Ultraframe conservatory roofs
We have specified and fitted Ultraframe roof systems across Gloucestershire for over 25 years. Whether you are replacing a tired polycarbonate roof or specifying a new conservatory, orangery or garden room, we will tell you which system genuinely suits the building — and which one does not.
The roof does the hard work
A conservatory lives or dies by its roof. The frames and base on most Gloucestershire conservatories are perfectly sound twenty years on — it is the roof that has failed to keep up. Polycarbonate is loud in the rain, useless in February and unusable in July.
Ultraframe has been engineering conservatory roofs in Clitheroe since 1983, and their solid and hybrid systems are the ones we return to most often. Every roof is engineered to your postcode for wind and snow loading, and both the solid systems carry a Building Regulations compliant U-value of 0.15 W/m²K as standard, with the option to specify 0.12 if required.
What follows is the full range, in plain English, with an honest note on where each one works best.
Ultraframe systems we specify and fit
Six roof systems, each with a job it does better than the others. If you tell us what the room is for, we will tell you which of these belongs on it.
Ultraroof
A genuine lightweight tiled roof, fitted onto your existing frames. This is the one to choose if you want the conservatory to read as a proper extension from the garden and from the street.
- U-value 0.15 W/m²K as standard, 0.12 available
- 38 kg/m² — the lightest tiled roof on the market
- Fully insulated 380 mm structural beam, no cold bridging
- Full-length glass panels can be built in where you want daylight
Livinroof
Insulated solid panels and shaped glazing in one roof, so you keep daylight exactly where you want it. Our most popular specification for north-facing rooms and for kitchen-diners.
- U-value 0.15 W/m²K as standard, 0.12 available
- Glazing shaped to any plan — not just rectangles
- Vaulted plastered ceiling with an insulated internal pelmet
- Pelmet takes spotlights, speakers and heating
Classic glass roof
The original Ultraframe glass roof, refined over forty years and engineered to postcode. Still the right answer when maximum daylight matters more than a plastered ceiling.
- Highly configurable — Victorian, Edwardian, lean-to, P-shape
- Self-cleaning and solar-control glass options
- Best value per square metre of the solid alternatives
- Suits period properties and conservation areas
Ultrasky Lantern
A roof lantern for flat-roof extensions and orangeries. Fewer bars than competing lanterns, so you get more sky and a cleaner sightline from inside.
- Ideal focal point over a kitchen island or dining table
- Slim aluminium profiles, dual-colour options
- Works with an insulated flat roof and a plastered perimeter
- Suits orangeries and single-storey rear extensions
Ultrasky Skylight
Built for wide spans. The Ultraspan integrated structural goal post means the beam disappears into the roof, so there is no visible steel across a large opening.
- Spectacular spans without intermediate posts
- Fewer bars, more glass, no design compromise
- Specified on larger extension projects
- Pairs with bi-fold or sliding doors below
Insulated flat roof
Pre-manufactured to survey and fully Building Regulations compliant. Quick to build, and the natural partner to a lantern or a run of roof lights.
- Pre-manufactured off site, so a short install window
- Takes an Ultrasky Lantern or Velux roof lights
- Compliant with current Building Regulations
- Neat detailing where the roof meets the house
What a warm roof actually changes
U-value measures how quickly heat escapes. Lower is better. The gap between an old polycarbonate roof and an Ultraframe solid roof is the difference between a room you avoid for five months of the year and one you use every day.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
| Roof type | U-value W/m²K | Heat loss | What it means day to day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old polycarbonate | Around 1.7 | Very high | Loud in rain, freezing in winter, unusable in summer |
| Older glass roof | Around 1.2 | High | Better than polycarbonate, still a big heat loss through the roof |
| Classic glass roof | 1.0 with Tier 1 glass | Moderate | Maximum daylight, solar-control glass, no plastered ceiling |
| Livinroof hybrid | 0.15 or 0.12 | Low | Solid panels plus shaped glazing, vaulted plastered ceiling |
| Ultraroof tiled | 0.15 or 0.12 | Low | Tiled outside, plastered inside, reads as an extension |
Solid roof figures are Ultraframe's published Building Regulations compliant specifications for Ultraroof and Livinroof — 0.15 W/m²K as standard with the option to reduce to 0.12. Glass roof figures are Ultraframe's Conservaglass tier data. Older polycarbonate and glass figures are typical rather than measured; a hybrid roof's average U-value rises as the proportion of glazing increases. We confirm the specification for your roof at survey.
