Glass v Polycarbonate

Macy

Hi,

In the process of looking at green houses, and just wondered what the thoughts are on pro's and con's of glass v polycarbonate?
Increased light v increased insulation is the main one I've found, but presumably there is also a safety advantage of polycarbonate? But also easier to replace individual panes of glass if they get damaged?

Any advice gratefully received? And also on suppliers? Looking at B&Q at the moment - I fully expect to get what I pay for, but at the moment the price is right.

Gordon Gekko

I went for glass - then again, I've no kiddies to worry about!

I think the insulation benefits of polycarbonate are somewhat overstated, at least from the large amount of research I did on the web. Glass deffo lets in way more light, and is significantly cheaper too. The main benefit of polycarbonate is the safety issue, which is a big thing if you have small children.

I believe polycarbonate can discolour and also become brittle/prone to cracks caused by ultra-violet light.

I bought mine from Polydome in Co. Offaly - they are the cheapest I could find in Ireland, and they have a huge selection. I found them v. helpful - I pestered them for months with emails before I actually bought from them, and they always replied promptly and with good advice.

I got them to construct it for me - DO NOT believe what suppliers say about any half-competent DIYer being able to do it in a weekend - I helped them a small bit in building it, and just kept thinking what an unbelievable nightmare it would be to build it myself - it'd take me about 2 years!! They had it up and finished in two days.

P.S. I have no connection with them other than as a customer.

Macy

Cheers for the link.... but you see now I get tempted for the 3.6m x 6m polytunnel instead.... :eek: