About Us

Skylights Phoenix | AZ Doors | Windows Replacement Phoenix

FREELITE, which began in Tucson in 1977 under the name "Desert Living," was not founded by businessmen. We were seven friends in our twenties, well-educated but naive, with big ideas and varying levels of carpentry experience. We were not particularly money-driven, and we were poorly capitalized, but we were resourceful and we were persistent. Our goal was to build an organization that would provide a livelihood for ourselves and for others while materially impacting our customers in a beneficial way.

We quickly learned that it wasn't easy to start and sustain a business. We tried landscaping, and then greenhouse building, and made very little money in those early years. Eventually we stumbled on a new product, skylights, that was just coming into vogue, and we were able to ride the wave of a new trend in home improvement: opening up interior spaces to natural light.

In 1981, Chip Marvin moved to Phoenix with $500 and an old Ford pick-up truck to open a branch under the trade name "FREELITE," and, later, other partners carried the business to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Dallas. Eventually the company split up into five separate entities, all of which are still in operation.

Over the years, market demand and our desire to grow as a company have fueled expansion into other daylighting products that enhance the beauty and value of homes: windows, doors and atrium enclosures.

From the beginning, our business philosophy has been to offer homeowners our expertise and wide range of products in a low-key, no-pressure manner. We then take complete responsibility for each project, from initial design consultation through professional installation including finishing touches. FREELITE’s success is based on bridging the gap between the first stirring of a customer’s interest in the benefits of new windows, doors or skylights and their actual enjoyment of these products in their home.