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A Guide to the Best Glass Extension Roof for Your Next Project

Date

16 Mar 2022

By

Simon McAuliffe

When it comes to choosing the best glass extension roof for your next project, you’ll need to consider the different types of glazing available to ensure that you’re selecting the best materials possible to suit your design, along with your client’s needs and budget.

 

We’ve come a long way from the pre-2010 conservatory regulations (when planning permission depended on at least 75% ‘glazed materials’, and usually included low-grade glass or poor quality polycarbonate (plastic sheeting ). The extensions we can create now offer limitless creative potential, with the way architects can use glazing now for a glass extension roof.

Open-plan working space under a glass atrium roof
Sliding glass rooflight over a shallow indoor pool

What are the benefits of a glazed roof extension?

A glass roof provides not just a stunning addition to your next project, but also a wealth of benefits too, which can provide extra value for your client. They offer unparalleled versatility both practically and aesthetically, and redefine the visual and practical potential of glass extension project interiors.

Whilst other options for extension roofs include budget-friendly polycarbonate, and temperature regulating tiled or solid roofs, a light and bright glass roof is the best option on the market. Compared to the other mentioned options, a glass roof can adapt easily to the changing seasons and functions of your client’s space.

Depending on the type of glass you decide on, a glass extension roof can provide your client with:

Optimum natural light:

A glass extension roof allows maximum light to filter into the room, when compared with a polycarbonate or tiled roof. Here at Cantifix, we advocate for the benefits of daylight, which is scientifically proven to have a positive effect on health and wellbeing

Soundproofing qualities:

Compared to a polycarbonate roof, glass extension roofs are typically quieter when it rains. If you opt for a insulated glass roof, the insulation will provide extra sound proofing too, for additional peace and quiet

Self cleaning properties:

Modern glass extensions can be fitted with self-cleaning glazing for the roof, reducing costs and effort later down the line

Energy efficiency and insulation:

Advancements in glazing technology mean that today’s glass is designed to be extra eco-friendly. Green credentials are an increasingly important consideration for architects, as good insulation can retain warmth and prevent wasted energy. In turn, the costs of energy bills will be reduced for the client – and will keep the glass extension cooler in summer, and warmer in the winter.

Long-lasting investment:

Thanks to developments in glazing technology, glass roofs are more durable than ever, meaning that clients will get years of enjoyment from their investment, which will in turn help bolster architects’ reputations for quality and reliability.

Modern traditional kitchen with a frameless glass rooflight set into the ceiling
Sliding glass rooflight on a roof terrace

What is the best glazing for a glass extension roof?

When it comes to choosing the best glazing for your client’s glass extension roof, it’s important to consider their overall objectives for the project – is it to be eco-friendly, budget-friendly, or are they perhaps looking for something that requires minimal upkeep and maintenance?

If your client’s aim is to save money on their energy bills and to be more environmentally friendly, then energy efficient glazing is the best option you could choose for their glass extension roof. Thermally efficient glazing significantly reduces the amount of energy that escapes through glass walls and roofs, cutting household energy emissions and energy costs simultaneously. 

If your client has a south facing garden that bathes in sunshine, it is sensible to consider solar control glass to avoid your client’s extension retaining too much heat. Solar control glass is designed to maintain the optimum temperature within the glass extension.

If your client is looking to extend their living or working space, and is keen to design an extension to enhance their wellbeing, then it is worth considering a glazed roof that will optimise the amount of natural light. Daylight is essential for regulating our circadian rhythms, and can result in greater productivity, happiness, and overall wellbeing.

Sun shining through a sliding glass roof

Retractable, sliding and opening roofs for glass extensions

When it comes to Cantifix’s range of glass roofs for an extension project, there are many exciting options available. From fixed to opening solutions, no two projects are the same.

For the wow factor, an opening glazed roof is the ultimate addition to a glass extension. From sliding glass roofs, retractable roofs, hinged roofs, and even fully automated pop-up roofs, these solutions can provide ventilation, and flood any extension with natural light. 

A glass roof from Cantifix might also feature our innovative Solstice Glass technology (which offers the benefits of unfiltered natural light). Solstice Glass uses low-iron panels allowing for near-perfect clarity and letting more light through, and is also environmentally friendly and cost efficient in the long run. An additional layer of solar control laminate in Solstice Glass ensures that heat is properly regulated, reducing heat loss and gain, and ensuring your client’s glass extension remains comfortable and controlled.

Easily integrated into all kinds of commercial and residential designs, an opening roof for a glass extension is effectively a lifetime investment in glazing excellence. 

Final thoughts...

A glass roof extension is a beautiful addition to any project, but also offers a whole range of benefits too, which can provide extra value to your client’s residential or commercial project.

Regardless of the glass you choose, or the design of the extension roof, there’s little question that these stunning additions can help to make any property exceptional, and open up all kinds of possibilities for your project.

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