Self Support Roofing

The self support glazing bars system from the Glazing shop is of the highest quality. It has been engineered and designed for a high end finish, strength and ease of installation. The self support glazing bars accommodate 16mm, 25mm, 32mm and 35mm multiwall Polycarbonate Sheets or 16mm and 24mm Glass units. 

This system contains all the elements required for a complete self supporting Lean To roof including:

• End Glazing bars – for the left and right edges of your self supporting roof
• Main glazing bars – for in between the sheets of your roof glazing
• Wallplate – for fixing the high end of your self support roof to the wall
• Choice of eaves beams – The system eaves beam for when structural support is not needed under it e.g in a conservatory or other enclosed space. Alternatively choose the aluminium eaves beam for when support is needed beneath e.g for a canopy – please check the spanning capabilities

Structural Guidelines for building your Self Supported roof

You need to consider the strength needed in your self supporting glazing bars whether you are building a Self-support roof for a canopy, conservatory or car port. As you cannot rely upon wooden rafters to provide any structural strength, it important that the centres of your self supporting glazing bars (the spans between them) are within the guidelines given for that roof system.

The following chart shows the centres for The Glazing Shop Self Support Glazing bars over a range of projections. This shows the recommended spans for conservatory roofs. As you can see recommended centres are different if you are using these bars for glazing a polycarbonate roof or if you are using glass. 

 

You simply choose either polycarbonate or glass as shown on the chart and follow the graph to see how wide apart your self support glazing bars centres can be e.g. If you are making a polycarbonate roof with a 4m projection, the maximum space between your bars is 500mm. Alternatively If you want just a 3m projection your centres can be as wide as 1000mm provided your polycarbonate is thick enough (please see below).

For glass you follow the same principles and as you can see you could not have a 4m projection in glass, the maximum at 500mm centres would be around 3.3m as glass is heavier and deflects more. For a glass roofed canopy (or other open structure) we would recommend keeping the centres of your self support glazing bars at around 500mm even for smaller projections. If in doubt check with your glass supplier.

Maximum recommended sheet widths based on Multiwall Polycarbonate sheet thickness

The following are our conservatory roof guidelines for maximum centres based upon each polycarbonate sheet thicknesses. The centres of the self support glazing bars in the above chart may in some cases be bigger than those given for the sheet thickness. You must not exceed either the centres recommended for the bars or those for the thickness of the sheets, always go to the smaller of the two. For example: As you can see here you could glaze your 3m projection roof with 25mm and upwards of polycarbonate but 16mm would be restricted to 900mm centres. For a canopy we would recommend keeping the sheets no more than 900mm for all thicknesses.

 

Sheet Thickness	Maximum recommended width
16mm Triple wall Polycarbonate	900mm
25mm Multi wall Polycarbonate	1050mm
32mm & 35mm Multi wall Polycarbonate	1200mm

 

We also supply a full range of accessories for your self support roof, from wall bar adapters to sheet end closures to complete your project. We also have gutter clips that fit onto the eaves beam without the need for screws.

If you roof is polycarbonate, we supply all thicknesses of multiwall polycarbonate at highly competitive prices. We cut it to size for you at no extra cost so you only pay for what you use.

Also if you buy your polycarbonate from us you get 10% off your self supporting glazing bars!

Fitting instructions

For fitting instructions for our self support roof? Please see our Self support assembly instructions.

 

Why Choose Our Self-Support Glazing Bars?

Sleek Design with a range of options:

The whole system is available in a wide range of colours allowing you to achieve the finish you desire whether modern or more traditional.

Excellent Durability:

With strong, high-quality aluminium at their core, from the glazing bars to the purpose made wall plates and eaves beams. The roof parts have PVC cladding with built in gaskets to look great and withstand the elements. Giving you a trouble free roof for years to come.

Easy Installation:

Designed for hassle-free assembly, our glazing bars allow for quick and straightforward installation. Very popular with DIYers and professionals alike, saving you time and reducing fitting costs.

Very versatile:

Perfect for both residential and commercial projects, our self-supporting glazing bars are ideal for conservatories, verandas, canopies & car ports and many other applications. Our self support roof system is equally suited to multiwall polycarbonate and glass units

 

At the Glazing shop we aim to provide all the information you need to make informed decisions about the parts of your self-support roof. If you have any questions please call us on 01536 446395 and we will be very happy to help.