I’ve spent over a decade working on roofs across Middle Tennessee, and skylight repair murfreesboro tn is one of those services homeowners usually don’t think about until water is already dripping onto the floor. I still remember the first skylight call I took in this area—a homeowner noticed a faint stain forming on the drywall below their skylight after a heavy spring storm. They assumed the skylight itself was cracked. It wasn’t. The issue was the flashing, and that distinction has mattered in nearly every skylight repair job I’ve handled since.
Most skylight problems I see in Murfreesboro aren’t dramatic failures. They’re slow, frustrating issues that build over time. Our mix of hot summers, sudden downpours, and occasional winter freezes puts real stress on roof penetrations. Skylights, by design, interrupt the roof system, which makes them far less forgiving than shingles or panels when something is even slightly off.
One job last fall sticks with me. A family had replaced their roof a few years earlier and assumed the skylight was included in the work. After months of fogging glass and a faint musty smell, they called me out. What I found was an older skylight retrofitted into a new roof without replacing the underlayment or flashing kit. The glass unit was fine, but condensation was forming because the seal around the curb had failed. In my experience, partial skylight work like that often causes more trouble than leaving the old roof alone.
A common mistake I see homeowners make is assuming any leak near a skylight means the skylight itself needs to be replaced. Sometimes it does, especially with older acrylic domes or units nearing the end of their lifespan. But more often, the real issue is poor flashing, improper slope alignment, or sealant that’s dried out and cracked. I’ve repaired plenty of skylights where the fix had nothing to do with the glass and everything to do with how water was being directed around it.
I’m opinionated about caulk-only fixes, because I’ve been called out to redo too many of them. Smearing sealant around a skylight might stop water temporarily, but it rarely holds up through a Murfreesboro summer. Heat causes expansion, and once that sealant breaks, water finds the same path again—sometimes worse than before. I’ve had homeowners tell me they’ve recaulked the same skylight three or four times. By that point, the surrounding roof deck is often already compromised.
Another issue unique to skylights is interior damage that shows up long after the exterior problem begins. I worked with a homeowner earlier this year who noticed bubbling paint on the ceiling months after a leak had supposedly been “fixed.” When I inspected the skylight, the flashing was technically intact, but moisture had already wicked into the insulation during earlier leaks. That trapped moisture didn’t show itself until later. Skylight repairs aren’t just about stopping water; they’re about correcting whatever allowed moisture to enter in the first place.
I’ve also learned to be cautious about repairing very old skylights. If a unit is pushing two decades or more, repairs can become a cycle. I’m upfront about that. I’d rather explain why a replacement makes more sense than keep charging for repeat service calls. Newer skylights are far more energy-efficient, and the flashing systems are designed to integrate cleanly with modern roofing materials. That doesn’t mean every old skylight should be replaced, but age absolutely factors into my recommendations.
One thing I always advise against is ignoring condensation issues. Homeowners sometimes tell me, “It’s not leaking, it just looks cloudy.” Cloudiness usually means the seal between panes has failed. While that may not drip water today, it affects insulation and can eventually lead to interior moisture problems. I’ve seen ceiling drywall soften and sag simply from long-term condensation around a skylight shaft.
Skylight repair in Murfreesboro requires a careful balance of roofing knowledge and practical judgment. You need to understand how water moves across a roof during heavy rain, not just how the skylight is supposed to look when it’s new. Some repairs are straightforward and absolutely worth doing. Others are signs that the skylight has reached the end of its useful life, even if it doesn’t look broken from the inside.
After years of working on these systems, I’ve learned that skylights aren’t inherently problematic—but they are unforgiving when installed or repaired incorrectly. When they’re done right, they bring in light without stress. When they’re not, they quietly cause damage until someone finally looks up and wonders why the ceiling doesn’t look the way it used to.