Taking down a conservatory

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I am going to be taking down my conservatory and replacing it with an extension.

Someone wants the conservatory and so i need to take it down carefully. Any ideas where you start?

I assume you take off the roof cap first and then prise the plastic frame caps off (which are on pretty good).

I think the buyer only wants the doors and windows, so we don't need to be so careful with the roof.

Any tips appreciated.
 
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Easy, buyer collets and dismantles. If they do any other damage it doesn't really matter as it is all coming down.

Andy
 
Well i will be helping so i would like to know how it works out. That way finish quicker.

I can take out the glass and unscrew the glazed units no problem. Just never seen a roof go on before, so this bit not sure about. Was hoping someone may say you work from inside the conservatory taking out the laminate roof. Would this be the way to do it once you get the plastic lengths which cover the metal frame off ?
 
Buyer dismantles it's as simple as that, they can then see for themselves it's complete and usable, if somehow parts were missing or damaged after you'd stripped it they'd be on your case even if they'd lost or damaged them.

As for stripping down, basically a conservatory is a load of window frames screwed to each other with a roof plunked on top. What type is it, lean to, edwardian/Victorian?

Take a pic of the complete thing stood back and a close up of the frames and the roof rafter ends(so I can determine the make of roof) to give you pointers on how it comes apart
 
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Here it is.
 

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Put it on ebay or a local Facebook buy and sell. £100 buyer dismantles.
You will probably get a load of offers of less but who cares if they take it all away
 
Roof bars can be destroyed during removal, took my hardwood cons down and the roof bars were the only thing that did not survive due to the leverage require to release them.
 
That looks like an 'ultraframe' roof, to confirm the coffin shaped end caps on the end of each rafter should have like a 5 leaf clover/flower design.

If so slide these caps up and off, you expose the aluminium under rafter and top cap cross sections, the 2 vertical prongs in the center of the top cap need compressing together with 2 flat bladed screwdrivers at the same time as pulling the cap up, can be tricky but they will peel up, I can do these in my sleep. The caps hold the sheets down onto the rafter along with a strip of glazing tape along the bottom between each rafter, from inside run a stanley knife between each rafter against the poly carb sheet cutting through the tape, it's just a 3 or 4mm black sponge tape, sometimes can be white. Once cut the sheet should be loose, from outside lift the sheet up and yank it down, the sheet locates into a groove along the top but will pull out, carefully not to fall back off the ladder.

At the end of each rafter top and bottom you should see some 10mm nuts, these hold the rafters down to the ring beam, that's the heavy aluminium lintel type thing that runs the circumference of the conservatory, remove these in a sequence that suits you and your helpers. The ring beam is either screwed down into the frames or upwards through the frames into the beam, opening the top sashes should expose screws if screwed upwards, remove these. You also have a box gutter, these are heavy and rest on the frames at each end and also bolted through into the house timber rafters, can be a pain to find and remove the fixings.

Next you'll ask how do you remove the gutter from the brackets I just know!
 
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Thanks Crank, it is useful info. Not worked on a roof before, so these tips appreciated. Gutters and windows are sorted :)
 
I sold my hardwood conservatory on the basis the buyer was responsible. Original list price was about 8-10k, he paid £450. He inspected it up and it looked like a bargain. I helped him take it down as he was clueless. We did some damage as a result, its fairly inevitable that a few things wont get unscrewed. But I think he was still happy. People think its a lot easier than it is to recycle a conservatory.

Get your money before you start taking the first screw out. They don't look worth much taken apart.
 
That looks like an 'ultraframe' roof, to confirm the coffin shaped end caps on the end of each rafter should have like a 5 leaf clover/flower design.

If so slide these caps up and off, you expose the aluminium under rafter and top cap cross sections, the 2 vertical prongs in the center of the top cap need compressing together with 2 flat bladed screwdrivers at the same time as pulling the cap up, can be tricky but they will peel up, I can do these in my sleep. The caps hold the sheets down onto the rafter along with a strip of glazing tape along the bottom between each rafter, from inside run a stanley knife between each rafter against the poly carb sheet cutting through the tape, it's just a 3 or 4mm black sponge tape, sometimes can be white. Once cut the sheet should be loose, from outside lift the sheet up and yank it down, the sheet locates into a groove along the top but will pull out, carefully not to fall back off the ladder.

At the end of each rafter top and bottom you should see some 10mm nuts, these hold the rafters down to the ring beam, that's the heavy aluminium lintel type thing that runs the circumference of the conservatory, remove these in a sequence that suits you and your helpers. The ring beam is either screwed down into the frames or upwards through the frames into the beam, opening the top sashes should expose screws if screwed upwards, remove these. You also have a box gutter, these are heavy and rest on the frames at each end and also bolted through into the house timber rafters, can be a pain to find and remove the fixings.

Next you'll ask how do you remove the gutter from the brackets I just know!


Hi Crank

I have started today and got the roof panels off, guttering etc. The buyer doesn't want the roof, so i haven't needed to be so careful.

I am looking at taking the roof frame down now. The 10mm nuts which connect into the perimeter ring beam are very hard to get a spanner / socket set onto as they are a bit recessed i think. I can unscrew the nut easily on the opposite side though.

Any ideas on how i get these nuts off ? Would it be a case of using an angle grinder ?

Also no one wants this roof, so is it worth me taking it into the scrap man ? I have a van so no issues and have an account. It is aluminium so i think the whole frame must be worth a bit.
 

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