Deciding to invest in a new glass conservatory roof is something you may need to spend time deliberating over. It’s a big job – there’s a cost attached, as well as the disruption the installation will have on your home while it’s being fitted.
However, refreshing your conservatory with a new roof will breathe new life into that part of your house.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at everything to do with replacement glass conservatory roofs, including how much it costs to replace a glass conservatory roof, what affects the cost of replacing a glass conservatory roof, how to save money on replacement glass for your conservatory roof, what’s involved in replacing a glass conservatory roof and how to find and hire a professional to replace your conservatory roof.
If you want to give your existing conservatory a new lease of life with a ceiling upgrade, keep reading to find out the best way to make that dream a reality – in the most cost-effective way possible.
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How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Glass Conservatory Roof?
Conservatory roof prices vary depending on the size of conservatory you have, as well as the type of roof you want to replace your existing one with.
In general, you should budget from around £2,250 to £7,000 based upon a standard size and standard large size conservatories.
| Conservatory Style | Estimated Cost of a Glass Roof | Estimated Cost of a Polycarbonate Roof |
|---|---|---|
| Lean-to | £2,000 to £3,300 | £2,200 to £3,200 |
| Victorian | £4,300 to £5,700 | £3,400 to £5,400 |
| Edwardian | £4,500 to £6,000 | £3,300 to £5,500 |
| Gable-fronted | £3,700 to £7,200 | £3,300 to £6,700 |
| Georgian | £3,750 to £7,400 | £3,350 to £6,800 |
| Lantern | £4,100 to £8,000 | £3,900 to £7,200 |
| Double-hipped | £4,000 to £8,000 | £3,900 to £7,250 |
Lean-to Conservatory Roof Prices
Lean-to conservatories are the types of conservatories you see installed the most in people’s homes. Sometimes called dwarf wall conservatories by installers; the double-glazed panes rest upon the top of a small brick wall.
A sloping roof comes down from the wall of your home to the end (or just past the end) of the conservatory.
To replace the roof, you should budget £2,000 to £3,000; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £2,200 to £3,200.
Victorian Conservatory Roof Prices
Featuring three or five facets forming an aesthetically pleasing curve, Victorian conservatories currently feature in many home improvement magazines as one of the most popular trends in conservatory installation. They give a beautiful, panoramic view from the back of your property.
To replace the roof, you should budget £4,300 to £5,700; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,400 to £5,400.
Edwardian Conservatory Roof Prices
Characterised by an up-turned V shape at the end of the conservatory roof, Edwardian conservatories are elegant and stylish additions to any home. In any retrograde replacement roof fit, you can alter the pitch of the roof panes to make your conservatory shorter or taller.
To replace the roof, you should budget £4,500 to £6,000; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,300 to £5,500.
Gable-Fronted Conservatory Roof Prices
Gables are triangular-shaped parts of construction and, on a conservatory, the roof panes are pitched to run from the wall of your home to the end of the conservatory.
To replace the roof, you should budget £3,700 to £7,200; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,300 to £6,700.
Georgian Conservatory Roof Prices
Georgian conservatories tend to be much larger and more bespoke – they are generally conserved in a specialist range. Depending on the size of a Georgian conservatory, you may have needed to gain planning permission from the local council before having your conservatory installed in the first place.
To replace the roof, you should budget £3,750 to £7,400; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,350 to £6,800.
Lantern Conservatory Roof Prices
Sometimes, the lantern part of your conservatory is flat against the roof or on its own main section. Lantern conservatories have, in effect, two roofs – the main roof and the lantern roof.
To replace the roof, you should budget £4,100 to £8,000; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,900 to £7,200.
Double-Hipped Roof Prices
Double-hipped are as they sound: they have pitches on all sides, making them a good option for all styles of house.
To replace the roof, you should budget £4,000 to £8,000; while a polycarbonate replacement would be between £3,900 to £7,250.
