardwired unit runs $4,500 to $7,800, mostly because of the integrated motor, solar panel and electronics.
Power
Solar avoids wiring; electric needs an electrician and ESA permit. Solar units install in one day with no electrician on site, while hardwired units add an ESA filing fee and a short return visit for the electrical sign-off. Both work, but solar is the lower-hassle option when the unit can charge from the roof.
Tube Length
Longer sun tunnel runs add cost. Each extra foot of rigid TGR tube adds material and a little labour, and very long runs over about 12 feet may need an additional elbow or a booster reflector to keep the light bright at the diffuser. We measure the run on the assessment.
Controls
Remotes, keypads, apps. A basic remote ships with every venting unit, a wall keypad is standard on the Fakro FXP, and Velux Active adds phone app control with an indoor climate sensor. We walk through whichever combination you pick at handover.
Framing
Standard openings vs small tube openings. A full VSS or FXP opening needs the same rough framing as a fixed skylight, while a TGR sun tunnel needs only a 10 or 14 inch round cut between rafters, which keeps structural work to a minimum. Sun tunnels are usually the right call when framing is the main constraint.
Accessories
Blinds and sensors. Velux solar blackout blinds for VSS units run $380 to $650 plus install, and add-on rain, temperature and humidity sensors are available for hardwired smart units. We list accessories as their own line on the quote so you can compare apples to apples against other bids.
Specialty vs Standard Installation vs Replacement: Which Service You Need
Standard daylight: skylight installation. Upgrading an existing unit: skylight replacement. Hard-to-reach, interior or automated: specialty.
Fixed, Venting or Solar: Choosing Your Skylight Type
Fixed for light, venting for airflow, solar for remote control without wiring, sun tunnel where a skylight will not fit.
Specialty Skylight Timeline in Toronto: What to Expect Week-by-Week
Week one assessment, delivery in one to three weeks, install in half a day to a day.
Why Toronto Homeowners Choose Us for Specialty Skylights
Certified for both Velux and Fakro since 2004, with ESA electrical permits filed at cost and TSSA solar compliance handled in-house. Our WSIB-covered in-house crews have installed more than 2,000 skylights across the GTA, and we detail every opening to OBC 9.7 for fenestration and OBC 9.26 for roofing. Every specialty unit we install is commissioned, paired and tested before we leave, and the flashing is backed by a written leak-free guarantee. Honestly, specialty units are the most fun part of the job for our crew, and that tends to come through in the install.
