GB2523490A

GB2523490A - A roof module for a roof structure of a conservatory

Info

Publication number: GB2523490A
Application number: GB1508476.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Bryan Lilley
Original assignee: TRADEFRAME CONSERVATORIES Ltd
Current assignee: TRADEFRAME CONSERVATORIES Ltd
Priority date: 2013-06-18
Filing date: 2013-06-18
Publication date: 2015-08-26
Also published as: GB2515294A; GB201310813D0; GB201508476D0; GB2515294B

Abstract

A roof module 5 comprising a plurality of preferably parallel rafters 7 extending between an upper support 11 for forming part of a ridge beam, and a lower support 9, the module is for use with a plurality of modules to form a roof frame 1 of a conservatory, to which an opaque covering (13, fig. 3) is fitted, the frame comprising a ring beam attachable to the lower supports. The modules may have insulation (19, fig. 5) fitted between the rafters, and entirely enclosed between the opaque covering and an underside covering. The coverings may be plywood panels. The rafters and supports are preferably timber of equal depth and width. Tiles (15, fig. 7) may be fitted to the opaque covering. The roof modules may be retrofitted to a conservatory following removal of a transparent roof to improve insulation and reduce temperature fluctuations. The use of timber framed modules allows for quick installation of an opaque roof on a conservatory.

Description

A roof module for a roof structure of a conservatory

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a roof structure for a conservatory, and more particularly to a roof structure for forming an opaque roof on a conservatory.

Background of the Invention

There is a growing trend cowards fitting conservatories with opaque roofs. An opaque roof tends to result in reduced temperature fluctuations in the conservatory (i.e. lower temperatures during bright weaTher and improved insulation during cooler weather) Some new conservatories are being built with opaque roofs (the resulting structure is sometimes referred to as a sun room rather than a conservatory) / but it is also popular for existing conservatories, having translucent roofs, to be retro-fitted with an opaque roof. These retro-fitted opaque roofs tend to require assembly of all the roof frame members on site, using complex fittings, to form the roof frame. The outer and inner skins of the roof are then fitted.

An example of a well-known opaque roof is marketed under the "Guardian" brand name by Celuplast. The Guardian system comprises aluminium members that are fitted together on-site.

The aluminium rafters attach to an aluminium ring beam (also known as an eaves beam) via bespoke brackets (an assembled example of the resulting roof frame is visible in the background of Figure 7) . Plywood panels are then secured to the top of the rafters, onto which a breather membrane and tiles are fitted to complete the opaque outer skin. At least one layer of insulation is typically then secured to the underside of the rafters, togeTher with a layer of plasterboard to form the inner skin.

A drawback with the Guardian system and other systems is that it can be reasonably time-consuming to assemble the roof frame. This is because each rafter, or other frame member, must be individually secured in position on site, typically using releasable fasteners such as nuts and bolts, or screws.

Another drawback is that the assembled roof can be relatively thick. This is because the insulation needs to be secured beneath the rafters (i.e. to their underside), thereby adding thickness to the overall strucmre. The inner skin (plasterboard and insulation) can, for example, comprise a 25mm layer of insulation and a combined 72mm layer of insulated plasterboard, which results in a 97mm think layer beneath the rafters. This relatively thick layer beneath the rafters can extend below the level of the ring beam. Thus, in order to avoid the layer impacing on the glazing level, the windows may need to be altered.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention seeks to overcome or mitigate one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of installing an opaque roof onto a conservatory, the method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of pre-assembled roof modules, each roof module comprising a plurality of rafters extending between an upper support for forming at least part of a ridge beam, and a lower support for attaching to a ring beam, fastening the lower supports of the plurality of pre-assembled modules to a ring beam, and fastening the upper supports of opposing modules together to form a ridge beam, thereby forming a roof frame for the conservatory, fitting insulation into each module, and fitting an opaque covering onto the roof frame. By providing pre-assembled roof modules, the time taken to construct the roof frame on siie may be significantly reduced.

