Any experiences of Guardian Conservatory Roofs please?

aggypanthus

Thanks.


what about plans, where to start?

Furts

aggypanthus wrote: »

Thanks.


what about plans, where to start?

I drew up my own plans based on the points in my post. I also considered circulation space, where I wanted a view, where I wanted the eye to be drawn to, plus a neighbour that I wanted to screen out.

Technical aspects - window sizes, cill heights, head heights, insulation, heating and Building Regulations all need consideration.

If you are not happy with drawing up a sun room, then ask around for a technician/designer, or look in local advertising booklets that get put through letter boxes.

Be aware that any designer will ask what you are trying to achieve, or trying to create. Hence the type of points I make will have to be given consideration and you will need answers to these.

If such questions are not addressed you run the risk of obtaining a bland, or unsatisfactory, sunroom. Or a sunroom that could have been better had a little more thought gone into it.

aggypanthus

You make it sound complicated, I have been planning in my head and on paper for a very long time, but I cant pin down whats best.. ie, do I take down the kitchen wall and extend out, or make a window in to a door and add on the room.
do you design with a certain app?

Furts

My suggestion is you ask some local architectural technicians, or those that draw up house extensions. The names would come from friends, or recommendations, or through local advertising magazines.

Bounce ideas off them, seek who seems the most knowledgeable, who is the most friendly, and who is the most professional. They could do the drawing, the Planning Application, the Buildings Regulations. Equally if you feel competent you could do some, or all, of these.

Further, they may recommend builders, or tradesmen, or Project Manage the job for you. They could suggest ways for saving money, or ideas to improve your sun room for not much extra outlay. For example, my sun room quirk is that it is half way between a house and an outdoor environment. Hence it has a slate effect floor, it is illuminated with Victorian style coach lights, it has oak window cills, it has redwood architrave and skirting etc. These details all cost extra.

Nemesia

I had a Guardian Warm Roof and replacement conservatory installed last year. It was a catalogue of disasters from start to finish. We used one of their ‘approved installers’ Roofsense. The work was delayed twice due to issues with the fabricator letting them down. When the work did start a 2 week job turned into 4 months. They habitually didn’t turn up or arrived late and left early. Communications were poor. The quality of the workmanship is generally awful and many things had to be redone. For example the foundations were in the wrong place, the whole frame is not straight in any direction which means the doors swing out and the double doors have never worked – they jam and despite multiple requests to fix were never done. The internal roof boarding was so bad that no plasterers would touch it and we ended up taking it down and rebattening it ourselves. The roof leaks where it joins the house and they haven’t leaded it – it is just a stick on material that has not been chased into the wall so I ended up spending a lot of money to get a professional roofer to lead it properly.


The company gave up trying to fix the problems and have disappeared. I’m now left with a building that has no building control paperwork and no guarantees. The fabricator won’t provide me with guarantees as Roofsense hadn’t fully paid them. Guardian did not want to know as they don’t deal with the public direct.


I would advise anyone considering this to do their research and look at all the options and research your installer. Guardian charge a lot for what is a fairly basic design and I do not think we have received value for money or the service we were expecting.


As for the conservatory, well it is warm in winter but even on sunny days it gets unbearably hot and we have to open all the windows so I’m not looking forward to summer in there.

BarneyR

Does anyone who has had one of these Guardian roofs for more than a year have any views on how effective they are in reducing the too hot in summer too cold in winter problem?


We have a large (3.3 x 9m) west facing conservatory. Compared with some comments on conservatories we get quite a lot of use out of it. From early spring through to late autumn its probably our most used room, especially in the evenings. Only when its hot enough to sit in the garden don't we use it in summer. Its usable on all those average days we get in England and even now, 11pm, with the outside temperature of 8 degrees I'm perfectly comfortable in it (without heating).


Yes its too hot on a hot summer's day and we have to open / close windows and doors to keep it in the right temperature range on very warm days so its not like a proper extension, but April to October evenings we live in it and rarely heat it.


In winter its very different. Lovely if there is a clear blue sky and the sun's out but otherwise we can only use it if we heat it which is very expensive and we only do that if we are entertaining (its by far our best room for entertaining and can use it for that even in mid winter when heated).


Its now getting tatty, the seals are going and the roof leaks - not badly leaks but still a leak that no one seems able to fix. Its a long time out of warranty so we are looking at replacing the sides and the roof (using the same company for both so they can't blame the other contractor if there are problems).


Guardian claim their roof would make it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. But is the extra warmth in winter enough so that a west facing Conservatory needs little heating? Would the cooler in summer bit mean we would need to heat it on one of those very average evenings? With the exception of the post above re bad workmanship by the fitter has anyone who has one got any other words of warning about them?


I don't have a quote yet so am unable to make a judgement on value for money.

Davesnave

Barney R, if you are getting good use out of your old conservatory, it's probable that a like-for-like replacement using modern heat reflective glass would give some improvement on that, though not a radical one.

Going opaque with the roof might achieve more improvement in insulation, but loss of light to the room behind should be considered. This would be fine in some houses, while in others it would make the adjoining room dark.

Djsbeaches

Hi before you go for one of these roof check out the following
should you get one of their approved installers to do the work .
Who gives you the guarantee
Should they stop approving this installer and his work goes wrong who will fix it- if you paid him direct will they tell you - you have no contract with them for them to sort it.
Make sure the insurance or any guarantee you get also covers inferior workmanship without it
Your snookered if the installer walks from the problem.
I 'm saying all this because I have one of these roofs and 18 months after installation it leaked and had severe condensation problems - no one is interested in putting it right and I am left with the cost of replacing it with an alternative (I will no get one with an aluminium frame) or be trusting someone who does not give a guarantee that covers the guardian roof when installed by one of their approved installers.

Please check and check again as initially all went well with mine but by the second winter I was regretting ever bothering.
Now it' look a mess smells of damp and I am going to be a good few thousands out of pocket in having to put it right. Do your homework and check out al the different sorts of roofs and check out the guarantees throughly before parting with your money.

Oldnewt

I am awaiting the installation of my Guardian Warm-roof as I write. One needs to be aware of discrepancies in pricing as well as the other technical aspects.
Some installers (ICON ROOFS in particular) are offering (made clear in ads) a reduced (5%) VAT rate as part of the energy efficiency allowances, however many installers like mine have been careful not to mention this. I only discovered this yesterday from a visit to an old colleague in Sussex. Just wait till I get home to Shropshire. This from a so called TRUSTED TRADER! HUH!
Charge the 20% and pocket the difference, Good business practice, I think not.

:(:(

Furts

Oldnewt wrote: »

I am awaiting the installation of my Guardian Warm-roof as I write. One needs to be aware of discrepancies in pricing as well as the other technical aspects.
Some installers (ICON ROOFS in particular) are offering (made clear in ads) a reduced (5%) VAT rate as part of the energy efficiency allowances, however many installers like mine have been careful not to mention this. I only discovered this yesterday from a visit to an old colleague in Sussex. Just wait till I get home to Shropshire. This from a so called TRUSTED TRADER! HUH!
Charge the 20% and pocket the difference, Good business practice, I think not.

:(:(

I am wary of all this. You are having what could be deemed a home improvement, and like all such works it will be subject to 20% VAT. I do not believe the work has any grounds for claiming a reduced rate of 5%. Yes solar panels, and similar, can get a 5% VAT rate if one follows procedures, but a replacement conservatory roof is not in this category.

I am not an expert in VAT but I suggest you establish if Icon Roofs are telling the truth, or whether they are misleading con artists like the double glazing companies who claim there is a government scrappage scheme.