Whoever it was who first came up with the idea for a conservatory, they were a genius. Almost.
Conservatories are so close to being perfect. They provide extra space at a fraction of the cost of an extension, they should be the best room in the house when the sun shines, the perfect space from which to enjoy those summer months.
But, you will have noticed that word should. They should be a great space, sadly they often aren’t.
The problem is the roof.
The vast majority of conservatories have either a glass or polycarbonate roof, two materials singularly unfit for purpose. Neither is much good at regulating the temperature so in the summer the conservatory becomes a virtual sauna, in winter it will only be usable when the heating is on almost constantly.
The good news is that yes, they can – with one caveat.
Solid conservatory roofs have been allowed on conservatories since 2010 but in reality that tends to mean our product, the Guardian Warm Roof.
That might get you thinking ‘hang on, why are they saying that? What’s so special about the Guardian Roof’. Allow us to explain!
It was our work in developing the Guardian Warm Roof solid roof replacement system, that led to regulations being changed. The fact that glass and polycarbonate conservatory roofs were flawed was obvious before that, however no viable alternative had been created.
We developed a lightweight, solid, tiled roof that could easily be fitted on to the existing conservatory structure. There is no major work required, typically just three days are needed to remove the old roof and fit the new, including all the internal finishing touches.
We demonstrated that our roofs could safely be installed on to existing conservatories and, just as importantly, that they were worth paying for. They do the job they were created to do, namely to make the conservatory a great room all year round, to help keep the rooms at a pleasant temperature.
It is also the Guardian Warm Roof that has full Local Area Building Control (LABC) approval.
A natural follow-up after asking if conservatories can have solid roofs is to ponder why you’d have one.
We have already covered the main advantage, that they make the conservatory a great space all year round, but that is far from the only benefit.
Conservatory roofs also look great as you can see for yourself by following this link to our gallery. Whereas a glass or polycarb roof looks, dare we say, like a bolt-on to the rest of the property, our roofs come in a range of styles and subtle colours. Whatever the style of your house, a Guardian Warm Roof can be made to match.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are financial benefits too.
There are energy bill savings to be enjoyed each and every year, independent research by AECOM found that around £200 would be saved every year on an average property.
Better still, if you ever look to sell you may well find that the work has more than paid for itself. Rather than getting a flawed conservatory, any would-be buyer is effectively getting a great extension. This is space they are willing to pay for.
In this post we have looked at both the can and the why of solid conservatory roofs.
If this upgrade is something you are considering, please have a good look round the site to get a feel for the Guardian Warm Roof. We would also be happy to answer any queries or to pop a brochure in the post –please give us a call on 0800 0665832.