It will be appreciated that the steps need not necessarily be conducted in the order shown. For example the insulation may be fitted into each module before or after the module is fastened to the ring beam. The insulation may be fitted into each module before or after the opaque covering has been fitted onto the roof frame.

Ertodiments of the present invention may be especially beneficial when retro-fitting an opaque roof to a conservatory previously having a translucent/transparent (e.g. glass or polycarbonate) roof. Thus, the method may oomprise the preceding step of removing a transluoent roof that had been previously installed on the conservatory.

Each roof module comprises a plurality of rafters extending between an upper support for forming at least part of a ridge beam, and a lower support for attaching to a ring beam. The rafters are preferably parallel. The roof module and/or ring beam (also known as an eaves beam), is preferably arranged suoh that when installed, the roof modules incline upwards. The roof modules may form a pitched roof. The roof modules may form a sloping roof (such as a lean-to); in these embodiments it will be appreciated that the ridge beam will only have modules on one side Thereof (such that ridge beam acts as a wall plate) , but will still be considered a ridge beam.

The step of pre-assembling the roof modules is preferably conducted at a location remote from the conservatory. For example the roof modules may be assembled in a factory off-site and then transported to the conservatory site. The assembly time of the module does not, therefore, directly impact on the customer. Furthermore, it may be easier to assemble the roof module in an off-site environment than an on-site environment, thereby improving the quality of the assembly.

The step of fitting insulation may comprise the step of fitting the insulation between the rafters in each module. It may comprise fitting the insulation such that it is wholly contained within the depth of The rafters. The step of fitting insulation may comprise the step of providing insulation elements that are sized to be received, preferably tightly received, between rafters. By fitting the insulation such that it is wholly contained within the depth of the rafters, the roof can be thinner than known arrangements in which the insulation needs to be attached to the underside of the rafters (thereby adding to the thickness of the roof) The opaque roof therefore creaes less impact on the ceiling height than some other arrangements, whilst maintaining reasonable insulating qualities. The insulation may be received in voids defined in part between adjacent rafters in each module. The voids may be defined in part by part of the upper and/or lower supports. The voids may be defined in part by the opague covering.

The nethod may comprise the subseguent step of enclosing the insulation within the depth of the rafters by fitting a covering to the underside of the roof frame. The covering may, for example, be plasterboard. The roof preferably has a U-value of less than 0.25 W/m2, and more preferably less than 0.20 W/m2. The roof may have a U-value of 0.18 W/m2 or less.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a conservatory having an opaque roof installed according to the method of the first aspect of the invention.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a conservatory having an opaque roof, the opaque roof comprising a roof frame onto which an opaque covering is fitted, the roof frame comprising a plurality of pre-assembled roof modules and a ring beam, each roof module comprising a plurality of rafters extending between an upper support forming at least part of a ridge bean, and a lower suppor for fastening to the ring beam, the lower supports of each roof module being fastened to the ring beam, and the upper supports forming the ridge beam.

By having the roof frame constructed from pre-assembled modules, the installation time of the opaque roof may be reduced. The roof module may, in principle, be a monolithic piece (e.g. be fabricated in one piece rather than assembled), but is more preferably assembled from a plurality of parts.

In both cases, it will be appreciated that the module will nonetheless considered to be pre-assembled.

The upper supports form the ridge beam. In a pitched roof arrangement, the upper supports for opposing modules may be fastened together to form the ridge beam. It will be appreciated that the upper supports can be directly fastened to each other (i.e. such that The ridge beam is only made up of two opposing upper supports), or indirectly fastened to each other (i.e. such that the ridge beam comprises an intermediate member (e.g. a central beam) to which each upper support is attached.

