Tiled Roof Conservatory building regulations
What are the building regulations? Do you need planning permission to change a conservatory roof?
There is a lot of misinformation about the Building Regulations surrounding tiled and solid roof conservatories. In this guide, we quash the myths surrounding permitted development and building control to help you confidently approach your project.
LEKA systems are proud to partner with MFA Building control. Their attention to detail, knowledge and decades of experience have gained installer confidence and consumers satisfaction, successfully issuing completion certification on thousands of projects across the UK each year.
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What are Building Regulations?
Building Regulations are codes that set standards for the design and construction of roofing systems, home extensions and home construction of most kinds..
Not all conservatory roofs need to follow Building Regulations, but solid conservatory roofs and newbuild home extensions do, because they are classified as permanent fixtures and changes a conservatories use.
This means a solid conservatory roof or home extension, needs Building Regulations approval, but that does not necessarily mean a series of prolonged processes – this can be streamlined with a system that has pre-approval from an Approved Building Control Inspector.
The LEKA replacement conservatory roof and LEKA Xi modular home extension is a prime example, approved by MFA Building Control and enabling installers to engage directly to help achieve completion certification faster.
Find Your Local InstallerDo I need Building Regulations to replace a conservatory roof?
Conservatories with a 75% translucent roof and 50% glazed sides are exempt from Building Regulations. However, solid roofs are not exempt.
You must comply with Building Regulations when replacing a conservatory roof with a solid roof. Simply put, you need a Building Regulations certificate, and there are two ways to get it.
How to get a Building Regulations Certificate?
The first is to have the roof or extension built and inspected by building control, or install a prefabricated system with building control approval.
The second option is more attractive because it simplifies the construction and inspection stage. It involves an approved inspector of building control (e.g., MFA) approving a roofing system and home extension system in line with Building Regulations.
For example, the LEKA Solid Conservatory Roof, Orangery roof and LEKA Xi is approved by MFA Building Control, one of the country’s oldest established Approved Building Control Inspectors. This enables LEKA system sign-off without having to engage local Building Control.
By choosing the LEKA Roof, or XI Home extension, you automatically comply with Building Regulations, with your replacement conservatory roof and extension walls / base pre-approved by MFA.
The traditional route to demonstrating Building Regulation compliance involves planning site inspections. This overly burdensome process is banished with the LEKA roof because it has MFA approval, requiring only a few inspections.
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Do not confuse planning permission and building regulations
You might have read that if you want to retrofit a solid tiled roof, you may do so without adhering to any building regulations if the conservatory meets the ‘permitted development’ criteria set out by the planning authority.
Please note THIS IS NOT TRUE because a solid roof changes the game. While some local authorities allow homeowners to go ahead and replace their conservatory roof without approval, MOST authorities do require it, and you should never go ahead without checking.
When you delve into why the reason is apparent – it is a structural consideration. The authority’s primary concern is whether the existing conservatory structure can support the new roof but thermal requirements must also be met. That is a reasonable question when you consider it wasn’t originally designed to support the weight of a tiled roof. Health and safety also come into this.
We recommend consulting your local planning authority before going any further because the policy is sometimes set locally.
Suppose you are a trade customer or homeowner looking to change an existing glass, traditional or polycarbonate conservatory roof with a solid roofing system. In that case, Building Regulations apply and planning permission might too.
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Wrap-over roofs are not a solution to Building regulations!
If the requirement for Building Regulations stems from replacing a conservatory roof with a solid roof, surely you can build a solid roof over an old roof to bypass Building regulations?
Wrapping – or building – a tiled conservatory roof over an existing installation does not bypass Building Regs, so there is no argument there. Cladding over, wrapping over, or build-over roofs are potentially dangerous because of added weight.
It is important to know that your conservatory roof is built to handle a specified weight load. No matter how lightweight a solid roofing system is, it can tip the weight load to dangerous levels and increase the risk of collapse.
Installers will tell you that they can add structural support to the existing structure to increase its weight-bearing ability. Still, it is rare for installers to be structural engineers qualified to make such modifications.
Clad over conservatory roof systems also rarely meet Building Regulations approval when tested due to poor thermal value and structural integrity.
However, the biggest problems with wrap-over roofs include condensation, heat loss, droughts, and creaking in adverse weather due to the two systems expanding and moving as separate systems rather than as a single, unified component.
Wrap-over roofs are not a solution to Building regulations!
There are a lot of poor-quality solid roofing systems in the market. The quality of a system can be guaranteed by looking for a system with LABC or MFA approval.