In all these replacements, expect to budget for around two to three days, depending on the size of your roof replacement.
Click To Get QuotesWhat Affects the Cost of Replacing a Glass Conservatory Roof?
Conservatoires themselves are expensive additions to your home – and the roofs can be just as costly.
The Size of Your Conservatory
As with most home renovations, the sheer size of something will dictate the price. Whatever starting size your conservatory is, the roof will need to cover it, so it’s a non-negotiable on price.
The Style of Conservatory You Choose
If you are looking to build a conservatory but haven’t yet chosen a style, look for cheaper alternatives to make any replacements (such as a new roof) less expensive than more premium styles.
Lean-to styles are traditionally the cheapest option, as opposed to something more bespoke like a Georgian style.
Your Location
Another non-negotiable: your geographical location. Traders in cities are more expensive than those in more rural locations, so if you’re in a capital expect to pay a little more for the same work.
Similarly, if you don’t have a driveway or free roadside parking, you’ll be expected to foot the bill for your trader’s van or entourage, so make sure you have permits in place so you’re not footing an unwanted bill from a parking warden.
Whether You Choose a Local or National Installer
With a big brand-name company, you have added assurance because you know this company and you recognise its name. If it’s big enough to have lots of branches and to advertise on TV, it must be financially stable and safe.
The quality of the materials they’ll use on your installation will be industry-standard and the installation teams will be skilled, quick, efficient, and friendly. This will all come at a price though – Which? has discovered that many home improvements cost up to 30% more if provided by a national brand than a local firm.
As with a national installer, you’ll need to make sure that any work carried out by a local company has an insurance-backed guarantee meaning that should something go wrong with your conservatory roof replacement a few years down the line, you’re covered and that someone else will come out to fix it at no charge.
Independent conservatory roof installers are much more affected by the type of feedback they get on the internet – because they’re a part of your local community, they need great reviews to get new customers through the doors and existing customers returning. Fear of bad reviews is a real motivation to any local company serving the community to meet and exceed customers’ expectations.
How Can I Save Money on Replacement Glass for My Conservatory?
It’s good to know the ways to keep your costs low when tackling large jobs like conservatories – so here’s what we suggest.
Choose Local
As mentioned above, choosing a local supplier will keep your costs lower than footing the bill for a national company’s showroom and helpline fees which will be added to your bill.
Be Savvy
If you’ve not yet built your conservatory, be savvy and choose one which will be cheaper to replace.
A lean-to design will be far cheaper than a bespoke option, making it a better investment if you’re likely to want changes made to it further down the line.
Think About The Long-Term Benefits
Although replacing your conservatory roof may not seem like a cheap job on the surface, think about the benefits it’ll yield over time. Glass roofs are great insulators and are incredibly durable.
It might seem appealing to get a lower-cost roof replacement, such as polycarbonate, but the material is nowhere near as long-lasting as glass, meaning you’ll end up replacing or repairing far sooner than you’d need to if you spent a little bit more on glass in the beginning.
Click To Get QuotesIs Glass the Best Material for My Conservatory Roof?
Despite the growth in popularity of tiled conservatory roof replacements, most homeowners love their glass conservatory roof and, when the time is right, they want to replace it with another.
Brightness
Glass conservatory roofs are hugely popular, mostly because of how much light they allow in. The lighter the room, the bigger, airier, brighter, and spacious it looks and feels.
All-Year Enjoyment
Conservatories with a glass roof aren’t just there for summer – it’s a space that people can and do enjoy year-round. Even when it’s raining or snowing outside, homeowners can still enjoy the views of the garden as the seasons turn safe and snug in the warmth of the indoors.
Remember too that, when it’s pouring down with rain outside, you won’t be able to hear the pitter-patter of the rain on the conservatory roof panels, whereas you would with a tiled conservatory roof.
