Contech Conservatories Warns Customers About Essential Legislation

Contech Conservatory Roofing, Stoke’s leading conservatory roofing fabricator is warning customers of the dangers regarding the installation of non-compliant tiled clad over roofs when placed on top of an existing conservatory roof.

Currently, there is a growing trend where homeowners want to transform old conservatories in a bid to improve the existing ones with lightweight tiles; but this can be a very expensive lesson to learn for a number of reasons.

Conservatories are not subject to building regulations, being classified as a porch, many people think that replacing a glazed or polycarbonate roof is a simple exchange of one product for another.  Some people don’t realize that if a glazed or plastic roof is tiled over that it is then classed as a full extension, meaning it is then subject to building regulation approval.

Gareth Jones, Director at Contech Conservatories states “Replacing a polycarbonate or glass conservatory roof with a tiled roof is simply not something that you can do without replacing the entire roof. The new roof must be structurally capable of carrying the additional weight not only of the tiles but the insulation, insulated plasterboards and the plaster, this weight affects the whole structural integrity of the building as well as the insulation values and this could create a fire risk if it’s done incorrectly.”

Based at Longton, the company is advising customers to be fully aware of the load bearing weight and to understand the differences between a conservatory and a tiled extension.

As a company with an established reputation for excellence, Contech Conservatories has learned via customers, that some people are unaware that a light tiled roof on an existing conservatory has to have building control certification following completion of the project.

Gareth continues, “Ignoring the suitability of the existing structure and adding a load that is considerably heavier than the existing glass or poly roof is going to create many problems, with this having the potential to collapse.”  A glazing bar designed to carry the weight of glass is simply not strong enough to carry double the load, A replacement roof should always be done with a building regulations certificate, If companies quote to do some homework, remind homeowners that they should find out what system they are having installed and that they should always ask the question “do you supply a building regulations certificate”?

Contech Conservatories provides its customers with solid guarantees and also takes the worry out of conforming to Building Regulations by providing certification on their roofing range, for a small fee.  This includes a Supalite authenticity certificate, a 10-year guarantee and Building Regulations confirmation for all new and retrofit roofing projects.

Gareth states ‘Old glass roofs with the glass removed are simply not designed to take the extra weight of a solid roof. Most of the lightweight tiles coupled with the weight of plasterboard and the plaster will weigh up to three times more than the weight of the original glass roof which may lead to a potential roof collapse, which is obviously a real danger to occupants.  We don’t want our customers to be at risk of any potential litigation.”

Always insist on a full replacement roof replacement, a clad over roof can cause real damage to your wallet, local councils are being made aware of these clad overs and homeowners are realising that they have to protect their wallets.

Contech customers have been called to the rescue by homeowners, who have discovered that serious issues have arisen when they tried to sell their homes without the necessary certification. In most cases the new roof has to be removed completely and replaced before a sale can be completed.

Gareth concludes, “Anyone considering a conservatory renovation project should always check the structural integrity of the roof before beginning a project. Certification is the vital aspect here and if people are worried or need to discuss a project, we will happily advise on this type of renovation job.”

Contech Conservatory Roofing Ltd is a trade fabricator and supplier, providing tailored conservatory roofs as well as window, door and bifold solutions to builders and installers.

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