New Conservatory. Glass or Polycarb roof ?

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New Conservatory. Glass or Polycarb roof ?

30 posts & 22 voices | Started 1 year ago by Davesport | Latest reply from djaustin

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Davesport - Member

My conservatory is needing replaced. The planning application's in as it exceeds permitted development but I need to decide (quickly) which type of roofing I want. The present one is clear polycarb. It's redder's in there when the sun's out & perishing when it's cold outside. No surprises there then but its given me pause for thought. I've got scope in the budget to have any of the popular options IE Pilkington K glass, 7 wall polycarb etc. There also going to be a Jotul woodburning stove in there so plenty of heat during the (next) winter. The only downside of the present 3 layer poly roof is the drumming noise when the rain hits it & the obvious lack of heat retention. I don't know if this would be any different with the 7 layer poly. I've never been in a glass roofed conservatory during the summer but imagine it could get V. hot, which is putting me off a bit.

Thoughts on this appreciated.

TIA Dave.

Posted 1 year ago #
GTDave - Member

Ours has 7-cell opaque polycarb, & it's noisy as hell when it rains. Even a light shower sounds like a deluge!
Thermally it seems okay but personally, I kinda wished we plumped for the K-glass.
Bonus with the opaque polycarb is that we can't see the ugly brickwork of the house nor any bird shite on the roof.

Posted 1 year ago #
aP - Member

You'd be better off putting a solid roof in it with maybe a couple of rooflights as
a) in the summer it won't be about 50C and unusable,
and
b) in the winter it won't be about 2C and unusable.

Posted 1 year ago #
uplink - Member

Never heard of blinds aP?

Posted 1 year ago #
Dibbs - Member

When we were looking at conservatories we went to a showroom and while we where there the sun came out, the noise of the polycarbonate roof expanding was enough to convince us to go for glass. Ours faces south and blinds are definitely required.

Posted 1 year ago #
huw - Member

We've just had one built with K glass as the roof. It's fantastic. It's got a slight blue tint to it which dampens down the glare from the sun (no need for roof blinds in my opinion). The roof is about 5m x 3.5m in area and front of the room is made up of 3 sliding doors (floor to ceiling) and even in full sun it doesn't get unbearably hot (warm, yes, but not stifling) inside (house/room is on south facing hillside). Opening a couple of the side windows is just enough to cool it down.

We've been in there in a thunderstorm and the only noise is a gentle tapping on the roof, it's very well insulated.

Posted 1 year ago #
reluctantwrinkly - Member

Go for glass-we have a solaroof on ours & it's very good-slight blue tint & heat reflective so we haven't found the need for blinds in the roof. It does get warm in summer but is easily controllable with ventilation. We can use ours even when it's pretty cold with an electric heater, it just gets a bit uneconomic when it's really cold.During the summer we spend nearly all our time in there.

Posted 1 year ago #
chickenman - Member

I built mine and put Pilk K in the roof: Faces south, no blinds; I love the heat and the light in it (isn't that the point of a conservatory??)...just don't leave the butter dish out in it!

Posted 1 year ago #
WorldClassAccident - Member

We have a north facing conservatory sheltered from the sun by the house. We went for glass for the heat and noise reasons. Had no problems at all. We often have Christmas dinner out there (well once a year anyway) as it is 210 square metres so fits all the family around a big table.

Polycarb is very noisy and cold in the conservatories I have been in. If you ware worried about the sun either get blinds of tint it.

Posted 1 year ago #
mastiles_fanylion - Member

You'd be better off putting a solid roof in it with maybe a couple of rooflights as
a) in the summer it won't be about 50C and unusable,
and
b) in the winter it won't be about 2C and unusable.

Exactly what I would recommend and exactly what I did.

Posted 1 year ago #
aP - Member

uplink - Member
Never heard of blinds aP?

No. As I don't work in IT I understand U-values and how to use them, insolation and sun paths and what effect they have, the use of insulation and how to build and maintain buildings - so I made a suggestion that might have taken into account some things which I've learnt.
Just a thought though.

Blinds! Yes, the answer to all the modern architect's problems as long as you're still living in 1973.

Posted 1 year ago #
b r - Member

tbh We've a conservatory which came with the house and if for any reason I had to replace it, it would be with a 'sun room'; proper roof with roof-lights, big windows/dwarf wall etc.

We moved into our house in a February, and on the second day I had a mate come around and fit a piped-in radiator - still needs a blow heater when the outside temp is below 5c to make it usable. And as ours is SW facing, in summer we have to leave the doors open during the day due to the heat.

Posted 1 year ago #
psling - Member

As I don't work in IT I understand U-values...

