Doing it yourself
Can you replace a conservatory roof yourself?
The short answer
You can, for small jobs, but a full conservatory roof is a poor one to do yourself. Conservatory roofs are fragile, the work is at height, glass units are heavy and awkward, and a new solid roof needs Building Regulations approval. A handy owner can clean, reseal a gasket or swap a single panel from a safe platform. Replacing the roof is a job for a roofer.
Which conservatory roof jobs a capable owner can take on, which ones to leave alone, and the safety and consent limits that apply.
Jobs a capable owner can take on
Some tasks are reasonable to do yourself, as long as you stay off the roof. Clearing the gutters from a stable platform, washing the glass with a pole and soft brush, topping up worn sealant on a clean joint and replacing a perished door or window seal are all within reach. Fitting an internal blind or solar-control film from inside the room is another. None of these needs you to stand on the roof, and none changes how the structure works.
Replacing a single polycarbonate sheet that has cracked is sometimes possible from inside or from a stable tower, provided you can get the right size and thickness and the bars are in good order. Even then, check the panel fits the bar profile and the cap seals properly. A mismatch leaves a gap that leaks. Our page on replacing a conservatory roof panel explains what to look for, and the same page shows when to call someone in.
Why a full roof is a different job
A whole roof is not a bigger version of a panel swap. Old roofing has to come off without breaking through, new bars and ridge fitted level, and every unit set into its seals so water cannot get under it. Glass units are heavy and can easily be damaged during lifting. A tiled or solid roof is heavier again, and needs a frame and foundations that can carry it. The work usually needs two or more people and a safe way to lift, hold and fix the pieces at height.
Getting it wrong costs money and may not show up for a season. A roof that is slightly out of true will pool water and fail at the seals, and a flashing dressed badly against the house wall leaks into the wall. These faults often appear only after the first wet winter, by which time the roof is fitted and the supplier's returns window has closed. A professional also knows which materials go together, which a first-time fitter often does not.
Safety at height
The main danger is the roof itself. Conservatory roofing, whether glass or polycarbonate, is fragile and cannot bear a person, and the HSE publishes guidance on fragile roofs because falls through them are a recognised hazard. Never walk on a conservatory roof or lean a ladder against it. Crawl boards spread the load but still depend on a safe route to reach them, and they are no substitute for proper access.
Edge protection and a stable working platform make a real difference. A mobile tower or a scaffold on level ground lets you reach the roof without leaning on it. Any scaffold erected over the pavement or road must be licensed by the council as highway authority, and that takes notice to arrange. That is another reason professionals plan the access before they quote. For a bungalow conservatory at ground level the risk is smaller, but the fragility of the roof does not change. If you are unsure, hire someone for the high work and keep the ground-level jobs for yourself.
Building Regulations and the paperwork
Planning Portal guidance says Building Regulations govern a new conservatory roof, covering its structure, its energy performance and its ventilation. Swapping a glass roof for a solid one is a change of that kind. The application goes to the council's own building control office or to a private registered approver, who inspects as the work proceeds. Owners who skip it can face problems when they sell, when a buyer's solicitor asks to see the certificate.
If you are replacing like for like with the same type of glazed roof, ask your building control body whether the job is notifiable before you start. Do not assume. Doing the work yourself does not remove that duty, and the responsibility lies with whoever owns the property. We explain which approvals apply and, where the work is notifiable, sort out the notification. Our guide to Building Regulations for a solid conservatory roof goes through the steps in order.
What you save and what you risk
The saving from doing the work yourself is the labour. Against that you carry the cost of any mistake, the cost of tools and access equipment hired for a few days, and the risk of damaging expensive units. Suppliers may also be less willing to put right a fault caused by fitting. With any roofer you hire, ask what guarantee they give in writing, because the supplier's cover for the materials may depend on how they were fitted.
If you want to see how the job runs when a roofer does it, our page on the conservatory roof replacement process goes through each stage, and the main conservatory roof replacement page covers the job as a whole. Our survey records the frame in photographs and gives you a verdict on whether mending will hold or the roof has run its course. Our price then arrives in writing as a single figure, and the site is tidied and the rubbish carted off before we go.
Related questions
Doing the work yourself
Can I fit a new polycarbonate roof myself?
It is possible on a small, low, sound frame, but you need the right sheet, bars, closures and sealing details, and safe access that does not rely on standing on the roof. Mistakes show up as leaks, so many owners hire it out.
Who is responsible if my own roof work fails Building Regulations?
The property owner is responsible. If the work needed approval and was not approved, building control can ask for it to be opened up or altered. Check with your building control body before you begin.