conservatories

[DaveOC]

Hi
I am about to order a upvc conservatory and am interested to know peoples thoughts/experiences with the following:

I am looking at a coloured upvc - will this fade, are there any downsides, etc.

If I chose a woodgain finish - again are there any downsides?

I am going for a glass roof - what are the pros and cons of plain glass versus Pilkington Active Blue, other than the cost.

Thanks

 

[noseall]

any coloured upvc (i.e darker than white) will expand and contract like nothing else!

wood grain is renowned for creaking and cracking with differences of temperature.

i cannot comment on the glass, only that it is vulnerable, subject to filth and will leak heat like a sieve.

 

[Coniferman]

I am a definite glass roof fan but I like sitting in the conservatory watching the sky go past and seeing the stars come out.

 

[gasmick2]

i did not know that you could use glass for the roof i would have thought it will have to be wired and toughened as we live in a health and saftey world these days i built them years ago and it was all georgian wired then with glazing bars and they wre not toughened

 

[Richard C]

I did a lot of research before taking the plunge on my 1st cons. 3 years ago & still made a couple of wrong choices & quality don't come cheap! I would avoid dark colour UPVC for reasons already mentioned. I agree watching the stars at night is great but think very carefully about that glass roof, even the modern Pilky offerings. It’s heavy so if the cons. is of any size, the structure must be designed with a ring beam & additional supports to take the weight. Most std. UPVC structures aren’t up to it but cons. are not usually subject to BC so they don’t have to conform to standards & the supplier may not be inclined to tell you! If your cons. faces West or South, you will fry on hot days; friends of mine insisted on glass (in a hardwood timber cons.) & went on to spend a further £3k on quality roof blinds to keep the sun (& heat) out!

My advice; go for as thick a poly roof as you can get either opaque or with foil inserts; I’ve got 40mm but I think you may be able to get even thicker now. Have at least 2 doors if you can, on opposite sides so you can get a through draught; I face South & have French doors on 2 sides & a std. door on the 3rd, we really need them in summer & it makes all the difference. Make sure the glazing units conform to house spec. (they don’t have to) & have K glass fitted as it doesn’t cost much more; & make sure you have decent under floor & wall (if you have any) insulation.

Final point; you don’t say what size your thinking of but don’t bank on using it in winter. I’ve got a 25 sq/m cons. with all of the above + underfloor heating & although we can keep it warm in winter, it costs a small fortune so we shut it down from November through to March. If you really want to use it during winter, go for a garden room with a proper roof instead.