Insulation and UV Ray Blocking
Glass conservatory roofs have superb insulation qualities. You can comfortably sit in your conservatory when there’s ice on the ground and not have to turn up the thermostat to stay warm – while a few decades ago, many people found that they couldn’t sit in their conservatories when the sun was at its height because the glare was just too much.
And, thanks to today’s advanced glazing technology, contemporary glass conservatory roofs block out 90%+ of the sun’s harmful rays. This means that even on the hottest, brightest days, you can enjoy your conservatory without being blinded by the sun or slowly being cooked by the rising temperatures!
Durability
Glass conservatory roofs are very durable – much more so than polycarbonate conservatory roofs which have a tendency to leak and whose edges tend to warp with the advance of time. Glass conservatory roofs offer both low maintenance and improved styling over the polycarbonate and tiled conservatory roofs.
Some homeowners may want to opt for polycarbonate as their roof material. While it is cheaper than glass, it isn’t as long-lasting, which can potentially make the initial cost-savings redundant as you’ll end up picking up a bill for either a replacement roof or repairs for some years.
What’s Involved in Replacing a Glass Conservatory Roof?
This will change depending on the type of roof you already have in place, and what you’re replacing it with, but in most cases, the trader will simply remove your old roof and any ballasts/structural components, and make a clean canvas to start again.
New structural rods will be put in place for the glass panels to be set into, in the design you’ve chosen. Then, the glass will be put into place and secured, with final structural components added on top to complete the job.
How Do I Find and Hire a Professional?
There are many different trade bodies and accreditation schemes that an installer may belong to. Trade bodies are there to promote the industry, so it’s their interest to protect consumers by policing members to make sure that they are following the rules and by kicking out (publicly) the ones which don’t.
When choosing an installer, you might want to make sure that they are members of the following bodies or belong to the following accreditation schemes:
- Glass & Glazing Federation (GGF),
- The Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA),
- Certification and Self-Assessment (CERTASS), or
- FairTrades / TrustMark accreditation.
You can check in with friends and neighbours to see if they’ve used a trader recently for a similar job and ask if they’d recommend their services to you. Either way the penny falls, it’s good for you – as you’ll either get a great referral or know who to ignore in your search results!
HouseholdQuotes can put you in touch with glass conservatory roof installers in your local area, all of which have been checked, vetted, and investigated by our team. We’re confident of the quality of their installations, the competitiveness of their prices, and the standard of their aftercare.
Click To Get QuotesEnsuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
All home renovation jobs start the same way: with a written quote. This ensures both parties have a clear understanding of what’s included in a project fee – and crucially, what’s not.
This means there are no disputes at the end of a project and no unwanted extra invoices. If any trader refuses to commit to a written quote, refuse to work with them.
Seek out their experience, and any references, alongside photos or videos of their previous work to make sure their website claims match up to their reality; and double-check that they have insurance to cover themselves and you in the event of any issues during the job.
Finally, it’s good to find out if there’s a manufacturer’s guarantee if anything goes wrong with your roof after it has been fitted to see if something will cover you if you need minor repairs within the warranty window.
Final Checklist
If you want to open out your conservatory and bring the outdoors in, a glass roof is the way to go. Here’s what not to forget when planning your job:
- Decide on your roof style based on your existing conservatory, or your new build if it’s not already in existence
- Check with your local council to make sure everything you’re planning is within regulations
- Find a trader using HouseholdQuotes to save up to 40% on your project fee
- Enjoy your newly-transformed space!
Click To Get QuotesFrequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a New Conservatory Cost?
On the other end of the scale, more bespoke styles like L-shaped can start at £11,000 and go up to £13,000 – while orangeries start at £14,000 and end at £50,000.
For full information, see our dedicated page here.
Do I Need Planning Permission or Building Regs Approval for a Conservatory?
In homes where gaining planning permission for a conservatory may present a problem because of height, double-hipped conservatories are a stylish variation on standard lantern conservatory roofs.
How Do You Clean a Conservatory Roof?
For full information, see our dedicated page here.