Has anyone got/ had a solid roof conservatory?

[JHKE]

We are looking into getting a conservatory but don't really want to get one if its only useful for 6 months of the year. After looking on the internet I see that you can get conservatories with a solid roof. Its suppose be cooler in the summer and warmer in winter. I want to know if this is true.

Another reason for wanting to know is we are thinking of getting a puppy and this is where his bed will be but obviously can't if it still gets too hot.

Thanks

That is nice! Did they put the lights in as well? Did they say anything about cracking in the plaster with the wind blows and the conservatory moves?

It would be great to see it from outside too. :)

Anybody have the inner roof put in place? (leaving the polycarb roof and having a firm fit the insulation and plasterboard). What effect has it had on your conservatory in deepest winter? Is it useable? Any negative effects/issues from the insulation (condensation under insulation/leaks are some of things I am concerned about)

I have looked into these recently and after hearing mixed reviews about Guardian roofs suffering from condensation we decided to give www.Roof2Room.com solid conservatory roofs a go.
I have to say I am delighted with the results, in the recent hot weather it was lovely and cool and comfortable whilst we were able to enjoy the sunshine, and on the colder nights genuinely seems to hold the heat better.
From the moment we had them round for the quote to the moment the roof was finished they kept all promises and its a BIG thumbs-up from me!!

Hi there blondehelly could you tell me if the roof2room where expensive we are hoping to also do this and wanted a rough idea of cost.

Just had a suspended ceiling fitted in my conservatory by Mick Tyler of Rotherham, if anyone is thinking of having it done I can defo recommend having it done by Mick. It looks very nice and feels warmer already, which is the main reason for having it done to enable us to use it all year round. I was worried it would look like an office but it doesn't. I have taken before & after photos if anyone would like to see them.

Doing a bit of research about conservatory, I am downsizing, but I would like more day space, thus a new conservatory.
After reading all your reviews and feed backs, I am wondering whether I could install a new conservatory with a solid roof and do I need planning permission?!
I will be having an underfloor heating, again after feedback from others, I felt the conservatory could be used throughout the whole year and can enjoy my garden too.
I would be grateful if anyone of you could give me any answer. Thank you.

Hi yes,
I have just had a new Guardian roof installed. I've posted some details on another blog site, but will add them here as well.

Ok, firstly you need to understand what you are trying to achieve and research carefully, there are a number of options out there and a number of cowboys who will do the work cheap. I didn't want that, what I wanted was a quality solution so my house could have an extra all year round room.

To start with I have a conservatory which is around 25 metres in size and is P shaped. It had a polycarbonate roof as fitted by the previous owner some 8 to 10 years ago, and the roof was starting to leak in small places. Normally a PC roof will need replacing around the 10 year mark although some may last longer. Therefore if you are considering an internal plaster board solution with a PC on top then it will eventually leak.

Secondly neither PC or glass roofs will hold back the heat either in or out, whether in summer or winter, therefore you will pay more for heating these conservatory roof types.

With respect to planning permission it depends on which area your are in and your local planning regs. My conservatory was built with planning permission 8 to 10 years ago, with under floor heating and no door between the conservatory and rest of the house and was therefore considered an extension. I therefore approached my local council with the new roof question and was told that provided it did not extend the current building, it was acceptable to put a new roof with considerably more isolation on the conservatory.

Please check with your local planning department.

There are a number of solid roof suppliers out there and I can only comment on Guardian. The roof is very good, in terms of construction.

However the roof is not normally installed by Guardian across the UK, therefore Guardian will recommend installers in your area. Ask to see their handy work before you sign the dotted line.

The cost for my roof 5x5 metres in size and P shaped was 10k. For that they remove the old roof, take away all the rubbish, protect floors and the room very well indeed. Install the new roof, insulation and finally plaster to a high quality finish.

The room is very warm now and much quieter and I have lost very little light because the ceiling is painted white and my PC roof was tinted.

In terms of condensation, you will only get this if the installer hasn't installed the roof correctly. There is an air gap between the layers of insulating board (two separate layers are fitted). If the air gap isn't there you can get condensation so keep an eye on the install to make sure its done correctly. Look on you tube for videos on this roof type.

In terms of the installation it took 3 days. Day 1 and within 6 hours they had removed the old roof and fitted the new complete with water proof covering and tiles. Day 2 they fitted most of the internal insulating material, plus finished the lead flashing outside. Day 3 they finished the insulation and plastered.

All in all it was a great job and looks fantastic. The price appears expensive but....

