THE BENEFITS OF A FULLY TILED & INSULATED REPLACEMENT CONSERVATORY ROOF

1. THE BENEFITS OF A FULLY TILED & INSULATED REPLACEMENT CONSERVATORY ROOF There are several options when considering making a change to a conservatory roof whether it is due to the need or desire to make better use of the space, these are the age of the polycarbonate or glazing, general wear and tear or a poorly fitted structure in the first instance. However, repairing a glazed conservatory roof with polycarbonate or glass will be expensive, and will probably need replacing again, potentially within the next ten years and have inherent issues regarding its integrity longer term.Ask any owner of an existing conservatory and they will explain that it is not a habitable room, being too cold in winter and too hot in summer. Research at Cranfield University has shown that the average south-facing conservatory reaches a comfortable temperature for only two hours a day, unless energy is expended on artificial heating or cooling it is apparent that having a conservatory with a polycarbonate or glass roof is a poor return on investment unless just two hours a day is really all you want or need from the space. To be very frank polycarbonate or glass roofs and walls have very minimal insulation value, and a conservatory is little more than a greenhouse tacked onto the side of a house. Unfortunately, instead of paying just a few hundred pounds for a lean-to greenhouse, many people have been persuaded by glossy advertising to pay £20,000, £30,000, or more, for a conservatory. The conservatory industry has relied for its huge profits on a few slick sales points – and they are that 1. A conservatory is a cheaper way of providing space than a proper extension; 2. That it will be erected with little disruption in a week or so; and 3. That conservatories do not require planning permission or Building Regulations approval. The planning permission argument has always been suspect. Like any building addition, a conservatory always fell under “permitted development” rights only so long as it was not too big – no more than 10 per cent of the existing volume (or 50 cubic metres) for a terraced house, or 15 per cent (or 70 cubic metres) for any other house. However the Building Regulations situation is more complex. There are in fact several aspects of the Building Regulations that conservatories have always had to comply with – such as those governing structural stability and fire safety. But the one that was stressed by the salesmen was Part L – the conservation of fuel and power.

2. THE BENEFITS OF A FULLY TILED & INSULATED REPLACEMENT CONSERVATORY ROOF A conservatory was exempt from Part L as long as it was separated from the house by a closing door, had an independent heating system separated from the property and had a roof area at least 75 per cent glazed and a wall area at least 50 per cent glazed. It was this fact that was and is promoted as a “loophole” by the double glazing Companies, and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of shoddy glazed boxes being sold, with no oversight from local authority Building Control officers. For what it‟s worth, the percentage of glazed area requirement was dropped for the 2010 edition of Part L, so there is no longer any difference between a conservatory and a more solidly built extension. But people continue to be sold the false dream of a habitable “room in the garden”. As part of the IDEAL ROOFS LTD we have installed a huge range of heating and renewable technology related products to thousands of homes and business throughout the U.K. An area of concern highlighted by many of our clients has always been „what can we do about the conservatory?‟ to which we always replied „you could always put a roof on it‟ and now – YOU CAN. The figures claimed for the expected improvements in thermal performance sound highly theoretical, and we are not aware of any independent evidence to support these claims in practice. Furthermore, fitting insulation and plasterboard inside an existing glass or polycarbonate roof entails some risks. Condensation forming on the underside of the glazing on winter nights might drip onto the insulation and damage the plasterboard ceiling. The companies claim that cross-ventilation will prevent this happening but – as we have seen with loft insulation in normal house roofs – some degree of condensation is inevitable. The main reservation, however, concerns the long-term watertight capabilities of an existing conservatory roof which has been insulated internally only. Polycarbonate roofs have a life expectancy of 10 years or less, and even the most expensive glass roofs can suffer rubber gasket deterioration within a similar time frame. Then what happens when the roof leaks onto the new plasterboard ceiling below? We might be wrong, and this system might yet turn out to be a good way of dealing with a widespread problem. But my instinct is to treat it with suspicion, and advise that if you want to make your conservatory truly habitable, then put your money towards removing the glazing altogether and fitting a proper room.