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Top 8 Conservatory Roof Systems for protection and style
by
Martin Greenwood
Whether you want a dining room with a view, a well-lit study, a sanctuary for your plants or just a spot for your family to relax, conservatories fit the bill. Light streams in through the wide windows creating a bright space for any activity and you’re just a hop from your garden. Up above, conservatory roofs keep out the elements and add a grand sense of style.
Adding a conservatory is the perfect way to extend your home but you need to pay special attention to the roof. One key reason is, of course, the weather. There are many different types of roofing systems that you can choose from such as:
Victorian Conservatory Roofs
The most traditional conservatory style produced today in the UK, the Victorian conservatory roof can be firmly traced back to the elaborate Victorian styles incorporated in many public and private buildings seen across parks and landscapes in Britain.
The Victorian roof is based on the styles seen during Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901, a time of great change in the home. Mass production meant more goods were available to buy and the newly emerging middle classes took great pride in their homes which they saw as a reflection of status. This elaborate and flamboyant style carried through many areas of construction particularly the design of glass roofs.
The Victorian conservatory roof has distinguishing architectural features such as a bay front, steeply pitched roof and ornate ridge details. Style variations can include a 3-facet Victorian where the bay front has three main windows, widely angled for maximum space and is suitable for the majority of locations or a 5-facet Victorian which is a bay front with five main windows, creating a pleasing period profile with a subtle rounded appearance which offers the ideal blend of space and classical looks.
Georgian Conservatory Roofs
The most popular conservatory roof adding maximum living space, Georgian conservatory roofs are typically flat fronted and gracefully understated variants of the Victorian conservatory. Georgian conservatories offer a clean and simple look with strong bold lines.
The full square corners on the Georgian style maximise the interior floor area as opposed to the more rounded corners associated with a Victorian. The style is based on The Georgian period. Typically this design period runs from 1714- 1830 and is heavy influenced by a tax which was brought in on the number of windows a property had, the more windows a property had, generally the more affluent the occupants and the higher tax paid.
A typical Georgian property of the eighteenth century was elegant and formal in style which clean understated lines and a style which stands the test of time. The Georgian Conservatory Roofs fabricated by Specialised Conservatory Roofs stay true to this original class and style offering cleanliness and understated appeal.
Edwardian Conservatory Roofs
Offering an elegant look, giving your maximum living space; Edwardian era design is characterised by strong, clean lines not dissimilar to that of the Georgian, in fact some conservatory roof companies do not distinguish between an Edwardian Conservatory Roof and that of a Georgian Conservatory Roof. Buildings and interiors of the Edwardian era were explicitly designed to achieve the effect of expensive simplicity.
Houses generally had wider frontages and were built to accommodate lots of space for sunshine and air. Colours and detailing were lighter than in the preceding Victorian period, instead returning to Georgian style aesthetics of a century earlier.
The Edwardian conservatory roof offers an elegant look with strong bold lines and gives maximum living space for any given area. It is completely adaptable to suit all house styles and bungalows. For bungalows and other height-restricted situations, a hipped-back roof with box gutter is normally supplied. The result is a conservatory focused on maximum use of floor space and maximising the availability of light.
With its bold square-fronted projection, the Edwardian-style conservatory maximises the available space whilst delivering a clean style. Designed to reflect the elegant and dignified simplicity of the Edwardian architectural style, this type of conservatory is often the most practical and efficient way to extend a home and create a practical living space.
Lantern Conservatory Roofs
The perfect finish to a stylish large conservatory; if you want the perfect finish to a stylish large conservatory then there is no other real option other than a Lantern Roof.
Lantern conservatory roofs consist of a roof in two tiers with the different levels separated by a row of small windows. This additional level of small windows adds height and presence to the overall construction whilst also increasing the sense of interior space and in addition, the openers for these smaller windows can be incorporated to increase ventilation.
To add that little extra to the whole appearance, it is possible to include decorative glazing to this tier to add colour or a clear design feature and not only do lantern roofs add a feeling of height to the conservatory, but they also give an enormous feeling of space and allow extra light to flood in.
Ultralite 500 Conservatory Roofs
Described as the original roof in a box the Ultralite 500 from Ultraframe is an unique low pitch roof system with 500mm wide panels, you can choose from either PVC panels or polycarbonate. Designed for use at just 2 degrees, Ultralite 500 can be used on almost any property – even bungalows and awkward-shaped dwellings – plus it has a wide range of benefits for you, the installer, and to your customers which give it a significant advantage and enhance its performance.
The Ultralite 500 is a free-spanning conservatory roof system, with integral aluminium strengthening bars which makes it perfect for homes and large commercial properties.
The system has excellent light transmission properties and includes built-in sun diffusion and boasts a unique controllable ventilation system. The combination of these features ensures an interior climate that is cool in summer and warm in winter – the perfect conservatory.