I was quoted 5k to replace the PC roof, 7 to 9k for glass and 10 k for the Guardian roof. As PC needs replacing every 10 years and the solid roof is guaranteed for 50 years, plus heating and fuel bill savings it makes sense to have your conservatory become part of the house year round. That’s just my take on it. Hope this is useful.

Sorry as an addendum to the above….

Two tile types are available, plastic (which is the most expensive) or galvanise steel.

The latter is cheaper because its easier for the builders to fit (comes in long lengths and cut to size before it arrives, whereas the plastic tiles are fitted one at a time and take longer (nearly twice as long).

The roof will withstand 150 MPH winds (apparently) which means your house will disappear down the road but the conservatory roof will still be on it.

In terms of building a conservatory from new and having a solid roof, I am sure all of the builders suggested by Guardian will do this for you, but the cost of the rest of the building will probably add to the 10k a bit depending on the size you want.

A website that might help you with your conservatory roof problems is www.roomsforlife.co.uk. They are helpful nice people

We have Guardian system on ours,fitted by local builder/conservatory and window specialist.
Was fitted in March so haven't yet experienced deep winter,but we noticed big difference in the summer,it was never too hot,no glare etc.
Ours is open to our large living kitchen and I already can feel a difference in warmth.
We very pleased.

I hope this thread is still active as I have been 'stalking' it for the past few weeks while I mulled over the information and what to do with my lean to roof.

My lean to is 4m x 3m and the roof is 16mm triple wall polycarbonate sheets supported on timber beams. I am planning to change the sheets as it was inherited and should be around 15 years now and is leaking because the seal seem to have worn out.

I had been quoted £2500 for a 7 layered 35mm Opal polycarbonate roof. Is this price reasonable?

Once the roof is changed, I will like to insulate it. I am not concern about the amount of light that will be cut out or the aesthetics, but more concern about the usability of the room as a dining or relaxing place all year round.

My options are

1. Light Weight Roof Tiles: I read lots about it but haven't got any u value information about them. Many of the companies seem to have done it for only a few years now and their quotes are extortionate, in the region of £7k so this is out of the question

2. Suspended Ceiling: I have been told by a tradesman that this can result in condensation. However, I know a mumsnetter who had suspended ceiling for 2 years now and is very happy with the result and it was really cheap as well though I doubt I can find a price close to what she paid down in Kent where I am. Also, I am not sure who to find in Kent who does such thing. Is it a general builder?

3. Ceiling insulation: I read that some mumsnetter paste flooring underlay type of insulation onto their lean to roof to keep the room warm. I am no DIYer and my husband is worse. But I found a company in 2Hot2Cold who does a similar thing. They use 7 layers of insulation bonded together and fit it onto the ceiling, which creates a u value of 0.175. The price that they quoted me was £1600. The finish looks good but I am wondering if any mumsnetter use them before and are they good. I understand that they have been in operation for only 4 years and they give a 5 years guarantee so obviously it is quite a new product.

Just wondering if the price is reasonable and if any mumsnetter have any advice or product or tradesman recommendation in Kent.

I really appreciate your help and sorry for the long post. The cold is getting into my head!

I have had a UPVC conservatory ceiling fitted by a company called warmcool www.warmcool.co.uk. Absolutely fantastic job and it really works.

We have just had our conservatory roof replaced with a Guardian Roof. The difference in warmth is instantly noticeable, it's fantastic. We were so fed up of not using the conservatory from October to May and even last year because of the unusal hot summer we couldnt use it because it was like an oven.

We have had 2 roof windows allowing plenty of light and some spotlights fitted and painted the plaster white so we have plenty of light.
It is so quiet too as we had polycarbonate in the old roof.

The company we used actually manufactured and installed the roof. They took 4 days from start to finish with no mess. They also changed the exisiting clear glass in the conservatory frames to new solar heat reflective energy efficient glass called Coolite/Planitherm.

We looked at other options such as changing the roof from poly to glass but that didnt seem to achieve anything apart from noise reduction. Also we thought of boarding the original roof but we had heard of a few disasters from friends and on the net with blocked light and horrendous condensation problems.

We were recommended the Guardian System by friends and after doing the research we feel its the best money we've spent and now we have a new room like an extension we use all of the time albeit full of toys!!!

The company we used were www.guardian-warmroof.co.uk. If you put the address straight into the address bar you go straight to their site. They install all over the country as we are in the midlands but they are now going to change my sisters roof in Surrey. Give them a try we are very pleased.