The roof may comprise insulation, the insulation being wholly contained within the depth of the rafters in each roof module.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a conservatory having an opaque roof, the opaque roof comprising a roof frame onto which an opaque covering is fitted, the roof frame comprising a plurality of rafters extending between a ring beam and a ridge beam, wherein the roof comprises insulation, the insulation being wholly contained within the depth of The rafters. By containing the insulation within the depth of the rafters, the roof may be kept relatively thin without compromising on insulation. The insulation may comprise a plurality of insulation elements, each insnlation element being received in a cavity defined by the combination of: adjacent rafters; part of the upper support; part of the lower support; and the opaque covering.

The insulation may be received in an interference fit.

The roof may comprise a covering fitted to the underside of the roof frame, for example a plasterboard covering. The covering nay enclose the insulation. The insulation may thereby be sandwiched between The covering (on the underside of the roof frame) and the opaque covering.

The rafters may be timber rafters. The upper and/or lower supports may be timber. Timber has been found to be especially useful in embodimenrs of the invention because it is relatively light-weight (compared to aluminium) . It therefore lends itself for use as a pre-assembled module.

Timber may also facilitate easy fastening (e.g. to receive nails, screws or other fasteners) and tends to reduce thermal bridging. Traditionally, the conservatory industry has used aluminium roof frames, and has focussed on developing various extrusion profiles of frame member, in an attempt to provide innovative designs. Embodimenrs of the present invention, especially those in which the rafters are timber, exploit the fact that contrary to transparent conservatory roofs, the roof frame need not be visible on an opaque roof. A wider range of designs and materials can therefore be used than otherwise might be on a conservatory roof because aesthetic is less important. The opaque covering preferably covers the rafters.

The ring beam may be timber, and preferably glued laminated timber (Glulam) . This type of timber has been found to be especially effective as ring beam for a conservatory roof frame in accordance with die present invention.

At least some of the rafters and the upper support and/or the lower support may be substantially identical in at least one dimension, and preferably in two dimensions. They may have substantially identical width, substantially identical height (depth) , or more preferably substantially identical width and height. The rafters and the upper support and/or the lower support may have different lengths. For example in embodiments in which the rafters are timber, these members may be formed from the same standard cuts of timber (albeit it cut to different lengths) . The rafters and/or upper and lower supports nay have a width of 45mm. The rafters may be a height of between 145mm and 245mm depending of the size of the roof (larger roofs will require deeper (larger height) rafters) The opaque covering may be neither transparent nor translucent. The opaque covering may be any covering that is substantially impermeable to electromagnetic radiation in, or around, the visible light speccrum. It tends to be beneficial for the opague roof to be of similar appearance to the roof of the building to which the conservatory is attached. Thus, the opaque covering may comprise a multiplicity of tiles. The opaque covering may comprise, and more preferably further comprise, a rigid sheet layer. The rigid sheet layer may be a wooden (e.g. plywood or Oriented strand board (OSB)) layer.

The tiles may be attached to said wooden layer.

The rigid sheet layer may be bonded to the rafters using an adhesive. Bonding the layer creates a diaphragm and has been found to produce a stronger roof in comparison to attaching the layer using discrete fasteners. This is thought to be due to the forces in the rigid sheet layer transferring forces to the rafters over a relatively wide oontaot interface.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided a roof module for use as the roof module in the roof or method described above. The roof module may comprise a plurality of rafters extending between an upper support for forming at least part of a ridge beam, and a lower support for fastening to a ring beam.

It will be appreciated that any features described with reference to one aspect of the invention are egually applicable to any other aspect of the invention, and vice versa.

Description of the Drawings

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which: Figure 1 shows a roof module and part of a ring beam during construction of an opague roof according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows the roof frame of Figure 1 with two additional roof modules attached; Figure 3 shows the roof frame of Figure 2 with further roof modules attached and a covering on the first module; Figure 4 shows the roof frame of the previous Figures with a layer of the opague covering fitted; Figure 5 shows a roof frame of a second embodiment of the invention with insulation fitted (and with the opaque covering removed) Figure 6 shows the roof frame of Figure 4 with a row of tiles partially fitted; and Figure 7 shows the roof of the Figure 6 with a layer of tiles installed in the opaque covering.