Ultralite 500 has been designed with clean, uninterrupted lines – ideal for a contemporary Mediterranean-style conservatory. The roofs are designed to be as fitter friendly as possible and are packaged in colour coded boxes in order to remove as much time from installation as possible.
As well as being beautifully designed, exceptional value for money and easy to install, the Ultralite 500 roof system also has a BBA Certified ‘Life expectancy of at least 25 years’, a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty (on the white system) and has been subjected to stringent fire safety rating tests.
Elevation Conservatory Roofing
Increased flexibility that can be easily modified to smaller sizes
The Elevation lean-to system is available in two style options, the elevation and the elevation plus. Elevation is a direct replacement for Ultralite 500 and has all the convenience of Ultralite 500 but due to increased flexibility can be easily modified to smaller sizes.
The Elevation roofing system offers a choice of styles and is completely configurable to suit almost every property offering the choice of the more traditional lean-to style or hipped wing glazing bars to maximise on light able to enter the conservatory and provide a more contemporary appearance. Elevation uses Clicklock technology which makes it very easy to install.
The glazing bars simply click into place along the ridge & eaves. This means 90% fewer fixings and 75% fewer installation steps, you simply locate and click which in turn means no drilling, no nuts and no bolts, just simple and secure.
To further assist with fitting, Elevation has an integrated spirit level in the ridge, meaning that fewer tools are needed for installation and your hands are free to get the job done. The invertabar glazing bar reverses traditional glazing bar proportions by making a simple yet radical design change.
This allows for glazed areas to be maximised, creating a much lighter, brighter look, which is appealing to homeowners.
The Invertabar configuration means that Elevation boasts un-matched thermal performance – the internal temperature is isothermal, meaning that the bars are the same temperature as the polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is available in 25mm or 35mm.
The Clicklock technology stretches all the way down the glazing bar to the eaves beam connection, as does the PVCu cladding that makes this roof so thermally efficient. As there is no exposed aluminium on an Elevation roof, cold bridges are eliminated meaning that condensation areas that can occur on other roofs are eliminated.
Elevation Plus
Elevation plus is a totally unique product that due to its design features, ease of installation and overall appearance will give you a significant advantage over your competitors and lead to more sales. The revolutionary hipped wing design floods the conservatory with light, overcomes the need for firrings and creates an open and airy roof area which will sit stylishly with any property.
Elevation Plus can span up to 4 metres making it perfect for both domestic conservatories and commercial applications and it is specifically designed to work with Ultraframe’s unique Conservaflash.
The installation time of Elevation Plus in vastly reduced delivering one of the fastest installation times of any roof system.
Elevation Plus has a robust eaves beam all the way around for enhanced structural support particularly over the doors and the thermally efficient design meets current and future anticipated regulations.
Elevation Plus is available in White, Deeplas, Light Oak and Rosewood to match existing door and window finishes and is a suitable for timber, aluminium and PVCu frames.
Portal Conservatory Roofs
For conservatories that are extremely large and require extra support; conservatories that are extremely large and require extra support to take the weight of the roof and provide additional stability are known as large span or portal framed conservatories.
The uses for portal roofs are endless – from magnificent swimming pool enclosures to large commercial extensions; anything is possible due to the flexibility and advanced engineering of the large span system
A portal frame is an aluminium box section ‘skeleton’ used to support a roof. It sits on the inside of the cill line and the windows and doors form a cladding to the outside of the portal.
The aluminium is usually powder coated to complement the windows, doors & surrounding buildings. A portal frame is required when the roof may exceed the sizes set out in the design guide or when the design of the roof cannot be supported by the window frames.
Classic Conservatory Roof System
Combines state-of-the-art technologies with contemporary designs, the classic conservatory roof system combines state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies with elegant, contemporary designs.
The aluminium roofing system is strong, lightweight and rigid and has been developed over 18 successful years of use with ongoing improvements and enhancements being introduced to the system over the years.
The main advantage of the classic is its flexibility to deal with all sizes and configurations of roof giving a fully bespoke solution to unique designs. Its fair to say that the Classic Roofing System has set the standards in conservatory roofing from design through to installation offering the flexibility, structural integrity and aesthetics that are required to satisfy the requirements of customers and consumers today.
The flexibility of the Ultraframe Classic Roofing System allows it to be used for various applications: swimming pool enclosures, glasshouses, roof-lights, home extensions, gazebos, summerhouses, shops, porches, hotels and restaurants.
The design of the classic roof system is based on the Classic Victorian style used on many of todays conservatories. As with all roofs fabricated by Specialised, the roof can be personalised to include many variations of finishes, glazing materials, vents and so on.
The system offers a complete range of polycarbonate and glazing options (including 24, 25, 32 and 35mm) and profile colour options including white, deeplas, brown, mahogany, light oak and rosewood.
Martin Greenwood works as an SEO specialist for Piranha Internet Ltd.
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