Conservatory technology

Roof

Ultraframe, K2, Aztech, Wendland, Quantal, Victorian/Edwardian, Lean-To....

The list of possible conservatory roofing solutions is large and can be very confusing to the poor old consumer, who just wants to know that they're getting a good roof to suit their purposes.

As with frames, the best tip for getting a good quality conservatory roofing system is to choose your installing company carefully, they will have chosen a good system already.

Conservatory roofing systems are big business nowadays.

The manufacturers of these systems are competing for a chunk of a huge, growing market.
They are constantly striving to make products that are:

• Cheaper to produce

• Easier to install

• Adapt more easily to varied situations

• easier to maintain

• more weather resistant

• nicer to look at

We could fill a whole page with just the names of conservatory roofing systems and manufacturers, we don't think this will benefit any of our visitors, though. So here are just a few of the best known names at the moment.

Ultraframe have for many years been the acknowledged leader in this field and with the recent aquisition of Four Seasons Conservatories (an American company), they are now the largest conservatory roofing system manufacturer in the world.

Ultraframe produce the full range of PVCu conservatories and supply hundreds of conservatory installing and manufacturing companies.

They are innovators in this field and, to date, we do not think that they have been surpassed by any of their competitors in terms of product quality.

K2 conservatories are pretenders to Ultraframes throne. Formed in 1999 to try to produce a system that rivalled Ultraframe's industry standard system, but could be sold to the end user at a more reasonable price.

K2 produce the full range of conservatories and in 2003 supplied nearly one fifth of all conservatories installed in the UK.

Although most installers would say that K2 is still inferior to Ultraframe, they have made steady progress in design and build quality and are now, in our opinion, at a level where you can expect equivalent value for your money from K2 products.

Aztech Conservatory Roof Systems are another relatively new conservatory roofing system manufacturer.

Formed in 2001, Aztech has grown to a current turnover of in excess of £4 million.

Their "fitter friendly" design is claimed to save 30% on instllation times.

Wendland Conservatory Roofing System is one of the most prevalent non Ultraframe systems used in this country today.

Wendland has been a leading player in the conservatory market for over 10 years, under the brand names of GBW, GBW Roofs, GB Wendland & Duraflex.

A good system that represents good value for money to the consumer.

Victorian/Edwardian conservatory roofs are available from all the major system manufacturers, choices here are mostly limited to the roof glazing, where 16, 25 & 32mm polycarbonate sheeting and toughened glass are the main options.

Polycarbonate sheeting is generally available as clear, opal white, bronze or bronze-on-opal (bronze on the outside, opal white on the inside, below left).
It has a cellular structure, with 3, 4, 5 or even 7 walls depending on the thickness.

More energy efficient polycarbonate sheeting is starting to emerge from companies such as Macrolux. Their Athermic Heatshield (below right) is a new product aimed at reducing the UV light coming through conservatory roofs.

Glass is becoming more advanced all the time, see our page on conservatory glass. It reduces rain noise dramatically and has excelent thermal properties.

Lean-To Conservatory roofs can be made from the same systems as victorian/edwardian (see section above), but there are specialist lean-to roofing systems which are designed to allow:

• Lower pitches (down to 2.5°)

• High insulation with 'U' value of 1.9 Wm-2K-1

• Excellent light transmission properties, typically around 70%

• Large free span without the need for additional purlin supports (Up to 4 metres)

• Built-in sun diffusion and reduced sound transmission

Ultraframes Ultralite 500 and Wendlands Modual are the best examples of these systems.

These systems also allow more robust weight bearing across the whole roof. This means that you can safely walk on the roof making it easier to clean it and access windows above the conservatory.

Choose a reputable installing company and let them know what's important to you and be guided by the experts as to the best option for you.

But ask questions and make sure if you're paying top price that you are getting top quality.