Conservatory roof ? Glass or poly carbon?

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Dieselman said:
Neither.
Go for an insulated mock slate or lead effect, that way you get better aesthetics, as much winter sun, much less summer sun and much better heat insulation.
Have a dense concrete floor with insulation under the slab as it will then act as a heat store absorbing heat during the day and giving it back at night.

Better still have a garden room instead of a conservatory.
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+1
 
andrewcliffe said:
We have a glass conservatory. After specifying the extra for the glass we couldn't afford blinds so we've made our own using voile panels. Two hooks in the brick wall at one end and one of those expanding curtain poles at the other and two voile panels stitched together.

Cheap - very. Effective - yes. Washable - yes. Amateur looking - not too bad!
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We are just having a conservatory built (glass roof - got lucky with a wrongly specified solarglass one the builder had stuck in the yard as it were :) ) and I fully expect the "need blinds" comment real soon! (Already had the floor conversation and she has already bought the table!)

Fancy posting pics of what you did to give us some ideas? Ta!
 
We had ours done a few years ago triple polycarbonate for the roof, with insulated and reflective coatings between the layers, does not drum or creak nor need for roof blinds either. Outside is as clean as the day it was built, Clean the roof 2 x per year with long brush & stardrops and then spray with Areospace 303 UV protector (also good on car interiors) Glass would have just made ours too heavy and with it being South facing too hot
 
When I courted the possibility of installing a conservatory, I expressed my reluctance with my local fabricator on installing something that would produce so much solar gain.

They demonstrated their system, by radiating artificial infra-red heat through their roofing panel compared to 'standard' roofing panels - no heat, at all, was transmitted through their system.

They're selling them at 40% off at present...

http://www.finesse-windows.co.uk/default.asp
 
spinaltap said:
When I courted the possibility of installing a conservatory, I expressed my reluctance with my local fabricator on installing something that would produce so much solar gain.

They demonstrated their system, by radiating artificial infra-red heat through their roofing panel compared to 'standard' roofing panels - no heat, at all, was transmitted through their system.

They're selling them at 40% off at present...

http://www.finesse-windows.co.uk/default.asp
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Sounds like the ones we have as that is how they demonstrated ours too.
 
One issue that may impact the decision is the need for planning or building regs if you are looking at a solid roof for a garden room.
We have a glass roof which we replaced last year (all the units were blown as 20+ years old) after moving in.
It is south facing and gets incredibly hot - we were considering blinds but bought a new CLK instead:D

We did consider a solid roof, but the building regs implications were crazy.
 
crammy69 said:
We had a 7mx4m Conservatory built 2 years ago, and given the size and our insistance that we didnt want roof ties/bars we had no choice but to go for polycarbonate roof as that amount of glass would have been too heavy.

As said before during rain -it drums like a mad thing!, but on the flipside in Summer its not unbearable, and our furniture hasnt faded ( as it would do with a glass room).
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I agree we used to have a glass roof but had the conservatory replaced with one with bronzed poly and it is a bit noisy when it rains but in the summer when we spend most of our time in there is much much cooler

It does go green but then the glass roof did as well and its not hard to clean with a long brush and only needs doing twice a year

It also keeps the heat in better in the winter
 
spinaltap said:
The company that I previously referred to - St.Gobain Glass - also produce 'self-cleaning' solar glass for conservatories...

http://uk.saint-gobain-glass.com/b2c/default.asp?nav1=pr&nav2=single pane&id=1899
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Bit like self cleaning ovens;)

If you clean and then apply a polish (some car polish will do) the roof will stay clear for ages , but its a job i dont mind , i need to clear the gutters every spring anyhow and it only takes a few minutes , bought a great gizmo for doing it from Kleeneze
 
This is my trade, I have been involved in conservatories for over 25 years and I own a reputable home improvements company in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex.

The glass roof option is by far the best way forward if it fits within your budget. If you are worried about the heat fit solar control glass (blue or bronze tint) and fit self cleaning glass such as Pilkington Acktiv if it is difficult to reach. Also make sure you fit at least one roof vent and a reversable fan to the ridge plate. That way if it does become too hot you can open the vent and reverse the fan which will draw the excess heat up and out. My advice is to live with it for a summer and see how you get on, forking out for blinds may not be necessary at all.

Also make sure you specify enough opening windows to enable a through draft to ventilate the building properly, I have seen so many conservatories where people have not put enough in and regretted it later.

Be aware that if the conservatory is north facing the self cleaning glass will not work properly. This is due to an enzyme that is used in the self cleaning coating which needs UV light to activate it. If you are fitting it yourself make sure you wear gloves when handling the self cleaning glass as any residue of silicone will ruin the coating and leave finger marks on the glass that won't come off. :)
 
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