[Dave]

After moving from last house that had a conservatoy, I find I miss the extra light in the new house. Therefore just agreed price on new conservatory with local firm

Question is whether to go for a Glass or Polycarbonate roof. My understanding is the glass is quieter in rain, obviously lets in more light, but does not insulate as well as the polycarbonate Also costs about an extra grand

From visiting a few showrooms the Polycarbonate felt immediately familiar, as white roof is equivalent to white ceiling in a house. Now when I walked in the glass roof version , there was a wow factor from looking at the sky, but also a more stark feeling in the room .... it didn't feel as cosy / comfortable.

Anyone got a glass roof conservatory ? Did you feel the same at first, but then grow to love it ? Any other pro's & con's.

FYI it will be south facing (Pilkington K glass in windows ordered, plus roof vent).

[brian wright22]

Dave, my experience from several friends conservatories is this. Also my own observations from an engineering point of view and personal taste.
Facing south your will get a lot of direct sun unless you are close to trees etc.
Glass is the best option. It will be double glazed and have that magic K factor that the government has insisted on for reduced losses of heat ,this K glass appears to give that slightly uncleaned blue /grey haze effect on the glass.. It does not reduce the heat that builds up during the summer months though so you will need to fit one of those ceiling fans.
So you adopt the double glazed glass and then you spend another £2000 if your not careful in costs for the blinds for the roof. Your wife will also insist that you have vertical swivel blinds for the side windows.


The polycaronate roof is more prone to crack with snow cascading off of the house roof a common cause. Not sure where you live Dave but down in sunny Berkshire we don't get much snow but it may be worth considering.Also Polycarb does look tatty much quicker than glass and ,glass does not scratch and is much more weather
resistant. The verdigris picks up very easily on polycarb as well and I don't think any window cleaner will be interested in cleaning it either.

PS regaring the roof vent you can get an automatic one and if it rains it auto closes as well.

So Dave my verdict is GLASS.

[silkstone]

Polycarbonate is available clear or opaque. The main advantage is that it's very difficult to break, whereas toughened glass can shatter if it gets an impact from something hard and sharp.

However, polycarbonate scratches, discolours and tends to attract algae far more than glass, and is also more difficult to clean. Double glazed glass panels should insulate just as well if not better, and the latest solar-reflective types are quite effective.

So I'd definitely go for glass, with blinds if necessary. We've had that arrangement for 15 years and everything is still in good order.

[simpbow]

Had a couple of conservatories which faced the sun all day & the house were in now has a sun -room which also faces the sun all day, if i had to make a choice id go for the 1 we are in now because 1. no noise on roof when raining etc
2. more heat all year round, the ones with the glass roofs are great when the weathers good but very cold in the winter even with the heating on.But thats maybe just me as there both very nice & comfortable.

[Dave]

Cheers. I was advised the Glass roof does not provide as much insulation as Polycarbonate. I need to ensure room is warm all year round, without getting a 2nd mortgage for heating bills

[Dabhand16]

I went for polycarbonate after some thought. The latest roof panels have five layers for insulation, and you can get tinted for South facing sites. A friend had tinted, but changed them to clear as the light was cut down too much.

Intrenal blinds make a big difference in the sun, but the auto roof vent(s) are probably worth it too. I have an opening transom in every section except where the big windows open.

I've got a couple of gadgets to clean the roof. One was very cheap - essentially a broom with a hollow handle and a hose connector, the other quite dear, but extends to almost five metres and comes with different heads and a cleaning fluid reservoir in the hose line. The heads have a special design and materials to clean without scratching, and I've had no issues yet.

I used laminated bamboo on the floor with insulating felt underneath.

To heat, I use two 2kw oil filled rads - conservatory is 3x7 meters. Can get expensive if you want to heat it all of the time in Winter. Check out under floor heating.

[Dave]

Cheers Graham. This one is going to be 4.5m x 3.5m & I'll be extending the central heating to include a rad in this room. I was looking at the bronze tint on outside, with pearl white on inside...... seemed the best option to stop too much heat in summer, plus would look better against costwold stone of house & oak effect UPVC of conservatory, to keep in with hardwood windows of house.

I'm not into the blinds on roof & I can see me battling with the missus for not putting any on the side windows too

[muscle750]

Dave Got my house totally "blinded" by a local company and were ok on the price and all they even came and fixed one for free when one of the cats decided to play tarzan, however be warned if u got felines u are constantly cleaning the hairs off.
Better idea scrap the whole idea and by a D3,
Just got my consavy back after my son decided to use it for a bedroom now hes moved out i got to sort it .
Plus im sure u may well get a good deal on the blinds from the savvys that are doin the consavy in the first place.

[Dave]

I hate blinds