One of my readers has sent me the following pictures of a conservatory roof he has been asked to quote for refitting. Yes, I did say ‘refitting’ rather than ‘replacing’.
Apparently, the conservatory has been fitted for 12 years and only collapsed in the last couple of weeks, due to a torrential downpour. I’ve no idea how it stayed up so long as it was basically silicone holding the whole structure up. I’ve been advised that down one side there are a couple of small screws into the fascia, but otherwise no proper fixings and no gallows brackets.
Apparently the insurance company has washed its hands of any potential claim.
What is actually wrong with the roof itself ?
Obviously a case of sky hook failure!
Seriously I have been banging on about roof fixing and support for years and we still get ‘experienced craftsmen’ specifying 3M (+) frames with no structural coupler and a glass roof.
Its beyond time that conservatories were brought under building regs, they are after all buildings.
We are lucky enough to operate across the greater SW peninsular and we often try to guide installers with extra couplers and load bearing posts. We mention the actual weight and the possibility of snow loading and get laughed out of (Cornwall). In fact not too many years ago we had a van stranded overnight due to snow at Bodmin and this year we have supplied two replacement (correctly specified) buildings to N Somerset due to their collapse under – yes you guessed – snow.
When a toilet window 600mm wide requires a lintel even when it is at the top of a wall why do installers think that Pvcu, steel and air become structural when used in conservatories.
PS. Sales up 30% this month so far.
WOW!
I must now thank our surveyor for all the expensive steel brackets he has designed and had made on our behalf for when we fit box gutters like this example (we don’t use the Ultraframe design – a little bit twee and often impracticable)
On a serious note though, it is concerning to think there are probably many other installations like this one on unsuspecting customers houses.
Answering comment above, though not to my taste (we never sell poly roofs or hideous finials), the roof itself looks structurally sound … simply needs experienced installers to re-fit with appropriate brackets … having said that, what do I know being a simple pen pusher! (oh and occasional salesman) : )
Probably not too much wrong with the conservatory. Granted it looks like the box gutter needed bolting to the rafter ends rather than maybe just to the upvc fascia boarding.
However the more likely problem would appear to be the inadequate water capacity of the box gutter, which needs to cope with an enormous volume of rainwater being discharged from at least two visible sides of the bungalow roof. particularly during summer flash storms. Even when the correct size box gutters are fitted,it is imperative that customers keep box gutters free of debris, to ensure free flowing drainage.
Having been called back ourselves on occasion to investigate ‘leaks in the roof’ only to discover a blocked box gutter, we now have several customers who are happy to pay us an annual fee to keep them free..
apart from the obvious concerns of appallingly bad and shoddy workmanship (what else would you call it?) and the prospect that there may be more such accidents waiting to happen out there – what I find most intriguing is the Insurance companies stance on this – or had the homeowner failed to mention the conservatory when getting the insurance arranged?
Better get those policies out guys and check…..
Just in case anyone read my earlier posting and thought I was defending shoddy workmanship, far from it. I was trying to draw attention to a design problem that affects hundreds of similar conservatories, but perhaps with not such spectacular consequences!
I believe the Insurance Companies stance may be guided by such criteria as how long has the conservatory been erected?and what guarantee (if any)was offered by the installation company?Surely as we all ultimately contribute to the insurance market in one form or another,it is entirely reasonable in this instance that the Insurance Company refers the customer to seek redress from the installer?
We recently had a call from a customer with a broken unit in a conservatory door-caused in my opinion by some unspecified impact- and her insurance company had tried to say my company was responsible for such breakages due to ‘fault in the glass’! Together with another claim we were involved in, this helps to bare out t my theory that insurance companies are getting far more evasive in the type of damage they want to underwrite.
From the finials and cresting + extrusions I can see that it is an old K2 roof in one of their previous trading guises “Seaquest”
Hi Scott
Looks like a different roof system to me.
RCG