Glass Conservatory Roof: Types, Benefits & Costs

A glass conservatory roof can increase natural light into the home during summer and keep your home warm in winter. Find out more here before getting free installation quotes.

Not only is the roof an integral part of the installation for stability and strength, when made from glass you’ll be able to get even more out of your investment.

Conservatories are often seen as a room to be used during summer but it seems a shame to only enjoy such a big investment a few months of the year. Glass is able to retain heat which will help to keep the conservatory warm through the winter, helping to make it a usable space all year round.

The conservatory should be the brightest room in the home, somewhere you can feel outdoors without actually having to step outside. A glass roof allows you to maximise the amount of natural light making it into the conservatory.

The last thing you want is a noisy conservatory; one more reason why glass is a great option. Outdoor noise making its way into the conservatory when you have a glass roof is greatly reduced, especially compared to a polycarbonate roof when it’s raining.

There are several types of glass, each with its own benefits, find out which sounds best for your home using the table below.

The style of conservatory roof will ultimately come down to the type of conservatory you’re having installed.

Lean-To

A lean-to conservatory roof is the simplest to install. The roof on a lean-to starts out high up on the brick wall of your home and gradually slopes down to the far side of the conservatory.

Victorian

The roof on a Victorian conservatory is pitched, with the panels sloping downwards and then following the curve of the bay at the front of the conservatory.

Edwardian

Like Victorian conservatories, the roof on an Edwardian conservatory is pitched up in the centre but it isn’t curved, instead having a rectangular shape.

The potential cost of a glass roof for your conservatory will vary depending on the type of conservatory you have and its size. Take a look at the table below to find out how much you might need to budget when looking to have a glass conservatory roof installed.

It’s worth noting that these potential costs don’t include installation so that needs to be budgeted for too. To ensure that you get the best possible deal on the installation costs, you should get quotes from multiple installers which you can then compare.

Polycarbonate is a much cheaper option when it comes to finding a material for your conservatory roof, however, you won’t get to enjoy the same benefits. A polycarbonate roof is much less efficient, meaning that heat will escape much easier than with a glass roof, more outside noise will make its way in, and, as it’s an opaque material, much less light will make its way in.

Overtime, a polycarbonate roof is prone to warping which can lead to leaks and draughts. You won’t get this with a glass roof, which will also last much longer than polycarbonate, making it a long term investment.

A glass conservatory roof is a long term investment and could last for as long as 20 years. You can help extend the life of your conservatory by keeping it clean and ensuring that you follow any maintenance guides provided by the installer.

Glass and polycarbonate aren’t your only options when it comes to choosing a material for your conservatory roof:

If you’re looking for a roof that matches the rest of your home and won’t let much much sunlight in, then a solid or tiled roof is well worth considering. However, while you might expect a solid roof to hold better thermal qualities than a glass roof it actually doesn’t. Thanks to developments in glass technology, a glass roof is actually able to retain more heat.

With a hybrid roof, you’re getting the best of both worlds as a few glass panels are sporadically installed into a solid roof.