The short answer
The time depends on the roof, not a fixed number of days. A like-for-like glazed or polycarbonate swap is quicker than a solid roof, because the solid version adds timber, insulation, a new covering and building control inspections. The size of the conservatory, the access and the weather all move the finish date, so we give the programme in writing after the survey.
The usual order of work on site
A conservatory re-roof follows the same sequence whichever new roof goes on. First comes access and protection: a ladder or tower, dust sheets over the furniture and floor, and the old roof checked for fragile panels before anyone steps near it.
The old covering then comes off. That means glazing units or polycarbonate sheets, the glazing bars (the aluminium or uPVC rafters that hold the panels), and the ridge and cappings along the top. The roofer inspects the eaves beam, the horizontal frame that carries the roof weight, and the wall plate where the roof meets the house.
Repairs to the frame come next, since a new roof is only as sound as what it sits on. Then the new structure goes up: bars or timber, the covering, the ridge, the flashing against the house wall and the gutter line.
Finishing is slower than it looks. Sealing, trimming, internal plastering on a solid roof and clearing the garden all take time, and on a tiled roof the covering is laid course by course. Because every step depends on the one before, a missing part or a frame defect found late holds the whole job.
Why a solid roof takes longer than glass
A glazed or polycarbonate roof is largely factory-made. The sheets and bars arrive cut to size, so most of the work is fitting. A solid roof is built on site in layers: rafters, insulation, a vapour control layer, battens, the tiles or slates, then the ceiling finish below.
On the Planning Portal's guidance, Building Regulations apply to the replacement roof itself, covering its structure, its energy use and its ventilation. A solid replacement therefore brings in a building control body: the council's team, or a private firm on the register of approvers. Where the house is in Rushmoor or Hart, the Hart and Rushmoor Building Control Partnership handles it, on 01252 398715.
Inspections are timed against the build. The inspector usually wants to see work before it is covered up, such as the structure and the insulation, so the roofer cannot close in the roof until the visit has happened. Booking those visits early, and agreeing them before the job starts, keeps the gap between stages short. Our page on conservatory roof planning permission explains how the planning side differs from Building Regulations.
Weather and what can hold a job up
A conservatory is open to the sky once the old roof is off, so the rain forecast matters more here than on almost any other roofing job. Met Office averages for South Farnborough (1991 to 2020) show rainfall of about 715 mm a year over 118 wet days, plus around 53 air-frost days. With that many wet days, a sensible roofer plans each stage so the room can be closed in by the end of the working day.
Temporary sheeting protects the interior overnight, but wind lifts it, and a roofer will not strip the whole roof if the next day looks poor. Sealants and adhesives also have temperature limits, so a hard frost can pause the finishing work even when it is dry. Our page on replacing a conservatory roof in winter covers that in more detail.
Other causes of delay are less visible:
- a rotten eaves beam or wall plate found once the old roof is off;
- made-to-measure glazing that is late from the supplier;
- a scaffold licence where the work reaches a public road or pavement.
A fair programme names these risks at the start rather than promising a fixed finish.
What we confirm before the job starts
On the survey we measure the roof, photograph the frame, the eaves beam and the wall junction, and note how the conservatory is reached from the garden and the house. Those facts set the programme far more than the roof's age does.
You see the photos, and we talk through what they show. If a solid roof is on the table, we say at that stage which inspections building control will want, who books them and what they mean for the order of work, so there are no surprises on day three.
The same survey tells us whether a repair would do instead. A roof with a few failed seals or one cracked panel may not need replacing, and a repair takes far less time than a re-roof. Our conservatory roof options page compares the coverings if you are still choosing, and the conservatory roofs hub sets out the whole service.
One written price arrives after the survey, with the expected programme beside it, so you know which days the room will be open to the sky and which days it will be closed in.
