Who Repairs Leaking Skylights in Rancho Mirage, CA?

Dove Roofing and Construction repairs leaking skylights in Rancho Mirage, CA — re-flashing, resealing, dome and lens replacement, and full unit replacement on tile, flat and foam roofs. We are a licensed California roofing contractor (#871103). Free inspection and written estimate. Call (760) 702-7633.

By David Berumen, Owner of Dove Roofing and Construction · Last updated September 2026

Why is my skylight leaking?

Usually because of something that isn't the skylight.

The overwhelming majority of leaking-skylight calls we take turn out to be failures at the flashing — the metal that ties the unit into the surrounding roof — or at the seals around the glazing, rather than a fault in the skylight itself. The unit gets blamed because that's where the water appears. The unit is frequently fine.

The usual suspects, in roughly the order we find them in the Coachella Valley:

Failed or incorrectly installed flashing. Either the original flashing has corroded and opened up, or it was never lapped correctly into the underlayment to begin with. On a tile roof this is easy to get wrong and impossible to see from the ground — the roof looks immaculate and water runs straight past the flashing onto the deck.

Degraded seals and sealant. Desert UV is brutal on sealant. It hardens, shrinks and cracks, and once the bead lets go at a corner, water gets between the glazing and the frame. Sealant is a consumable here, not a permanent material.

A failed curb. On flat and foam roofs, if the curb has settled or the membrane termination has pulled away, water ponding against the unit will find its way in. This one usually arrives with a second problem — the ponding itself.

The dome or lens. Genuine glazing failure does happen, particularly on older acrylic domes, but it's further down the list than most people expect.

Because the water travels before it appears, a stain on the ceiling near a skylight isn't proof the skylight is the source — and a skylight can be perfectly dry while a failure upslope routes water to it. We inspect the whole penetration and the roof field around it as one system, which is the only way to know what's actually happening.

Condensation is not a leak

This one saves people money regularly.

Moisture on the inside of the glass on a winter morning, appearing without rain and drying by midday, is usually condensation rather than a leak. Warm humid interior air meets cold glazing and gives up its moisture — a bathroom or kitchen skylight is the classic case. The tell is timing: leaks follow weather, condensation follows temperature.

The fix is different too. Condensation is a ventilation and glazing issue, not a flashing one, and re-sealing a perfectly sound skylight won't touch it. If that's what's happening, we'll tell you, and we won't sell you a repair you don't need.

Can a leaking skylight be repaired, or does it need replacing?

Most can be repaired. Which repair depends on what failed.

Re-flashing is the answer when the flashing has corroded or was wrong from the start. The unit is lifted or worked around, the flashing replaced with the correct kit for the roof type and — on tile — the correct profile, and the underlayment lapped properly. It's more involved than resealing but it's the permanent fix, and it's far cheaper than a new unit.

Resealing handles degraded sealant and minor seal failure. Quick, inexpensive, and genuinely effective when that's the actual problem. Sold as a fix for failed flashing, it's a patch that buys a season.

Dome or lens replacement applies when the glazing itself has gone but the frame and flashing are sound. On older units this is often the whole job.

Full replacement is the honest answer when the frame is corroded through, the unit is old enough that parts don't exist, or the flashing failure has already damaged the surrounding decking. There's also a practical threshold: once repair costs approach a meaningful share of replacement, and the existing unit is single-pane or uncoated, replacing it buys you modern glazing that will cut your summer heat gain as well as stopping the water.

Rancho Mirage has a lot of the specific case that tips toward replacement — original acrylic domes from the 1960s and 70s. Desert UV yellows and hazes acrylic, then makes it brittle enough to craze and crack. We can replace a degraded dome, and on many units that's all that's needed. But a dome that old usually sits on flashing older than the current roof, and replacing the dome alone leaves the more likely failure point untouched. We'll tell you which situation you're in.

Re-roofing? Do the skylights at the same time

If a re-roof is anywhere on your horizon, this is the single most useful thing on this page.

When we re-roof, the skylights are already exposed, the surrounding roofing is already off, and the underlayment is being laid fresh. Re-flashing a skylight at that moment costs a fraction of what it costs as a standalone job later, because nearly all of the labour is happening anyway. Doing it afterwards means opening up roofing that's only months old.

The same logic applies to the unit itself. If a skylight is twenty-five years old and the roof is being replaced, replacing the skylight during the re-roof is almost always the cheaper lifetime decision — and it means the new unit and the new roof are flashed as one system by one crew, with one point of responsibility if anything ever leaks.

We re-flash and reseal skylights as standard during a roof replacement, and we'll flag any unit we think should be replaced rather than reinstalled before the work starts, not halfway through.

Where we repair skylights around Rancho Mirage

We work throughout Rancho Mirage, including the country club and gated communities along the Highway 111 and Bob Hope Drive corridors, the hillside properties on the north side, and the established neighbourhoods across the city — where those 1960s and 70s domes are concentrated.

We cover the surrounding communities on the same routes — Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Cathedral City and Palm Springs. See every area we serve, our skylight installation and repair services, or browse recent projects.

Frequently asked questions

How much does skylight repair cost in Rancho Mirage?

It depends on what failed — resealing is the least expensive, re-flashing sits in the middle, and dome or full unit replacement cost more. Current ranges are listed above. Inspection and written estimates are free, and there are no trip charges in Rancho Mirage.

Why is my skylight leaking?

Most often the flashing or the seals, not the skylight itself. Corroded or incorrectly lapped flashing is the most common cause, followed by sealant that has hardened and cracked under desert UV. Curb failure on flat roofs and genuine glazing failure are less frequent. Water also travels before it appears, so the stain is not reliable evidence of the source.

Can a leaking skylight be repaired, or does it need replacing?

Most can be repaired — by re-flashing, resealing, or replacing the dome or lens while keeping the frame. Full replacement makes sense when the frame is corroded through, parts are no longer available, or repair costs approach a meaningful share of replacement on an old single-pane unit.

Do you re-flash and reseal skylights during a re-roof?

Yes, as standard. A re-roof is the cheapest possible moment to deal with a skylight, because the surrounding roofing is already off and the underlayment is being laid fresh. Doing it later means opening up new roofing. We flag any unit we think should be replaced rather than reinstalled before work starts.

Do you repair cracked, hazed or discoloured skylight domes?

Yes. Desert UV yellows and hazes acrylic domes and eventually makes them brittle enough to craze. Where the frame and flashing are sound, replacing the dome alone is often the whole job. On units from the 1960s and 70s the flashing underneath is usually older than the current roof, so we inspect both before recommending a dome-only repair.

Visit or Call Us

Dove Roofing and Construction
Adress: P.O. Box 289 Palm Springs, CA 92263
Phone: (760) 702-7633
Hours: Mon – Sat: 7am – 7pm | Sun: Closed
License: #871103
Serving Rancho Mirage and surrounding areas including Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Cathedral City, Palm Springs, and Indio.