Replacing a Conservatory Roof
Most conservatories are unusable in July and unheatable in January, and in nearly every case the roof is the reason.
Why Polycarbonate Fails
The multiwall polycarbonate fitted to conservatories through the 1990s and 2000s does almost nothing thermally and a great deal acoustically. Rain on it is genuinely loud. It also yellows, the flutes fill with algae, and the aluminium glazing bars conduct heat straight out of the room.
The result is a space that behaves like a greenhouse, which is what it structurally is. No amount of blinds or heaters fixes a roof that is the problem.
The Three Replacement Options
Glass is the straight swap. Modern self-cleaning solar-control units in the existing bar system transform the room and keep the light, and the frame usually takes the extra weight without alteration. It is the cheapest of the three real fixes.
A tiled or solid roof turns the conservatory into something closer to an extension, warm year round and usable as a proper room, at the cost of most of the daylight and often a building control application. A hybrid, with solid panels and glazed sections, is the compromise most people end up happy with.
Check the base and the frame before committing to anything solid. A dwarf wall and frame designed for polycarbonate was not designed for a tiled roof, and the structural check is not optional.
Working On One
Conservatory roofs are the most awkward surface on a domestic property. The glazing bars will not take weight, the panels certainly will not, and the pitch is shallow enough to feel safe when it is not. Anyone quoting you for the job should be spreading load across the frame properly rather than standing on it.
There are ladders made for conservatory roofs that span the bars and spread the load, and a contractor who turns up without one is telling you how the job is going to go. It is a fair thing to ask about before work starts.