Systems approved by the Local Authority Building Control, or MFA, are vetted for design, quality, and engineering, so they offer a stamp of approval from building control experts.
We recently received a question about LABC (Local Authority Building Control) approved systems and whether solid conservatory roofing systems with this stamp are exempt from building control or planning. The answer is NO, they are not, although this stamp of approval should provide the buyer with some quality assurance.
MFA TYPE APPROVAL, however, DOES render a solid conservatory roofing system exempt from traditional building control in that the system is pre-approved and requires a inspections from MFA to ensure it is built correctly.
We’re hugely proud to have this certification for the LEKA light conservatory roof system and Xi Home extension– probably the best lightweight tiled roofing system on the market and fully composite design.
However, if your local planning authority classes your conservatory as an extension, they will want to get involved in the construction work.
Being MFA-approved, the LEKA System can be fast-tracked through building applications in most cases, and every installation gets a building control certificate. This will state the installation meets the technical requirements of the elements of the Building Regulations.
The above rules apply if you change your existing conservatory roof from a Polycarbonate/Glass roof to a traditional tiled roof or a lightweight roof such as the LEKA Conservatory warm roof conversion System.
The building regulations for new conservatories
A newly built conservatory will usually be exempt from Building Regulations and granted as permitted development when built to three metres in height and 30 square metres in size.
However, if you intend to construct a solid roof conservatory, you must follow Building Regulations for the roof’s construction.
Regarding permitted development, your conservatory cannot be transformed into an extension of your home and must remain a separate outbuilding connected to it to meet permitted development criteria. It must be separated from the main house by external walls or windows and doors (for example, bi-fold doors) and have separate heating.
Building Regulation Control comes into play if your newly built conservatory does not meet permitted development criteria. If this is the case, you might need planning permission and must comply with Building Regulations. If in doubt, consult your local planning authority.
Find Your Local InstallerIf you want to learn more about solid roofs, Xi home extensions and Building Regulations, call us on 0800 773 4040 or email us at sales@lekasystems.co.uk.
MFA Certified
Government Approved Building Control Inspectors
MFA Ltd is an Approved Inspector, licensed by the government – via the Construction Industry Council (CIC) – to carry out Building Regulations approvals (Building Control) as an alternative to Local Authorities. They have processed 10,000’s of Building Control applications so you can rest assured your LEKA System installation will be handled with care, by professionals who are fully compliant in their field, should you or your installer choose to use their services.
MFA Building Control Ltd gained government approval in 2000 to act as Approved Building Control Inspectors. This enabled the company to certify construction projects for Building Regulation purposes, a function historically carried out by local authority building control.
- Professional – All applications are dealt with by experienced Chartered Surveyors, who are able to make informed professional judgements.
- Consistent – The same surveyor will deal with your project from start to finish, thus ensuring consistent interpretation of codes and level of service.
- Fast – Applications are turned around in days.
- Early Dialogue – MFA believe early dialogue is crucial. If issues are resolved at design concept stage this leads to the entire project running smoothly with no last minute additional costs.
- Added Value – MFA assist in the building project from initial concept design through to completion, and offer advice that can save fees many times over.
- Commercially Aware – The team fully appreciate the commercial pressures and constraints our clients work under and have designed their services to reflect this.
- Areas Covered – MFA operate nationwide so your LEKA System installation can be worked on across the country.
What does this mean to you the home owner?
It is not mandatory that you choose this method and either ‘you’ the home owner, or your chosen installer have the ability to make this decision. This process has been put in place to provide a solution for building regulation approval should you choose this path.
Simple, short stage process that provides peace of mind that every installation is provided with a compliant building control certificate should MFA be engaged to complete the necessary checks and sign of reports.
Make no mistake, when converting a conservatory roof to a solid roof you ‘will’ require building control sign off.
So your installation company has stated that your new roof system has been LABC approved? This means it has been tested by LABC however you ‘STILL’ require local building control approval and involvement. MFA certification however, enables complete system sign off, without engaging local building control if you or your installer choose this method.
A great deal of our LEKA Systems installers have taken part in an installer course that ensures they are fully conversant with how the system goes together as well as the key component structure requirements to ensure the 40 year warranty is provided. Be sure to ask your installer about their experience.
Not only are installation courses offered (but are not mandatory) but the company selling you the system has access to a range of material and product induction courses to ensure they can provide the most up to date and accurate advice possible to help you understand the system you are purchasing.
If in doubt just ask before your installation is carried out.
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