Lean To polycarbonate roof

[pawelras]

Hey there,

I've had a bit of a problem which became especially noticeable during winter and was wondering if someone could shed any light. I bought my first home which ha a dining room extension with lean to polycarbonate roof with wooden beam. As there is no door to the dining room the whole house get really cold. The extension has blockwork foundation but the walls seem to be timber frame with insulation and plasterboard. Could anyone suggest what would be the best way to solve the cold problem? Would walls like that support any solid roof?

 

[noseall]

Hey there,

I've had a bit of a problem which became especially noticeable during winter and was wondering if someone could shed any light. I bought my first home which ha a dining room extension with lean to polycarbonate roof with wooden beam. As there is no door to the dining room the whole house get really cold. The extension has blockwork foundation but the walls seem to be timber frame with insulation and plasterboard. Could anyone suggest what would be the best way to solve the cold problem? Would walls like that support any solid roof?

Sounds like you have a very low end and non-Building Regs compliant 'extension'. The heat loss through the roof alone will be horrendous. It's up to you whether you risk the 'lipstick on a pig' approach or bite the bullet and build something compliant that will complement your home and make it sellable.

 

[Alastairreid]

Or put external grade doors up to isolate from main house..
Wasn't this picked up in the home report?.

 

[pawelras]

Sounds like you have a very low end and non-Building Regs compliant 'extension'. The heat loss through the roof alone will be horrendous. It's up to you whether you risk the 'lipstick on a pig' approach or bite the bullet and build something compliant that will complement your home and make it sellable.

The extension was added circa 2000 and since then was bought and sold 5 times so I'd say it's sellable as it it. My question was if any other roof can be supported on what is there now but thanks for your answer.

 

[sxturbo]

The extension was added circa 2000 and since then was bought and sold 5 times so I'd say it's sellable as it it. My question was if any other roof can be supported on what is there now but thanks for your answer.

depends on the thickness of the beams the polycarbonate sits on.

it's highly likely you can install a flat roof, filling between the joists with insulation and a vapour barrier.

you need to check if the walls have insulation in them also,

are the windows double glazed?

tbh i am with noseall on this one, rather then trying to bodge it which chances are wont make much of a difference as its essentially a shed tacked on the side of the house, and the best approach would be to knock it down and do it proper, you can probably do it under permitted development.

or as has also been suggested install a patio door between the main house and the lean to come dining room

 

[noseall]

What's the point in tarting up the roof if the walls (foundations) and floor are equally as crap.

 

[pawelras]

depends on the thickness of the beams the polycarbonate sits on.

it's highly likely you can install a flat roof, filling between the joists with insulation and a vapour barrier.

you need to check if the walls have insulation in them also,

are the windows double glazed?

tbh i am with noseall on this one, rather then trying to bodge it which chances are wont make much of a difference as its essentially a shed tacked on the side of the house, and the best approach would be to knock it down and do it proper, you can probably do it under permitted development.

or as has also been suggested install a patio door between the main house and the lean to come dining room

Thanks for the answer that's really helpful. The beams seem substantial 100mm x 47mm, there is insulation in the walls and wooden cladding on the outside, in total the walls are probably 200mm thick altogether with double glazed windows and doors.

I really just wanted to see if that seems at all feasible before I bother a roofer to come have a look. The foundations are blockwork to around 450mm from the ground but as I'm not an expert not sure if that's a lot. Funnily enought there seems to be a few structures just like mine along the street so maybe that was just a thing they did at the time.

In any case suffice to say I know that proper solid walls would be the best option but if I could afford that after buying my first home I probably wouldn't have come here

My options are either to try to do something I can afford or freeze another year. Tbh I don't know how the previous owners could live like that.

 

[sxturbo]

Thanks for the answer that's really helpful. The beams seem substantial 100mm x 47mm, there is insulation in the walls and wooden cladding on the outside, in total the walls are probably 200mm thick altogether with double glazed windows and doors.

I really just wanted to see if that seems at all feasible before I bother a roofer to come have a look. The foundations are blockwork to around 450mm from the ground but as I'm not an expert not sure if that's a lot. Funnily enought there seems to be a few structures just like mine along the street so maybe that was just a thing they did at the time.

In any case suffice to say I know that proper solid walls would be the best option but if I could afford that after buying my first home I probably wouldn't have come here

My options are either to try to do something I can afford or freeze another year. Tbh I don't know how the previous owners could live like that.

Thick coats I suppose.

The beam size is ok (depending on span) , so a roofer would probably be your next choice. A warm roof might be best. But see what the roofer says, I think a cold roof needs ventilation.

Make sure also that there is no draughts elsewhere either

 

[Mr Chibs]

Post some pics please. might help with getting advice.

look for trada tables, these will give you the spans possible for wood... It will help when converting to a solid roof.

When you say solid are you talking ‘normal’ concrete roof tiles?

 

[pawelras]

Post some pics please. might help with getting advice.

look for trada tables, these will give you the spans possible for wood... It will help when converting to a solid roof.

When you say solid are you talking ‘normal’ concrete roof tiles?

If I'm honest I don't mind what material will be on the roof as long as it provides at least decent heat insulation but I think concrete tiles would be to heavy. What I had in mind was plasterboard from the inside with some insulation between the roof. I would lose a lot of light but at least the house wouldn't hemorrhage heat. As the polycarbonate seems quite old it would probably makes sense to replace it with something at the same time

 

[HERTS P&D]

The extension was added circa 2000 and since then was bought and sold 5 times.

I would be concerned that it was sold 5 times in 20 years.

What's wrong with the house? Or is it the neighbours?

Andy

 

[Mr Chibs]

It’s going to be expensive doing something to that, I built a large back door canopy that has a roof similar... but it’s only to stop rain, wouldn’t want to spend time under it.

Your roof timbers look too small and too far spaced to be much use.
So they will need replacing.
You could do with seeing how the walls are built, but I suspect will be undersized to support a ‘proper’ roof.

I’d start again to be honest.

If you really want to proceed, you need to be looking for lightweight roofing.
Then wang in a decent thickness of insulation. What insulation type/thickness. Is in the walls?

Insulation on its own won’t make a cold room... warm. You’ll need heating in there... the insulation will slow down heat loss.

 

[pawelras]

I would be concerned that it was sold 5 times in 20 years.

What's wrong with the house? Or is it the neighbours?

Andy

Apart from conservatory not much is wrong really. It's just a good starter home. I don't plan to stay here more than 5 years myself

 

[catlad]

The obvious reason people don't stay is its freezing in winter!!!
Good news is you could put a warm rubber roof on the structure you already have, as long as you add new joists between what's already there.
The bad news is it will go dark!

 

[pawelras]

The obvious reason people don't stay is its freezing in winter!!!
Good news is you could put a warm rubber roof on the structure you already have, as long as you add new joists between what's already there.
The bad news is it will go dark!

That's probably a part of it. Thanks I'll look into warm rubber roof. Is it normally lightweight? Will it be supported on walls with timber frame?