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Installing a cupola for
instant curb appeal

When it comes to getting your home ready to sell, sometimes it’s the little things that get noticed the most. Just one interesting piece or well-placed accent can give your home a whole new look.

If you’re looking to update your exterior without breaking the bank, why not try adding a cupola to your rooftop? This small accessory can make a big difference in terms of style and function, and gives you a lot of room to be creative.

Cupolas are small structures accenting the peak of a roof. Designed to look like miniature houses, they are often used on gazebos and barns. Although they’re largely ornamental, they can be very functional if installed as a roof vent. That would require cutting a hole in the roof and providing screening to keep out insects.

However, if you're just looking for some WOW factor, you can install a pre-built one that comes in that is fairly simple to install if you have any basic mechanical skills and a few basic tools.

Installing a cupola

Tools & materials required:

• Cupola kit of appropriate size

• Weather vane (optional, but recommended)

• Drill and appropriate drill bits

• Screw driver

• Level

• Saber Saw (jig saw)

• Some short pieces of 2x4 (4 required)

• Scrap wood for determining pitch of roof

• Caulk & galvanized self-tapping screws

Cupola kits are readily available online with a variety of options, configurations, and sizes. Select one that goes well with the rest of your home's architecture. They are also available in either wood or white vinyl. Not wanting to do a lot of maintenance, I opted for a vinyl model that requires no painting.

Weather vanes come in all sorts of configurations from flying pigs, ducks, horses, roosters and just about anything else you can imagine.

The cupola kit comes in 3 pieces: base, middle and roof. Roofs can be either ready to shingle or copper topped. The directions that came with the kit were very simple and very basic.

You have the option of installing the cupola either directly on top of the roof shingles or removing the shingles and mounting the cupola directly to the sheathing. Mounting it right on top of the shingles is the easiest and probably the neatest method and this method does not require any flashing or sealing.

Installing the cupola step-by-step

1. Determine the angle of your roof. This is very straightforward. Take 2 strips of wood and screw them together on one end so they can be spread apart. Get up on the roof with your gauge so the edges of the wood strips lie flat on each side of the peak. Carefully scribe the wood once the angle has been set.

2. Transfer this angle to the base of the cupola aligning it with the 2 corners, centered on the base. Repeat on the opposite side.

3. Take some masking tape and align it with your pencil line to keep the saber saw from scratching the surface as you cut.

4. Starting at one corner and working toward the center, cutout the notch so the base will fit over the peak of your roof using your saber saw.

5. Now you need move the pieces up to the roof. The parts are heavy and a bit bulky, so some assistance might be helpful.

6. Position the base in the desired location. With a level, make sure it is level in all directions.

7. Once the base has been leveled, place the short 2x4s (about 8"). Pre-drill 2 holes to facilitate screwing. You'll need 8 - 3" galvanized screws to attach the blocks.

8. On the inside of the base, butt the first block against the bottom and side. Screw this block into the roof with 2 screws.

9. Before proceeding to the remainder of the blocks, attach the base to this first block by drilling 2 guide holes through the outside of the base into the block. As a guide, take a scrap piece of 2x4 and draw a guide line to determine the height of the inside 2x4 so you'll know exactly where to drill your holes. Once the base has been secured to the first block, continue with the remaining 3.

10. Place some silicon caulk on top of each screw head to prevent rusting and wood root around the screw holes.

11. Fit the middle section to the base, making sure it is evenly spaced on all sides. Then drill a pilot hole on one corner. Insert a self tapping screw to secure it. Then re-check for an even overhang on all sides. Drill a 2nd hole on the opposite corner, then screw in another screw. Once you have 2 screws in opposite corners, you can drill the remainder of the pilot holes and insert the balance of screws.

12. Before attaching top, insert weather vane post and bolt to the top with retaining screw on the inside.

13. Slide top unit over the middle section. Drill pilot holes and screw the top to the middle section.

14. Determine true north with a compass, or just make a good guess.

15. Attach top of weathervane.