For homeowners · dome replacement
Swap your old dome
for a VELUX skylight
One day on the roof. Nothing touched inside.
- It's an above-the-roof job. Nothing happens to your ceiling.
- Most swaps are a one-day job.
- No exact size match? Go up a size and gain the light.
- Suitable for any roof type with our custom flashings.
Sound familiar?
Why the old dome has to go
Acrylic and polycarbonate domes don't age well. Most of the ones we replace are somewhere between twenty and thirty years old, and it shows.
It's gone yellow
Acrylic and polycarbonate cloud, craze and yellow in the Australian sun. The light coming through goes murky and the thing looks tired from the street. VELUX use laminated glass that won't fade or discolour.
It cooks the room
An old single-skin dome is basically a heat funnel. The FCM comes with high-performance double glazing as standard. It blocks around 70% of radiant heat and 99% of UV, so the room stays bright without becoming an oven.
It's started leaking
Nine times out of ten the leak isn't the dome, it's the tired old flashing around it. You get a brand new custom colorbond base flashing, made by us as part of the swap.
Same hole in the roof
Tile roof in Sydney. Twenty-year-old acrylic dome out, VELUX FCM in, custom colorbond flashing to suit the tile profile. Nobody went near the ceiling.
Before
After
Before
After
Here's the bit
that makes it
affordable
The whole job happens above the roof. The old dome and flashing come off, the new flashing goes on, the VELUX goes in. Your ceiling, your shaft and your walls are never touched.
That's the difference between a dome swap and putting a brand new skylight in. No opening up the ceiling means no trades queueing up behind each other, and no room out of action for a week.
Nothing on this list needs to happen:
- Cutting the ceiling
- A new shaft
- Plastering
- Painting
- Furniture moved out
- Dust through the house
Before
During
After
How it goes
Four steps, one day on the roof
You can order the parts yourself and hand them to your roofer, or we'll line up an installer for you.
Measure the throat
The throat is the opening in your ceiling. Measure it, length and width, and snap a photo of the roof.
We match the size
There are 14 FCM sizes. We'll tell you which one fits, or which one to go up to.
We make the flashing
Custom colorbond base flashing, cut for your roof profile and your pitch. Two to three days.
One day on the roof
Dome off, flashing on, skylight in, sealed up. One day for most houses.
About sizes
No exact match? Go bigger.
Old domes come in all sorts of odd sizes, so a like-for-like swap is the exception rather than the rule. It doesn't matter. Your ceiling opening and shaft are already finished and they're staying exactly as they are, so the skylight doesn't have to line up with them. Whether there's 5cm or 15cm of extra glass sitting past the edge of the opening, the view up from the room below is the same.
I received the skylight combined with flashing. Very easy to install. Great product, very much recommend to buy.
★★★★★ IanOutstanding, on time great communication, custom flashing is incredible.
★★★★★ Andrew WhiteThe VELUX FCM Fixed Skylight is excellent quality, reliable and great value for money. We've used these across a number of our projects.
★★★★★ Robert D'AmbrosioLove all the skylights I ordered at a great price. Thank you team for getting it all sorted and safely delivered to Perth, WA.
★★★★★ Erina She CheongNeed an
installer?
Plenty of people hand the parts to their own roofer. A dome swap is a straightforward morning's work for anyone who does roofs.
If you'd rather we sorted it, get an instant quote and we'll connect you with a local installer in your area, from our trusted network.
Find an installerCommon questions
Replacing a dome
Will anything happen inside my house?
No. The whole job is done from the roof. Your ceiling opening and shaft stay exactly as they are, so there's no plastering, no painting and no cleaning up afterwards. That's the main reason a dome swap costs a fraction of a brand new skylight install.
How do I measure what I've got?
Measure the throat, which is the opening in your ceiling, not the dome up on the roof. Length and width is all we need. Take a photo of the roof as well, send both through, and we'll tell you which FCM replaces it. It takes us a couple of minutes.
What if there's no FCM the same size as my dome?
Very common, and it doesn't matter. Because the inside is already finished and isn't being touched, the skylight doesn't need to match your opening. The extra glass simply sits past the edge of it, and from the room below you'd never know. We go up to the next size that suits your roof and you end up with more light. Ring us with the measurements and we'll show you the options.
Does it work on my roof?
Flat, metal deck, tile, unusual pitch. The FCM is rated from 0 to 60 degrees and the flashing is what makes it fit. We make ours here in Sydney out of colorbond, for your exact roof profile.
What does it cost?
The skylight itself starts at $330 and the custom flashing is priced to your roof, but they're approx. $400. Installation depends on your roof and your access, but you can get an instant quote here.
How long does the whole thing take?
Custom flashings take two to three days to make. Once the parts land, the swap itself is a one-day job on the roof for most houses.
Send us a photo of your dome
Measure the throat, the opening in your ceiling, and send it through with a photo of the roof. We'll come straight back with the skylight, the flashing and what it'll cost. No quote form, no waiting around.