Why You Should Check If A Solid Roof Needs Building Regulations Approval

We’re so grateful that the weather has been kind to us over the last few weeks and let’s hope it continues into the summer. 

Only trouble is, for some conservatory owners, high temperatures will mean that they have little chance of being able to use their extension, for the reason that it gets far too hot in warm conditions. 

It’s a very common issue with older conservatories, but can be dealt with by removing the current roof (normally glass or polycarbonate) and replacing it with a new solid roof system. 

Prior to a solid roof installation, you need to do something, and that’s to find out if building regulations approval will be necessary to make the switch to a solid roof. This is where it gets slightly complicated though as some local authorities say you need it and some say you don’t. 

Very often, whether building regulations approval is required or not will come down to how structurally sound the conservatory is and if it has the strength to sustain the weight of a new roofing system. All of the approved solid roofs there are on the market are lightweight, but when lots of snow gets on them, they can get heavy. 

The official directive from the industry’s leading trade association, the Glass and Glazing Federations (GGF), is that adding a solid roof to a conservatory turns what was originally a temporary structure into a permanent one, and guidance should be sought from your local authority building control team.

This will be done on your behalf by Pennine, if you appoint us for the job of upgrading to a solid roof, as we would never dream of commencing with such work until we knew the solid roof would definitely fall within the rules and be fit for purpose. 

Some companies will immediately dismiss the possibility of a solid ‘warm’ roof needing building regulations approval, just to secure your money and signature, but we’re not one of them. 

Not having a building regulations certificate for your solid roof installation could pose you a real problem when you come to sell the house. It’s a document that will be requested from you by the solicitor of any proposed buyer as they will want confirmation that the solid roof meets the necessary standards. Unless you want to risk the buyer pulling out, you will have no other choice but to apply for retrospective building regulations approval via LABC (Local Authority Building Control), which will come at a cost and hold things up. 

Done the right way and with the required approval, incorporating a solid roof into your conservatory will be worth it for the monetary value it adds to your house. 

To avoid running into any issues with a solid roof installation, put Pennine in charge of the project. View our replacement roof range here.