Short answer: the fitting itself is quick, usually 1 to 3 days. The part people forget is everything before it. Your panels are cut for your frame and nobody else's, and the paperwork has to be moving at the same time. So the useful question is not "how many days on site?" but "when can I sit in there?"
Three clocks run at once
Think of the job as three timers started on the same day.
- The factory clock. Once you accept the quote, the panels are made to the sizes we took at survey. This is the longest wait, at 3 to 5 weeks.
- The paperwork clock. Going solid takes the room out of the building regulations exemption that covers conservatories, which brings building control in. We settle the spec with the officer and lodge the application for you while the factory works.
- The fitting clock. 1 day for a small roof, 1 to 2 for medium, 2 to 3 for large. A single storey roof rarely calls for scaffold, so no time goes on putting it up and taking it down.
Because the first two run side by side, the paperwork rarely adds time on its own. The exceptions come further down.
A worked calendar: a 4 m by 3.5 m Edwardian
Take a 1990s detached house with a 4 m by 3.5 m Edwardian conservatory. That is 14 m² of floor, which puts it in our medium band. The owner wants one roof light over the sofa and new gutters. Here is how the weeks usually fall.
| When | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | You get an online guide price and book a survey | About 10 minutes with a tape measure |
| Week 1 | Survey: we measure every bar, check the frame and the house wall, then send a fixed written quote | Be in, and have colour and extras in mind |
| Weeks 1 to 2 | You accept; panels go on order; the building control application goes in | Sign and choose a fitting date |
| Weeks 2 to 5 | Panels are made; building control reviews the job | Nothing, apart from checking the forecast with us |
| Weeks 5 to 6 | Fitting: 1 to 2 days for this size | Clear the room the night before |
| After fitting | Building control inspects and issues the completion certificate | File it with your guarantee |
So this homeowner is sitting under a finished roof around five to six weeks after the survey. The certificate follows once the inspection is done.
Days on site by size
| Size band | A typical example | Days on site |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 12 m² of floor (small) | A 3 m square lean-to | 1 day |
| 12 to 25 m² of floor (medium) | A 4 m by 3.5 m Edwardian or Victorian | 1 to 2 days |
| Over 25 m² of floor (large) | A 6 m wide P-shape | 2 to 3 days |
A P-shaped roof takes longest, because it joins two roofs with a valley between them, and every panel along that line is cut to its own angle. A lean-to is the quickest, with one slope, one gutter and one wall joint.
What happens across a fitting day
- We sheet the floor and furniture and look over the frame again.
- The old sheets or glass come off, one section at a time, and go on the van for recycling.
- The glazing bars are cleaned and the new panels go in from the house wall outwards.
- Any roof light and wiring for spotlights goes in as the panels reach it.
- Trims, ridge and the flashing along the house wall are sealed.
- We finish inside, hoover up and walk you round the roof before we leave.
On a two day job we never leave the roof open overnight. Whatever comes off in the morning is closed in by the end of that day. The how we work page covers the survey and aftercare in more detail.
What can stretch the timeline
Planning permission
Most roof swaps need no planning application, since the room gets no bigger and no taller. Listed buildings, conservation areas, National Landscapes and national parks are another matter, and so is any home where the council has withdrawn permitted development rights. If an application is needed, councils aim to decide householder applications within 8 weeks, and that wait comes before fitting.
The building control route
Councils handle applications in two main ways. With a building notice, work can usually start 2 days after the notice goes in. With a full plans application, the council has 5 weeks to decide, or 2 months if you agree to extend. Both normally fit inside the factory wait. Not every officer reads the rules the same way for a roof conversion, which is why the spec is settled with them before anything is ordered.
Repairs found at survey
A split bar, a sagging gutter or a cracked dwarf wall is repaired first, and the roof follows. We tell you at survey, in writing, so it never turns up as a surprise on fitting day.
Weather
We will not strip a roof into a wet forecast. A rain day moves the date rather than risking your floor. Autumn and winter jobs are still very doable; see replacing a conservatory roof in winter.
How to keep your job on the short end
- Measure before you ring, so your guide price is close. Our guide to measuring a conservatory roof takes ten minutes.
- Decide colour, roof lights and spotlights by the end of the survey. Changing them after ordering resets the factory clock.
- Mention it early if the house is listed or sits in a conservation area.
- Offer two or three fitting dates, not one.
- Clear the room and the path down the side of the house the evening before.
Do you need to be at home?
Someone needs to let us in first thing and look over the finished roof with us. The hours in the middle are yours, so going to work is fine, though most people like to watch the old roof come off. The house stays usable throughout: keep the door between the house and the conservatory shut and the rest of the home carries on as normal.
Start the clocks
Get a figure for your roof in two minutes with build your roof, then use get my price to book the survey that starts all three clocks. Your 10 year insurance backed guarantee, explained on our guarantee page, begins on the day we finish.
Questions
Can a conservatory roof be replaced in one day?
Yes, if the floor is under 12 m², like a 3 m square lean-to. A medium roof needs 1 to 2 days, and anything over 25 m² needs 2 to 3.
Why is there a wait of 3 to 5 weeks before fitting?
Every panel is made to the measurements we take at survey, so nothing can be cut in advance. The building control application runs during the same weeks.
Will my conservatory be left open overnight?
No. We only take off what we can close in the same day, so the room is weathertight every night of the job.
Does building control slow the job down?
Rarely. We send the application while the panels are being made, so the two waits overlap.
