DIY Conservatory advice

[tonyjeffs]

At the back of our rear living room, there is a garden area with a wall either side; the party garden wall on one, and the kitchen wall on the other. To build a conservatory, I would need a pitched roof, and a face with double doors. The roof would have to have box gutters either side. There might be a problem with the pitch of the roof - the normal 45 degrees (?) might not be suitable as it mightn't fit between the upper and lower windows without clipping the corners of the lower one. Is there anywhere that describes how it would fit together, how the box gutters work; maybe a website that doesn't result in a call from a rep?.

Tony

[sm_jamieson]

Roof can be of a much lower pitch. I'm doing a pitch roof of 12.5 degrees. The tiles just need to be fixed with greater overlap than usual. If building control are involved, they might not be happy using a "garden wall" as a wall of a conservatory. But if you build it as a fancy lean-to, you may get away with it. If the "party garden wall" is actually the wall of another house, it may be OK to make it a "party house wall" ! Simon.

[robgraham]

I'm planning a lean-to one with a 9 deg angle - minimum I've seen referenced is 6 degrees.

I'm not sure what a 'box gutter' is but can't you just flash the roof to the two walls? It may be that you do have the same problem I have of an existing gutter downpipe being in the way, but I'm just going to pipe it down the edge of the conservatory roof.

Rob

[tonyjeffs]

Here's a rough elevation of what I had in mind. It's early days - I mightnt need the two pitches. Might be easier than I thought.

(Box gutters sit over the inside of the wall.)

[dennis]

looks odd to me. Why not just have a pitched roof to match the building next door? Is it going to be that big that it sticks out more than the existing lean to?

[tonyjeffs]

It seems to be convention to put this shaped roof in - partner pressure - even when it isn't ideal. They do tend to look fancier and prittier from the inside. Leanto conservatories look a bit dull.

You have a point though. It'd be much more straightforward and practical. Less likely to leak or give structural problems. Much cheaper. Quicker to assemble. And I'd know how to do it and where to get the parts. I'll think along those lines Maybe you're right Maybe I could even make it looke a bit ornamental by putting an inverted V shaped ornamental add-on to the roof above the door.

Thanks, Tony

[dennis]

You can get some nice self supporting plastic roof sections these days if you only want light and not the ability to see through them. They are about

65-100 mm deep and have structural metal in channels to act as rafters (or is it trusses?). You could re-roof the existing roof in one span and make whatever is in there really bright too. It doesn't need to be transparent to count as a conservatory in planning only translucent.

[tonyjeffs]

I'll look into that. Or if I need them the exact size I should think I can get 'em made. I might also need a triangular row of windows along the right hand side above the smaller wall.

Here's a mockup of what I'm thinking about doing, in line with your suggestions. The peak at the front might be a nice ornamental feature, but I'll have to decide whether I want to take the extra trouble. Then I could put a 3' brick wall either side of the double doors, but again it'd be quicker to get it all made up as part of the pvc. I think I'll go for a suspended timber floorboard floor. Scrapping my original over complicate design, it wouldn't take too long to complete the whole thing.