Changing a conservatory to a garden room

Hello, As our conservatory is either too hot or too cold most of the time, I have decided to make a stab at an insulated false ceiling following the contours of the two pitch polycarbonate roof attaching insulation then hollow plastic cladding as a ceiling.

I plan to attach 18mm mdf strips to the bottom face of the self supporting aluminum glazing bars by making "U" shaped brackets screwed into the sides of the bars with self-tapping screws.Am thinking of making the brackets out of better quality cut-down white "square" guttering or similar. The "U" required would be approx.35mm/65mm/35mm Would like to be able to buy the brackets. but a strange size. The cladding would then be screwed to the MDF. I would insulate between the cladding and the existing polycarbonate with 35mm Kingspan as I go along,removing the outer side foil so it would look white from outside although the house is not overlooked.

I might then also add some cosmetic oak "beams" at a couple of points to cover joins in the cladding(the claddingis mainly white wide plank effect with a very faint wood grain )

Although the added weight should be well within the capacity of the bars, I might also, for some added support and to compliment the beams, add a horizontal beam from the top of the outside wall of the conservatory to the stone wall of the house.

From that a vertical support to one of the "roof beams" would help weight distribution and enhance the effect of the beams.

The house is an old cottage which has had most of the character removed over the years. I should then be able to use the fitted radiators during some of the spring and autumn days.

I would be pleased to share any sources or discuss if anyone else wants to think about a similar project. Had I bought the solar inserts for the polycarbonate cavities it would have cost more than =A3300 for the diy kit alone.

Any constructive comments or questions would be appreciated, particularly those which remind me of possible problems which have so far escaped my attention. Thank you for your thoughts and expertise. David Gilliland

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gilli
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"gilli" wrote: Hello, As our conservatory is either too hot or too cold most of the time, I have decided to make a stab at an insulated false ceiling following the contours of the two pitch polycarbonate roof attaching insulation then hollow plastic cladding as a ceiling.

I plan to attach 18mm mdf strips to the bottom face of the self supporting aluminum glazing bars by making "U" shaped brackets screwed into the sides of the bars with self-tapping screws.Am thinking of making the brackets out of better quality cut-down white "square" guttering or similar. The "U" required would be approx.35mm/65mm/35mm Would like to be able to buy the brackets. but a strange size. The cladding would then be screwed to the MDF. I would insulate between the cladding and the existing polycarbonate with 35mm Kingspan as I go along,removing the outer side foil so it would look white from outside although the house is not overlooked.

I might then also add some cosmetic oak "beams" at a couple of points to cover joins in the cladding(the claddingis mainly white wide plank effect with a very faint wood grain )

Although the added weight should be well within the capacity of the bars, I might also, for some added support and to compliment the beams, add a horizontal beam from the top of the outside wall of the conservatory to the stone wall of the house.

From that a vertical support to one of the "roof beams" would help weight distribution and enhance the effect of the beams.

The house is an old cottage which has had most of the character removed over the years. I should then be able to use the fitted radiators during some of the spring and autumn days.

I would be pleased to share any sources or discuss if anyone else wants to think about a similar project. Had I bought the solar inserts for the polycarbonate cavities it would have cost more than £300 for the diy kit alone.

Any constructive comments or questions would be appreciated, particularly those which remind me of possible problems which have so far escaped my attention. Thank you for your thoughts and expertise. David Gilliland

------------------------------------------ I have no personal experience whatsoever of such a project but I wonder if you might have problems if you ever sell the property in relation to fire safety/fire resistance/building regulations since some of the materials you propose using sound like they will burn well.

Reply to
DIY

"gilli" wrote: Hello, As our conservatory is either too hot or too cold most of the time, I have decided to make a stab at an insulated false ceiling following the contours of the two pitch polycarbonate roof attaching insulation then hollow plastic cladding as a ceiling.

I plan to attach 18mm mdf strips to the bottom face of the self supporting aluminum glazing bars by making "U" shaped brackets screwed into the sides of the bars with self-tapping screws.Am thinking of making the brackets out of better quality cut-down white "square" guttering or similar. The "U" required would be approx.35mm/65mm/35mm Would like to be able to buy the brackets. but a strange size. The cladding would then be screwed to the MDF. I would insulate between the cladding and the existing polycarbonate with 35mm Kingspan as I go along,removing the outer side foil so it would look white from outside although the house is not overlooked.

I might then also add some cosmetic oak "beams" at a couple of points to cover joins in the cladding(the claddingis mainly white wide plank effect with a very faint wood grain )

Although the added weight should be well within the capacity of the bars, I might also, for some added support and to compliment the beams, add a horizontal beam from the top of the outside wall of the conservatory to the stone wall of the house.

From that a vertical support to one of the "roof beams" would help weight distribution and enhance the effect of the beams.

The house is an old cottage which has had most of the character removed over the years. I should then be able to use the fitted radiators during some of the spring and autumn days.

I would be pleased to share any sources or discuss if anyone else wants to think about a similar project. Had I bought the solar inserts for the polycarbonate cavities it would have cost more than £300 for the diy kit alone.

Any constructive comments or questions would be appreciated, particularly those which remind me of possible problems which have so far escaped my attention. Thank you for your thoughts and expertise. David Gilliland

------------------------------------------ I suspect that adequate ventilation of the 'loft' space to prevent condensation/damp may also need to be considered.

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DIY

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