Hi ,we have a conservatory it would freeze you in winter and far too warm in summer , seen a company in news paper and got a solid roof installed about 6 mths ago ,its a fantastic job , we now use the conservatory all the time, i have to say the company we used Cosy roof did a great job and we thought it was good value for money. hope the is of help

Hello,

I stumbled over this thread and thought I would throw in my penny's worth in. We fabricate and install the Guardian Roof in Yorkshire and have found it to be a very good system. It is the only one that is approved by the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) and this helps with regard to the building regulation application. The only issue you need to be aware of for replacement conservatory roofs is that the footings will need to be up to the standard of an extension, despite the fact that the weight impact of a Guardian Roof is only 5% heavier than a glass roof. However, because the council will regard the replacement of a translucent roof to a solid roof to be the conversion of a conservatory to an extension, the rules change in terms of structure.

Conservatories are currently exempt from building control, which means they could be built on toffee and the council will not mind. Extensions, which a solid roof conservatory falls into, need a minimum set of foundations, either as a strip foundation around the walls of the room or as a slab across its whole base.

It is for these reasons that we take on the organisation of the building control requirements from our customers as we have done it many times before and are well versed in the process and its hurdles. If anyone needs any advice on this, please feel free to contact me. www.allweathergardenrooms.co.uk.

Mark

First of all, going back to the beginning of this thread about inner lining/insulation of an existing conservatory roof, there is a company called Roof Revive that do this (there are many others). I don't know whether this is a good solution. I read a review of it in a Sunday newspaper and it was a tad negative, the author being concerned about moisture gathering between the roof and the insulation.

Over the last couple of years I have been researching this heat/glare/cold problem as we had a large conservatory with a double glazed roof. It was too big and like in many homes, had become a repository for stuff you don't know what to do with. Anyway, we discounted blinds, solar film, Roof Revive, air conditioning. We decided to reduce the size as it was disproportionate to our needs and to go for the solid roof.

We have just had a Guardian Roof fitted and we are pleased. It looks like part of the property and not a bolt on as is usually the case with conservatories. It is much warmer, quieter and more cosy. It hasn't made the room that it is built onto dark as there is still plenty of light from the windows. Also, the ceiling is white with lights embedded. We have one Velux roof window.

There are several layers of insulation - there is a lot of work involved and you need a builder who is experienced in fitting them. Building Regulations is required so you need to add about £300 - £400 for that, and they can stop the work if the foundations are not adequate - they need to be at least 150mm depth. [url=www.labc.uk.com/Media/Default/Public%20Documents/labc_Guidance_on_solid_roofs_to_conservatories.pdf]Link[/url].

One other thing - get several quotes. These structures are without doubt expensive and costs vary greatly. Our first quote was £4,000 more than the price we eventually paid. This was by one of dedicated, larger conservatory companies. We bought the roof and employed a self employed builder who the company recommended. Couldn't fault any of it.

It is early days for us but right now I would recommend this roof. Certainly the room is warmer and I am hoping cooler in summer - at least it cannot be worse than it was and we won't have the glare. It's a proper room now - part of the house.

First of all, going back to the beginning of this thread about inner lining/insulation of an existing conservatory roof, there is a company called Roof Revive that do this (there are many others). I don't know whether this is a good solution. I read a review of it in a Sunday newspaper and it was a tad negative, the author being concerned about moisture gathering between the roof and the insulation.

Over the last couple of years I have been researching this heat/glare/cold problem as we had a large conservatory with a double glazed roof. It was too big and like in many homes, had become a repository for stuff you don't know what to do with. Anyway, we discounted blinds, solar film, Roof Revive, air conditioning. We decided to reduce the size as it was disproportionate to our needs and to go for the solid roof.

We have just had a Guardian Roof fitted and we are pleased. It looks like part of the property and not a bolt on as is usually the case with conservatories. It is much warmer, quieter and more cosy. It hasn't made the room that it is built onto dark as there is still plenty of light from the windows. Also, the ceiling is white with lights embedded. We have one Velux roof window.

There are several layers of insulation - there is a lot of work involved and you need a builder who is experienced in fitting them. Building Regulations is required so you need to add about £300 - £400 for that, and they can stop the work if the foundations are not adequate - they need to be at least 150mm depth. www.labc.uk.com/Media/Default/Public%20Documents/labc_Guidance_on_solid_roofs_to_conservatories.pdf

One other thing - get several quotes. These structures are without doubt expensive and costs vary greatly. Our first quote was £4,000 more than the price we eventually paid. This was by one of dedicated, larger conservatory companies. We bought the roof and employed a self employed builder who the company recommended. Couldn't fault any of it.

It is early days for us but right now I would recommend this roof. Certainly the room is warmer and I am hoping cooler in summer - at least it cannot be worse than it was and we won't have the glare. It's a proper room now - part of the house.

hi has anyone had any problems with their new roofs leaking