Polycarbonate conservatory roofs, and when to move on from one
The lightest and cheapest roof there is. Fine as a budget cover over a porch or a carport — and the first thing we suggest replacing on a room you want to sit in.
- Supplied and replaced where it genuinely suits
- Honest advice on when to upgrade instead
- Warm and glass roof alternatives available
East Grinstead showroom · covering Sussex, Surrey and Kent
10/10 on Checkatrade
From 149 verified customer reviews
Certass registered
Fully insured and SafeContractor approved
10 year guarantee
On every product we supply and install
Family run since 2007
Our own fitters — never subcontracted out
Where it works
It has a place, just a narrow one
Polycarbonate is light, cheap and quick. Over a carport, a side passage or a lean-to you pass through rather than sit in, that is often all you need.
Multiwall sheet is a fraction of the weight of glass, so it goes onto light structures that would never carry a tiled or glazed roof, and it costs a fraction as much.
What it is not is a roof to sit under. It insulates poorly, it is loud in rain, it discolours and it has almost no solar control — which is why so many conservatories built with it went unused.
- Light enough for structures that will not carry glass
- The lowest cost roof available
- Quick to fit and quick to replace
- Best suited to carports, porches and passageways
Benefits
The honest assessment
Cheapest by a distance
If budget is the deciding factor, nothing else comes close.
Very light
Goes onto structures that would never carry glass or tiles.
Quick to fit
Usually a day or two, with no structural work involved.
Loud in rain
Thin sheet drums badly. In a downpour it stops conversation.
Poor insulation
Heat leaves in winter and pours in during summer.
Discolours over time
It yellows and the sealing tapes fail, so it has a finite life.
Worth knowing
If you already have one
A polycarbonate roof on a room you never sit in is the most common thing we get called out to.
In most cases the frames and the base are perfectly sound and only the roof is the problem, which means a warm roof or a glass roof will fix it without starting again.
We will tell you honestly which route your structure will take and what each costs, including saying so if the frames are past the point where re-roofing makes sense.
Other rooms
Or build something better suited
If the room matters more than the budget, one of these is the better starting point.
Conservatories
The most glass for the money, and the quickest way to add a room. Modern roofs mean they work all year rather than just in spring.
Explore conservatories
Orangeries
Brick piers, a flat perimeter roof and a glazed lantern over the middle. Reads as part of the house rather than bolted onto it.
Explore orangeries
Extensions
A full masonry room built to match the house — foundations, walls, roof, glazing and the making good afterwards.
Explore extensions
Garden Rooms
An insulated, solid-roofed room you can use in February. Somewhere between a conservatory and an extension, at a price to match.
Explore garden rooms
Sun Rooms
A light-filled room with a solid roof and glazing on the sides — the warmth of an extension with the daylight of a conservatory.
Explore sun rooms
Verandas
A glazed roof over a terrace or decking. Shelter without enclosing anything, so you use the garden for more of the year.
Explore verandasQuestions
Polycarbonate roof questions
Can’t see what you need? Call 01342 410079 and we’ll answer it properly.
How long does a polycarbonate roof last?
Why is my conservatory so hot and so cold?
Can I replace polycarbonate with glass?
Would a warm roof be better?
Do you still fit polycarbonate at all?
Where we work
Polycarbonate conservatory roofs in East Grinstead and across Sussex, Surrey and Kent
We’re based on Station Road in East Grinstead, where West Sussex meets Surrey and Kent, and our own team works throughout all three counties.
Towns we cover include
- East Grinstead
- Crawley
- Horley
- Haywards Heath
- Burgess Hill
- Horsham
- Crowborough
- Tunbridge Wells
- Tonbridge
- Sevenoaks
- Redhill
- Reigate
- Caterham
…and the villages in between. If you’re in Sussex, Surrey and Kent, the answer is almost certainly yes.
Free quotations
Polycarbonate roof past its best?
Book a free survey and we’ll tell you honestly whether to replace it or upgrade it.