Detailed Description

There is a growing trend cwards fitting conservatories with opague roofs because they tend to result in less temperature fluctuation in the conservatory. It is popular for existing conservatories, having translucent/transparent roofs, to be retro-fitted with an opague roof. Many known designs of retro-fitted opague roofs tend to reguire assembly of all the roof frame members on site, using bespoke fittings, to form the roof frame. This can be time-consuming and can be disrupting from the customer's point of view.

Figures 1 to 4 and 6 to 7 show an opague roof for a conservatory being constructed according to a first embodiment of the invention. The roof is shown being constructed in the absence of the conservatory buc it will be appreciated that the same process can be used when installing and constructing the roof on-site.

Referring first to Figure 1 the roof frame 1 (shown only partially constructed in Figures 1 to 3) comprises a ring frame 3 and a roof module 5 atcached thereto.

The ring frame 3 is made of four regularised timber struts 4 (only one of which is visible in Figure 1, and two of which are visible in Figure 3) . The struts 4 are arranged in a rectangle to match the footprint of the conservatory to which the roof is to be fitted. The struts 4 have a -10 -tetragcnal cross-section; inner face 4a cf each strut 4 is inclined at 25 degrees to the vertical whereas the upper-outer face 4b is inclined at 25 degrees below the horizontal (i.e. degrees to the inner face 4a) . The other faces are vertical and horizontal and are shaped such that the beam may be received on top of the perimeter walls of the conservatory.

The roof module 5 shown in Figure 1 comprises three equally-spaced parallel rafters 7 which extend between a lower support 9 and an upper support 11. when installed on the ring beam 3, the lower support 9 of the module 5 is juxtaposed the inner face 4a of the strut 4, and the rafters 7 extend perpendicularly from the lower support 9 such that the rafters 7 are inclined at 25 degrees (cc form a roof having a 25 degree pitch) . The upper support 11 is orientated vertically such that the rafters 7 adjoin the upper support 11 at an angle of 65 degrees.

The rafters 7 and the upper and lower supports 9, 11 of the module 5 are all made from glue laminated timber (GluLam) which has been found to have especially beneficial properties for this type of application. The non-end rafters 7 and the upper and lower supports 9, 11 of the module 5 are also all the same width and height (namely 45mm and 150mm respectively in this enbodiment) , but are cut to the appropriate lengths for the particular design of roof. The end rafter 7 in the h module (which will adjoin an adjacent module) is half-thickness (described in more detail below with reference to Figure 2) The nodule 5 in Figure 1 has been pre-assembled at a location remote from the roof and the conservatory. Using a pre-asseinbied roof module of this type has been found to be especially beneficial in terms of reducing on-site construction times. For example, rather than assemble a complicated aluminium structure (e.g. with dedicated brackets

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for each member) , the roof frame 1 of the present invention can be rapidly constructed by simply attaching other roof modules 5 to the ring beam as described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3. This is especially beneficial in the field of retro-fitting opaque conservatory roofs where fast installation times are desirable.

Figure 2 shows the roof frame 1 with a further two roof modules 5 attached to am opposimg strut 4 of the ring frame 3.

For the sake of clarity not all elements have beem labelled in Figure 2 (e.g. only three rafters 7 on the rear, right-hand module are labelled) Each roof module 5 is substamtially identical. As shown by the two furthest modules in Figure 2, the upper supports 11 of opposing modules 5 in the roof frame 1 are attached to one another thereby forming part of a ridge beam of the roof frame 1. Adjacent rafters 7 on adjacent modules are also juxtaposed thereby forming effectively a rwo-piece rafter every three rafters along the frame (e.g. The third rafter on the right-hand side of Figure 2) . Since the end-rafters of each module are half width (22.5mm), the total thickness of the two-piece rafter is the same as the other rafters (45mm) Figure 3 shows the roof frame 1 with all six modules 5 fitted (three on each side) . The upper supports 11 of all the modules form the ridge beam member along the ridge of the roof frame. The end of the roof frame (foremost in Figure 3) will later be formed by simply assembling individual rafters in a conventional way to form the end-slope of the roof (see Figure 4 for example) . That process is not described in detail here.

