Guide · 24 July 2026 · 2 min read
What "Made to Measure" Really Means: Inside Our Liverpool Factory
Plenty of retailers say bespoke and mean a cut-down stock size. Here is what actually happens between your millimetre measurements and the roof light on your lorry.
"Bespoke" is one of the most abused words in home improvement. In roof lights it often means a stock unit in the nearest size up, with the difference hidden by a wider kerb or a packed-out upstand — which is how you end up with a 900mm aperture under a unit sold as 1000mm. When we say made to measure, we mean the unit does not exist until you order it.
From your millimetres to a cutting list
Every order starts as a set of exact dimensions — either typed into a calculator like the frameless roof light configurator, or agreed over the phone from your builder's measurements. Those numbers become a cutting list for the glass and, on framed units, the thermally broken aluminium sections. Nothing is trimmed down from stock; the glass is processed for your opening.
Why factory-direct matters for price
Most roof lights pass from manufacturer to distributor to retailer before they reach a roof, and each step adds margin without adding glass. Buying from the factory in Aintree collapses that chain: it is why a genuinely bespoke unit from us routinely undercuts an off-the-shelf size elsewhere, and why we can put a lowest-price guarantee behind every quote.
What happens before it leaves the building
- Sealed units are checked for spec — glass type, solar coating, self-cleaning finish — against the order before assembly.
- Finished units are measured again against the order dimensions. If it is not the size you asked for, it does not ship.
- Each unit is crated for its own delivery run — most orders travel on our own transport rather than a pallet network, which is why breakage rates stay near zero.
Lead times, honestly
A made-to-order unit typically leaves us in around two to three weeks from confirmed order. That is slower than pulling a stock size off a shelf and faster than most people expect bespoke glass to be — and it is the trade-off that gets you a roof light matching your opening to the millimetre, covered by a 20-year guarantee.
If your project needs something the calculators do not cover — unusual shapes, oversized units, specific glass build-ups — the custom made roof lights page is the place to start, or call the factory on 03330 902 592.
Frequently asked questions
Is a made-to-measure roof light more expensive than a standard size?
Not from us. Made to order is our standard process, priced by size and specification. Because you buy factory-direct there is no reseller margin, and our lowest-price guarantee backs every quote.
How long does a bespoke roof light take?
Typically around two to three weeks from confirmed order to dispatch, with free UK mainland delivery.
What if my builder measures wrong?
We manufacture to the sizes on the order, so measurement matters. We provide a measuring guide, and our team will sense-check unusual dimensions with you before the order goes to the factory floor.
Which ranges are made to measure?
All of them — frameless, framed and walk-on roof lights are all manufactured to order in our Liverpool factory.
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Every Vant Glass roof light is manufactured to order in Liverpool, with a 20-year guarantee and free UK mainland delivery. Get an instant price or talk to the team on 03330 902 592.