Advice on covering glass conservatory during roofing work overhead

usignuolo

We have a Victorian semi detached house which is basically L shaped (short end of L is front). At the back we have a large lean-to style conservatory built in the extension part of the L .

We urgently need some roof work done on the slates and guttering above the conservatory and need scaffolding erected. The conservatory basically fills the space between our house wall and the side boundary wall with our neighbours so the scaffold poles will have to go in our neighbours garden and they have kindly agreed, subject to minimum disruption.

I am however also very concerned about covering the conservatory glass roof itself during the work as the roof is double glazed with panes cut to size and would be a nightmare to fix if they broke. The roofer and scaffolders both have public liability insurance but I would only want to call on that in last instance and rather be safe than sorry.

The roofer says the scaffolders will take care of it but like all scaffolders they do seem a bit gung ho and mainly interested in putting up the scaffolding. I am suggesting a tarpaulin on the conservatory roof held down with wooden planks so that any scaffolding fixings or bits which fall off the roof during the work will not break the glass.

Anyone had this problem and have any suggestions?

SatanicHare

How about using sheets of plywood, can be got fairly cheap and you could possibly re-sell them when the work is complete

vaio

just get the scaffolders to put an extra lift in just above the glass and then sheet that out

steveroofer

In the event of any damage the contractors public likably won’t cover the cost of renewing the glass he would need to have contractors all risk insurance and even that may not cover the damage if due care had not been taken. In my book the contractor would have to have insured that the glass was covered before working over it then if it got broken he could show he had taken precautions, anyhow if the claim was for under say £1000 he would be a fall to go though his insurance because of his access going up. We at London flat roofing would automatically cover the glass with a tarp then polystyrene then ply, the polystyrene is to keep the ply from scratching the glass.

dacouch

steveroofer wrote: »

In the event of any damage the contractors public likably won’t cover the cost of renewing the glass he would need to have contractors all risk insurance and even that may not cover the damage if due care had not been taken. In my book the contractor would have to have insured that the glass was covered before working over it then if it got broken he could show he had taken precautions, anyhow if the claim was for under say £1000 he would be a fall to go though his insurance because of his access going up. We at London flat roofing would automatically cover the glass with a tarp then polystyrene then ply, the polystyrene is to keep the ply from scratching the glass.

This is not correct, their Public Liability would cover any damage to any item they are not working on providing they are "Legally liable"

A contract work policy covers materials and the item you have built / are building for things such as theft, fire and vandalism etc

mattymoo

One way you can protect against falling debris is the use of a scaffolding fan. This link is for a technical document from the HSE explaining fan structures - http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2003/hsl03-17.pdf

This link describes the Combisafe net fan system which is quite popular. http://www.combisafe.com/download.asp?id=79B88E9EE5314001F54C53FD781AE4B7&NAME=Safety+Net+Fan_UK_0608.pdf

Alternatively, toe boards and mesh cladding on the scaffold itself will help protect against falling debris (toe boards are a must in any event).

That just leaves the scaffold installation / striking as a potential cause of damage. Would it be possible to lift out the glazed section of the conservatory and store separately? This would also allow additional scaffold standards (the vertical poles) to be placed inside the conservatory. Probably the safest solution all round really but I imagine the glass panels will be quite heavy.