Figure 3 also shows a plywood panel 13 attached to the outer-most side of the first roof module (see Figure 1) Figure 4 shows the roof frame 1 with all the plywood panels 13 attached. This plywood layer forms an opaque barrier and also acts as a surface onto which tiles 15 may be attached. In -12 -that respect, Figures 6 and 7 show the tiles 15 partially and fully fitted onto the plywood panels 13 respectively. The lower edge of the tiles 15 procrudes over the ring beam 4 and is supported on a metal sheet 17 which is attached (along its upper edge) to the plywood panels 13 and the upper-outer surface 4b of the ring beam 3.

Insulation in the form of multiple Polyisocyanurate (FIR) sheets is inserted into the voids in each roof module defined between adjacent rafters, the upper and the lower supports, and the opaque covering (plywood, membrane, tiles etc.). Such voids are identifiable from Figure 3 (albeit with the opaque covering not yet installed) . Tigure 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention having the insulation 19 installed in situ in said voids. In the second embodiment the insulation 19 is fitted before the opaque covering is fitted, whereas in the first embodimenc the insulation is fitted after the opague covering. In both embodiments, the insulation 19 is cut to size and held in the voids by way of an interference fit. The insulation 19 is wholly contained within the depth of the rafters 7 (i.e. the insulation has a thickness of less than the height of each rafter and does not protrude below the void) . By acconodating the insulation within the depth of the rafters 7, the overall thickness of the roof may be reduced (in comparison to arrangements in which the insulation is fitted onto the underside of the rafters thereby adding to the overall thickness) . In other embodiments (not shown) the insulation may be fitted before the opaque covering is applied.

Once the insulation is inserted into all the voids on each module, plasterboard panels (not shown) are fitted to the underside of the roof by fastening them onto the rafters. The insulation is therefore enclosed in the void and the roof -13 -frame and insulation are not visible form the interior of the conservatory.

The installation of the opaque roof has then been completed. It will be appreciated from the above that this embodiment of the invention enables relatively fast installation of a relatively thin opaque conservatory roof.

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a particular embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims.

Claims

-14 -Ciaims 1. A roof module oomprising a plurality of rafters extending between an upper support for forming at least part of a ridge beam, and a lower support for fastening to a ring beam, the module being for use with a plurality of other substantially identical modules, to form a roof frame of a conservatory, to which an opaque covering may be fitted, the roof frame comprising a ring beam to which the lower support of the roof module may be fastened.
2. A roof module according to claim 1, comprising insulation between adjacent rafters, the insulation being wholly contained within the depth of The rafters in the roof module.
3. A roof module according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the roof nodule comprises a covering fitted to the underside of the roof module.
4. A roof module according to claim 3, the covering enclosing the insulation such That when the module is in the roof frame, the insulation is sandwiched between the covering on the module and the opaque covering fitted on the roof frame.
5. A roof module according to any preceding claim, wherein the rafters are timber rafters.
6. A roof module according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper and lower supports are timber supports.

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7. A roof module according to claim 6, wherein the rafters and the upper support and/or the lower support are substantially identical in one dimension.
8. A roof module according to claim 7, wherein the rafters and the upper support and/or the lower support are substantially identical in two dimensions.
9. A roof module according to claim 8, wherein the two dimensions are the depth and width of the rafters and/or upper and lower supports.
10. A roof module according to any preceding claim, wherein the rafters are parallel.