It is about 10 years since we installed a twin wall polycarbonate roof over our decking area and car port.
It is now starting to look a bit worn, distorted a little.
How long would a roof be expected to last (piece of string). I expect that there is a very different answer between "looking like new" and "starting to fail and leak".
Replacing sheets should hopefully be straightforward, but given the total area could be expensive.
Cheers
Dave R
Most manufacturers suggest it should last for 10 years, which is why I chose glass for my conservatory roof. That is still in good condition after around 30 years.
We re-glazed our greenhouse a couple of years ago; the PC was by then about 10 years aold and had become brittle (UV, prolly) and the top surface was cracking. A fairly straightforward job except that the greenhouse manufacturer no longer supplied triangular bits for the ends etc, but they supplied rectangular sheets of the right size and it was simple enough with a long straight steel ruler and stanley knife to cut them to size.
We took perhaps more care, second time around, to ensure that the face with the UV protection coating was facing out in all cases.
As translucent roofing is no longer a requirement for conservatories, I am planning to re-roof our conservatory (used as an occasional dining room and daily as a computer room for the kids) with insulated, box-section, steel roofing sheets - reducing heat losses during the winter and heat gains during the summer. The existing roofing panels (tri-wall) and glazing bars can come out, as the thicker, insulated roofing sheets can be self-supporting, giving a smooth, white ceiling.
WTF thats a lean to extension you are talking about
.Definition: BRITISH a room with a glass roof and walls, attached to a house at one side and used as a sun lounge or for growing delicate plants. "keep plant cuttings in a frost-free conservatory or greenhouse"
My car port, using twinwall polycarbonite was built in 2005 & is still going strong despite the horrendous gales of the past several years. There is an even older 5m length covering a passage between two parts of the building. Although the top surface is hazed it still supports my weight. I even re-roofed my garage/shed with it. Gives plenty of light but have to add sheeting on some of the underside because of the heat.
The conservatory rules at the time (from memory) to not require building regulations approval (I needed planning approval anyway, due to an existing extension), were for an area less than 30m2; at least 3/4 of the roof and 50% of the wall area to be translucent or transparent; for external grade doors to remain between the house and the conservatory; and for any heating to be independently controlled.
I met all those requirements at the time, used tri-wall sheets for (most of) the roof (the remainder is timber constructed, Celotex insulated and fibreglass weatherproofed to allow access to the house for maintenance), double glazed windows, cavity walls (brick and block with Rockwool batts), Celotex underfloor insulation and wet underfloor heating in a 3" screed (with its own timer/stat, blending valve and circulating pump.)
Replacing the tri-wall with insulated box section would simply require removal of the panels and the glazing bars, replacement with self-supporting roofing panels and re-dressing of the lead flashing. This would require meeting building regulations, but only for the new roof itself and would not affect the status of the rest of the conservatory.
Yes it does effectively become a proper extension - although with a lot more windows than normal for an extension. The energy efficiency improvement should be significant.
Often after it goes brittle hail goes through the outside one. Several people around here have had this problem after about 7 years. Goes kind of milky coloured first. Also its damn noisy when it rains. Brian
We have had very heavy hail this week. So far there have been no problems with the tri-wall roofing - which has been up for 13-1/2 years and 3/4 of which was second hand (a few years old) when I installed it.
Our roof was outside the specification for glass. Panels too big, slope too shallow. We originally planned on glass but found it impractical.
The slope of the roof over the deck was governed by the slope on the single storey extension plus the need for head clearance where the roof met the garden.
It has worked very well so far. Needs cleaning! Just looking forward to possible future maintenance.
Cheers
Dave R
Slightly changing subject but "standard" size glass can be used where the manufacture used non standard size (length)* by making your own Z clips (longer clips) from builders band.
One thing to watch when glazing a greenhouse with polycarbonate is if too thin and it will bend with the wind and will detach from the greenhouse frame. In my experience around 3mm thick is the minimum - but
4/5mm is required if you are going to glaze the door in one piece.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.