Conservatory Roof Conversion — Building Regulations 101

• Building regulations approval must always be seeked  when re-roofing your conservatory or adding insulation.
     
• Planning permission is not always needed when building a conservatory.
      
• Planning permission is not always necessary when re-roofing your conservatory, though it is your responsibility to find out if it is or not. 

These regulations help to ensure that all applicable zoning and structural requirements are met so that all buildings abide by minimum standards.

Permitted Development Rights are a set of conditions that, when satisfied, eliminate the need to apply for planning permission.

Most conservatory roof conversions are covered under Class C of Permitted Development Rights as long as the following conditions are met:

• You are not in a listed building.
      
• Your home is not in a designated area such as a national park or conservation area.
      
• You own your building.
     
• You do not live in a jurisdiction in which your local council has withdrawn Article 4 of Permitted Development rights.
     
• Roof lights or skylights do not extend more than 150mm from the existing roof plane.
     
• No portion of your roof alteration is taller than the tallest part of the original roof.
     
• Side-facing windows need to be at least 1.7 metres off of the ground unless they are non-opening.

If your property fits these criteria, you likely will not have to apply for planning permission. However we recommend that you take a look at the full legislation here to double-check.

If after reviewing documentation you’re still unsure, it’s best to speak with your local planning authority for confirmation on whether or not planning permission would be needed in your case.

Many companies with inferior roofing systems, perhaps afraid that their roof won’t pass inspection, will insist that building regulations are not needed to replace your conservatory roof.

Don't be tricked! Building regulations are in fact ALWAYS necessary for all conservatory roof conversions.

Even if a company has told you that you don't need building regulations approval, you will be held responsible for not seeking approval (and any related costs and consequences) since you are the homeowner. 

Any time you’re replacing your conservatory roof with a different material or simply adding insulation, you’ll have to apply for building regulations approval. The new roof also needs to meet aplicable thermal insulation standards and energy efficiency requirements. 

Unlike some of our competitors, the Guardian Warm Roof is pre-approved by the LABC, and every single job we complete gets a certificate of compliance verifying that installations will pass building regulations approval — in fact we will even handle the application process for you!

Building regulations are separate from planning permission. Even if you don’t have to apply for planning permission for a conservatory roof conversion, you’ll definitely need to apply for building regulations approval. 

In some cases both planning permission and building regulations are needed.

It’s your responsibility as a homeowner to find out if you need to apply for planning permission. Once you apply, the local planning authority will either approve or reject your request. 

Guardian Warm Roof replacements generally do not require planning permission, though we will make sure that this is the case for your project before starting it.

Building regulations approval can be applied for though the Local Authority Building Control department or Approved Inspector.

Since building regulations are always required for conservatory roof conversions, it is essential that you go through the approval process.

It's important to note that the Guardian Warm Roof is fully approved by the LABC and Projects 4 Roofing is a registered installer with the LABC. This will help to speed up the building regulations approval process substantially.

It’s vital that  you apply for any applicable planning permissions and/or building regulations approvals when starting any home improvement project. 

However, when you hire Projects 4 Roofing to convert your conservatory roof you won't have to worry about either. We’ll seek building regulations approval on your behalf and complete the planning permission process if required.

We are familiar with building regulations and will apply for this approval and complete your project according to these regulations from the LABC.

We will complete the building regulations application for you and arrange for your local council roofing inspector to visit during the installation and upon completion.