A True Warm Roof Construction

While the conservatory and glazed extension markets have evolved with the relatively recent development in tiled roofs for Garden Rooms, Prefix Systems warns that the vast majority are not warm roofs, unlike their market-defining tiled Garden Room roof.

It’s fundamentally clear that not all the products promoted are the same, nor are the manufacturing processes, much like the manufacture of a typical conservatory roof. By definition the top layer of insulation sits above any aluminium structure, forming a true warm roof, whilst other designs in the market suffer from a thermal bridge as our research has shown.

The longer-term issue of cold bridging results in heat transfer and thus loss and yet more importantly the very real risk of condensation, as we have already seen last winter. The insulated eaves beam that’s part of their Garden Room roof is also clearly different from the competition, which rely on aluminium rafters fixing directly on to an aluminium eaves beam.

Given the relative infancy of the tiled Garden Room market, the issues of cold roof construction haven’t been fully felt yet, but could do much to limit the opportunities in the sector going forward. Prefix Systems have developed their own Garden Room roof as a true warm roof with fixed joint technology, rather than the pinned joints seen in the conservatory sector and in several tiled roofs. Their advice is to check exactly what you are buying and from whom, to help limit any future remedials, comebacks and indeed failures.

Chris Baron, co-director of Prefix Systems commented: ‘The house building and single storey extension markets are built on warm roof construction methods, something that we’ve fully embraced with our own product offering, which offers long term performance. I believe it’s only a question of time before some of the cold roof construction tiled roofs suffer from cold spots and condensation and it could be a real issue for the sector.

For further information on Prefix Systems and their tiled Garden Room roof, contact the sales office on 01254 871800, visit www.prefixsystems.co.uk, e-mail enquiries@prefixsystems.co.uk or add to their considerable following on Twitter @prefixsystems.