Which Ultraframe system suits you
Find the line that sounds like your house. If none of them do, ring us and describe the room — that conversation is free and takes five minutes.
The room is freezing and you never use it
Ultraroof or Livinroof. A fully insulated solid roof on the existing frames, usually two to five days on site, no groundworks. This is the single cheapest way to get a usable room back.
You want the daylight but not the temperature swings
Livinroof. Solid where you need insulation, shaped glazing where you need light. Most of our north-facing conservatories end up here.
You want it to look like part of the house
Ultraroof. Lightweight interlocking tiles outside, plastered vaulted ceiling inside. From the garden it reads as an extension, not a conservatory.
You are building a new orangery or extension
Ultrasky Lantern or Ultrasky Skylight over an insulated flat roof. A proper focal point over a kitchen island, with a plastered perimeter and a neat junction to the house.
It is a period or conservation-area property
Classic glass roof, usually. Slimmer sightlines and a traditional profile, with solar-control glass to take the edge off July. We will check the planning position before quoting.
You want a garden office rather than a conservatory
Ultraframe Garden Rooms. Standalone, insulated beyond Building Regulations, and usually watertight in a day.
Four steps, no pressure at any of them
A conversation
Tell us what the room is for and what is wrong with it now. We will say which systems are worth costing and which are not.
Free home survey
We measure, check the frames, base and guttering, and confirm the roof can take a solid system. Engineered to your postcode for wind and snow loading.
Fixed written quote
One price, itemised, with the system and glass specification named. No pressure and no time-limited discounts.
Install and sign-off
Two to five days on site for a replacement roof. FENSA registered, notified to Building Control where required, 10-year guarantee.
Ultraframe roofs near you
Our workshop is on Burley Fields Lake in Cheltenham. We install across Gloucestershire and into the Cotswolds and south Worcestershire.
Ultraframe roofs: your questions answered
Yes. We have specified and fitted Ultraframe systems for over 25 years and we are FENSA registered, listed with Checkatrade and TrustATrader, and members of the Federation of Master Builders. Every roof is ordered engineered to your postcode for wind and snow loading.
Usually, yes. Ultraroof and Livinroof are designed to be fitted onto existing frames, and Ultraroof is the lightest tiled roof on the market at 38 kg/m². We confirm it at survey by checking the frames, the base and the existing guttering. If the frames will not take the load we will tell you before you commit to anything.
Ultraroof is a fully tiled roof — from outside the room reads as an extension. Livinroof is a hybrid: insulated solid panels with shaped glazing built in wherever you want daylight. Both achieve a Building Regulations compliant U-value of 0.15 W/m²K as standard, with 0.12 available. The choice is about light and appearance, not insulation.
Two to five days on site for a typical replacement onto existing frames, with no groundworks. A new conservatory, orangery or extension takes longer and we will give you a programme with the quote.
Replacing a conservatory roof with a solid system is a Building Regulations matter rather than a planning one in most cases, and we notify Building Control where it is required. Planning permission is rarely needed for a roof swap, but listed buildings and conservation areas are treated differently. We check the position for your property before quoting.
It depends on the size of the roof, the system and the glass specification, so we will not quote a headline figure here and then move it. The survey and the written quote are both free, the price is fixed and itemised, and there is no obligation attached to either.
Ten years on products and workmanship, terms apply, backed by an insurance-backed guarantee and our FENSA registration. We are a family-run business based in Cheltenham and we are still here to answer the phone in year nine.
Related services
Replacement roofs
Ultraroof and Livinroof fitted onto your existing conservatory frames, usually inside a week.
View replacement roofs →ServiceConservatories
New conservatories designed around the property, with the roof specified to suit the room.
View conservatories →ServiceOrangeries
Insulated flat roof with an Ultrasky Lantern, plastered perimeter and a proper masonry base.
View orangeries →ServiceExtensions
Single-storey rear and side extensions, with Ultrasky Skylight over the wider spans.
View extensions →Not sure which roof you need?
Describe the room and we will tell you which Ultraframe system is worth costing — and which one we would talk you out of. Free survey, fixed written quote, no pressure.