Greenhouse roofs are usually made of polycarbonate sheets, glass, plastic tiles or, if you have a solid roof, shingles. A more modern material to replace the greenhouse roof is glass. Not only does glass increase the amount of light in your greenhouse, but the properties of double glazing also improve insulation, along with specific tints and variations that block harmful UV rays with UV protection technology to keep everyone inside the greenhouse safe. Glass is a little more expensive than polycarbonate panels, but only a little, and you'll see a big difference in reduced noise pollution and energy efficiency.
Glass is a great greenhouse roof replacement and is a huge improvement over the standard polycarbonate material. Plastic tiles and shingles are much less common materials used for conservatories, as they really aren't up to the standard of a glass conservatory roof replacement, or even a polycarbonate conservatory roof replacement, so they are much rarer to find. However, if you want to incorporate conservatory roof replacement panels into a larger project of attaching your conservatory to your home in a much more permanent way, these materials are the way to go. You will need to check your local building regulations to see if you will need planning permission for the work, as this takes into account aspects such as local nuisance, location, any applicable privacy policies, local legislation requirements and many other things. Planning permission is an incredibly important aspect to consider for this type of work, and you should factor the cost of applying for planning permission into your budget, as each area has a different fee structure.
Polycarbonate is the most common material for conservatory roof panels and this is mainly due to the fact that it is the most cost effective option. For the materials you will spend around £3,000, which will include all the fixings and of course the polycarbonate sheets needed for the conservatory roof panels. The job will take between 1 and 2 days and will cost around £750 in labour, as replacing conservatory roofs is usually a two person job. A new polycarbonate roof will make a big difference aesthetically, but if you already had the same material, you won't notice much difference in terms of energy efficiency and heat conservation. The total cost of the project will be around 3,750 euros, which means that a glass conservatory roof may be a better investment, as we will see below.
Glass conservatory roof panels are a significant improvement over a polycarbonate conservatory roof, mainly due to the increased benefits of energy efficiency and insulating double glazing. However, these improvements come at a price, albeit a marginal increase over other panels. Materials cost around £3,500 for a glass roof, and labour costs around £850, which is not much different from other installations, making a total of £4,250, which is only £500 more than polycarbonate. In simple terms, you'll get a lot more bang for your buck by opting for glass over polycarbonate, and you'll also save a lot on energy bills over the years. As you can probably gather from the information so far, glass conservatory roof panels tick all the boxes for the 'best replacement conservatory roof' moniker, and while polycarbonate is a strong option for conservatory roofs, it can't compete with the benefits of glass, while it's also not much cheaper. The popularity of glass conservatory roofs is increasing every year, as are the products that can be added to them as a DIY project.
For example, to increase shading and UV protection, a film can easily be applied to the glass roof panels to tint them a specific shade, and glazing bars in different colours or styles can also be added to the roof to achieve a particular aesthetic, which is a very practical feature. The glazing bars are an essential aspect of the glass roof panel system, so why not control their appearance as well. They are usually made of aluminium, which is quite common for all types of conservatory fixings, due to aluminium's versatility and ease of workability. Aluminium is also used for window frames and the fixings that attach to them, in addition to the aluminium gutter fittings that are commonly found on the outside of the greenhouse. Conservatories are little retreats to escape to after a hard day at the office or to spend a few quiet hours with a book at the weekend.
However, even if you have the budget to replace the roof panels of your greenhouse, the question remains whether it is worth it or not. The roof panels have a huge influence on the enjoyment of the space, from protection from the sun to keeping the heat inside the living space. With this in mind, it is well worth replacing your conservatory roof and considering that glass conservatory roof panels are only marginally more expensive than polycarbonate ones makes them an even better investment. The process of insulating with double glazing really helps with energy efficiency and in turn will save you money on your energy bills; however you can further increase these savings with additional products such as tinting films or new window frames. Greenhouses with new glass panels are incredibly adept at insulating and keeping heat inside making them much more energy efficient than older conservatory roofs and ultimately much more cost effective. If your conservatory tends to get plenty of sun on its roof then it could be perfect for solar panels which could generate its own electricity to save even more on your electricity bill.
However this type of system obviously requires lots of sunlight so if your greenhouse is covered by nearby overhanging trees which block out sunlight then it would be best to avoid this type of system as it would not be beneficial.
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