Conservatory glass roof - your real life experiences please!

BlondeHeadOn

Jonesya wrote: »

Before having the conservatory built I'd suggest having any handy perches above the conservatory (TV aerials etc) removed or relocated. Parents had a TV aerial on the gable end above their conservatory, the birds would sit on it and plaster the glass roof.

Good idea, I will check this. We do tend to get birds (magpies I think) occsionally sitting on the tiled roof and chucking lumps of moss over the edge onto the patio (where the conservatory will be built).

Thanks for the tip!

BlondeHeadOn

capeverde wrote: »

one of the best is pilkintons activ-blue which is self cleaning for conservatories. You can also get this with blinds built inside the sealed units, they are automatic and fold away out of sight. Obviously expensive but very good.

Are these blinds inside the conservatory though? I was trying to avoid this, as surely the glass just gets heated up anyway but the sun on it?

The awning idea is to stop the sun from ever reaching the glass when it's in use, as the awning will be installed to cover the connie several inches above the top of the roof. My thinking is that this way you don't get the solar gain from the sun at all - should keep the conservatory cooler.

BlondeHeadOn

Viper_7 wrote: »

Have a glazed roof and I'll do it again. (Pilkington low E / Bronze tint)
Overall structure is much stronger to support the weight.
It looks better
It is quieter.
It will last much much longer.
It's easier to clean - no green cack build up you see with polycarbonate.
No furniture fade (don't have blinds) why block the views!

I only clean it twice a year - use car shampoo. It creates a good barrier and any bird droppings etc don't stick and wash off with the rain.

I'd recommend an opening roof light.


Cons - I have 3 p annals fail - condensation inside, but all replaced foc under guarantee.

Has it for 11 years now, neighbours polyroofs look really nasty now, mine looks as new.

Many thanks for this, I think they look a lot nicer in glass too.

Do you have to have a tint? Or is this to stop the glare on sunny days?

BlondeHeadOn

Another question: what about the heat insulation issue? Are any of the glass types good for this in your experiences?

Or is 'insulated glass' a contradiction in terms? (aka a load of baloney.)

(Oxymoron? Where...?...?.... )

capeverde

BlondeHeadOn wrote: »

Are these blinds inside the conservatory though? I was trying to avoid this, as surely the glass just gets heated up anyway but the sun on it?

The awning idea is to stop the sun from ever reaching the glass when it's in use, as the awning will be installed to cover the connie several inches above the top of the roof. My thinking is that this way you don't get the solar gain from the sun at all - should keep the conservatory cooler.

no, they are actually in between the two pieces of glass in the sealed unit. Never need cleaning and retract by remote control so you can hardly see them. Heres a link;

http://www.sealed-units.com/

Viper_7

BlondeHeadOn wrote: »

Many thanks for this, I think they look a lot nicer in glass too.

Do you have to have a tint? Or is this to stop the glare on sunny days?

It's to stop the glare and reduces/stops furniture fade.
From outside it also looks a "better" product imo. From inside the tint only looks very slight.

Be warned though, it will get VERY hot under direct sun. Blinds are advised if you are South Facing, you won't be able to sit in the conservatory otherwise. Same is true for polycarb to an extent, but not as direct.
Polycarb roofs are better for insulation than glazed, due to the multi-chambers. Having a Low-e glazed roof increases the insulation properties and is fairly common these days so not much added to the price.
Some people though do say they glass looks "dirty" from certain angles (looking along it) due to the coatings, not something I've noticed myself.

Also think about having a ceiling lights/fan I think it helps fill in that "roof void" nicely.
Don't skimp on power points/TV points. You may not feel you need them but you will, and when selling everything will be available for the wanting buyer. It's much cheaper to include these options in the build than add later.

Also think about the internal finish... if you are thinking of having the internal walls plastered...WAIT. Allow it to settle dry out fully or you'll be doing it again..

Viper_7

capeverde wrote: »

no, they are actually in between the two pieces of glass in the sealed unit. Never need cleaning and retract by remote control so you can hardly see them. Heres a link;

http://www.sealed-units.com/

That's pretty cool!

Jaynne

Does anyone know what price to expect for glass roofs? I'd like to replace the completely opaque polycarb roof on our conservatory (which is brick walled with a large opening onto the garden) with tinted well insulated glass.

sillygoose

Another factor is weight, glass is a lot heavier, my conservatory has a steel cable brace from one side to the other. The roof is 6 large double glazed panels at quite a steep pitch (I wanted it tall, light and airy inside). It needs the brace to stop the weight of the roof possibly pushing the side walls out.. be quite scary all that coming down on you!

The conservatory manufacturer calculated all the safety features and aspects so I am happy its good and the fixtures they used are not ugly.

I saw how strong the panes are when the installers were knocking on the Aluminium C section bars that go down the pane seams with a big mallet, I watched from above and you could see them flex but they said they had never had one break yet.

Mine are Pilkington self clean UV filtered but the 'clear' version, not quite as effective as the Blue (but nearly) and more attractive to me, they just have a very slight grey tint. The steep'ish pitch helps the self cleaning action, as the catlytic coating works on the dirt its easier for the rain to wash it off.

Only trouble with glass roof is it confuses the hell out of insects who will spend happy hours bashing their heads in trying to reach the sky. finally got insects under control using flyscreen mesh curtain on the doors to keep them out and good electric UV killer to mop up the odd ones that sneak in.

I do like the idea of the canopy but find out what maintenance it may need, access may be difficult when the conservatory is up, and its more dangerous for a workman to fall onto a glass roof than a polycarb.

Also please consider if you have a fire and are trapped in a room with its window above the conservatory, would you be able to escape that room? Reminds me, I need to get one of those escape ladders for the 'office' room as I dont fancy jumping out onto the glass conservatory roof!

Viper_7

Jaynne wrote: »

Does anyone know what price to expect for glass roofs? I'd like to replace the completely opaque polycarb roof on our conservatory (which is brick walled with a large opening onto the garden) with tinted well insulated glass.

I doubt you will be able to - they are very heavy, and the base structure will not be able to support it.

For a 4x4 conservatory, glazed roof is around £1700 more than poly.