You forgot to mention though that the OP would probably need to submit for B.Regs approval to fit a non-glazed roof. Been a while since I retired and I'm well out of touch with current regs though. Which brings me to the proposed fixed heating source (woodburner) which probably also means approval required?

Posted 1 year ago #
xcgb - Member

How can you put a woodburner in a conservatory - he asks all interested like?

What about the flue etc?

Ta

Posted 1 year ago #
spooky_b329 - Member

As a couple of others have said, build it as a proper room with a skylighted roof, half brick walls and some insulation.

I think they add to the appeal/value of a house, whereas in my eyes a conservatory is a waste of garden space, a fridge in winter, a sauna in summer and a money pit to heat!

Posted 1 year ago #
aP - Member

Bldg Regs - isn't Our Dave making them subject to the Big Society along with planning permission?

Posted 1 year ago #
Nig E5 - Member

K Glass and you will need blinds if you want to use it in the summer, expect to pay at least 2 grand on them if it a reasonable size

Posted 1 year ago #
mudshark - Member

My parents are in the process of building one - they're going for glass which I guess is the K glass mentioned - it apparently keeps things cool in summer and warm in summer. Anyway, I don't like conservatories really so would go for the real roof option if possible - I guess cost is significantly more?

Posted 1 year ago #
uplink - Member

Blinds! Yes, the answer to all the modern architect's problems as long as you're still living in 1973.

Indeed, along with a fan

Trouble with you suggestion is that you'd be converting it from a conservatory into a shed

Just a thought

Having worked for a conservatory co [Amdega] for 10 years or so - I picked up a few things myself & must have seen 1000's of different styles of conservatories in [real world] use

Posted 1 year ago #
Boba Fatt - Member

here's what happened to the polycarb roof on my sunhouse yesterday

a few feet of snow finally took its toll

Posted 1 year ago #
Dibbs - Member

Ours has tinted K glass but we tried the first year without blinds and it was unbearable in the summer, probably not so much of a problem if you live oop north though

Posted 1 year ago #
showerman - Member

just finished mine,kglass roof argon gas filled (?) 1.5meter walls each end insulated and 8" of insulation in the floor nice big rad no doors or windows in the way as i took them out to have it open planned 4.2 mts long 3mts deep and planning regs went to where the sun dont shine,house is as warm as toast out there every night watching telly blinds needed as south facing having the fitted now 3.5k(ouch)

Posted 1 year ago #
fisha - Member

You'd be better off putting a solid roof in it with maybe a couple of rooflights as
a) in the summer it won't be about 50C and unusable,
and
b) in the winter it won't be about 2C and unusable.

doing a house extension at the moment and decided for a solid roof setup for our sunroom type room.

Posted 1 year ago #
midlifecrashes - Member

Ooh another collapse. Our school canopy snapped this morning, big 8x2 (I think) timbers snapped clean through. Panels not broken though. Will be interesting to see the snow load calculations/assumptions.

Posted 1 year ago #
midlifecrashes - Member

Ooh another collapse. Our school canopy snapped this morning, big 8x2 (I think) timbers snapped clean through. Panels not broken though. Will be interesting to see the snow load calculations/assumptions.

Posted 1 year ago #
Davesport - Member

Backs up what I already thought. I'm going for glass. Having a solid roof's not an option. The woodstove is one of these or similar Jotul woodstoves Freestanding with a lum built up in place of one or two of the glazed sections. The flu hasn't been fully thought out, but I think it's going to exit the rear of the stove at 45 deg then into the liner & up to the flu terminal.

D.

Posted 1 year ago #
chickenman - Member

Ours is really a Sun Porch as it only has one glass wall. We have underfloor heating in it (running off the boiler) and we use it all year round (we eat in it). Not really that much of a heatsink as boiler just ticks over to keep room at 17deg, which is fine when your toes are toast.
We reckon the extra amount of light we receive has really improved the quality of our lives.
We have had a glacier slowly moving down it over the last 10 days! LOL!
The glass is also very strong: Dropped a pair of pliers on the roof from the chimney stack 20ft above and no damage!

Posted 1 year ago #
Smarty - Member

WorldClassAccident - Member
as it is 210 square metres so fits all the family around a big table.

Posted 1 year ago #
chickenman - Member

WorldClassAccident: You shouldn't take Vatican 2 too literally you know...everybody loves kids but....

Posted 1 year ago #
djaustin - Member

We've had two conservatories, one north facing and one west facing. Polycarbonate on each. For North facing, I'd now go glass as the noise was deafening when it rained, and I'd like to see the stars. I'd also remove the interconnecting doors to allow better thermal equilibrium. For west facing, I'd go solid roof with velux windows.

I'd also definitely include roof vents to let out the hot air. Our west facing conservatory could melt candles in the summer.

Posted 1 year ago #

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