Can You Put a Solid Roof on a Conservatory?

Why people replace a conservatory roof

A polycarbonate roof lets heat straight in on a sunny day and straight out on a cold one. Many conservatories end up as a room you only use for a few months of the year, or as a place to store things.

A solid roof has insulation built into it and a finished ceiling underneath, so the room behaves much more like the rest of the house. Many people also find it quieter in heavy rain than a polycarbonate roof.

Do you need building regulations approval?

In most cases, yes. Council building control guidance is clear that when you carry out building work to a roof, the new roof has to meet the regulations. A replacement solid roof is treated as a new thermal element, so it has to meet current insulation standards.

There is a second issue. A conservatory is only exempt from building regulations if a significant part of its roof and walls is glazed. If you replace a fully glazed roof with a solid one, the building may no longer count as a conservatory in the eyes of building control. It is then treated more like an extension, and the structure needs to be shown to be suitable.

Building control can be arranged through your council or a private approver. Ask whoever is doing the work how this will be handled before you sign anything.

Do you need planning permission?

Changing the roof on an existing conservatory does not usually need planning permission if the footprint stays the same and the new roof is no higher than allowed for that conservatory. Check with your council first if your home is listed, in a conservation area, or if the conservatory was built with planning conditions attached. Our post on planning permission for conservatories explains the limits.

Can the frame and base take the weight?

A solid roof is heavier than glass or polycarbonate, so the structure underneath matters. Council guidance points to two main checks:

• The frames. Some uPVC conservatory frames have no steel or aluminium reinforcement inside them. If they cannot carry the load, they need reinforcing, or the frames need replacing.
• The base. Building control may want trial holes dug to confirm the foundations can carry the new load. Bases built over drains, near trees or on made-up ground may need extra attention.

That is why the old roof should be stripped back to the frame and the structure inspected before the new roof goes on. It is a standard part of every Shelfbank warm roof replacement.

What a warm roof replacement involves

On a typical Shelfbank warm roof replacement, the job runs like this:

• The existing roof and glazing bars are removed.
• The frame is inspected to make sure it is sound.
• Insulated roof panels are installed.
• The ceiling inside is boarded or plastered, depending on what you want.
• The outside is finished, usually with a lightweight tile that matches the main house roof.
• Guttering and downpipes are reconnected and checked.

For flat roofs, Shaun is a Res-Tec trained installer of the Flexitec GRP fibreglass roofing system.

Questions to ask before you go ahead

• Who will deal with building control, and is that included in the price?
• How will the frames and base be checked, and what happens if they need work?
• What will the outside of the roof look like, and will it match the house?
• What ceiling finish will there be inside?
• Is the price fixed and in writing before work starts?

A good installer will answer all of these before you commit. If the answers are vague, ask again.