Guardian vs LivinRoof: which conservatory roof is better?

On warmth there is almost nothing between these two: each quotes a U-value of 0.15 W/m²K as standard. The real differences are the look, the weight, how much glass you can keep and how the guarantee is backed. Guardian is a tiled warm roof sold through a licence network of certified fabricators and installers. LivinRoof, made by Ultraframe in Clitheroe, is a solid roof of grey insulated panels built on Ultraframe’s glass roof chassis, which puts it closer to a hybrid roof than a tiled one.

We have not tested either roof. The figures below are what the makers publish unless we say otherwise, and third-party figures are labelled as such.

Guardian vs LivinRoof at a glance

	Guardian Warm Roof	LivinRoof
Maker	Guardian Building Systems Ltd (Irish origin; UK company number not confirmed)	Ultraframe (UK) Ltd, Clitheroe, trading since 1983
Construction	Prefabricated insulated roof on a lightweight aluminium frame; installer build-up of plywood deck, two 50mm insulation layers and 72mm insulated plasterboard	Ultraframe glass roof chassis with thermally broken rafters, 25mm external insulated panels, 90mm plus 25mm insulation inside, plasterboard and skim
U-value (W/m²K)	0.15 England, 0.13 Wales, 0.12 Scotland	0.15 standard, 0.12 option
Weight	No maker figure; about 55 kg/m² (ConservatoryRoofCosts.co.uk)	31 kg/m² including plasterboard (Ultraframe)
Roof finish	Guardian Esprit Shingle, Metrotile Shingle, Guardian Slate	Grey (RAL7016) aluminium-faced panels, not tiles
Glazed options	Guardian Solstice rooflight, VELUX roof windows	Glass can replace any panel, in almost any shape
Certification	LABC and HBC approved, LABSS (Scotland), BRE tested including fire tests of finishes, TrustMark Scheme Provider from 2025	BBA-certified glass roof chassis, MFA and Stroma pre-approved, LABC Registered Detail EWS529, fire tested by Warringtonfire
Guarantee	10 years product plus 10 years installer workmanship, insurance-backed (Guardian)	10-year parts guarantee; installer warranties vary
Installer network	Certified fabricators and installers; about 70 installers (ExpertSure estimate)	Ultraframe approved installers; about 35 dealers (ExpertSure estimate)
Typical fitted price	£7,500 to £14,500; most 14 to 18 m² Edwardian or Victorian roofs £9,000 to £11,500 (ExpertSure, May 2026, VAT not stated)	£9,500 to £15,500 incl VAT; 15 to 20 m² Victorian £11,500 to £14,000 (ExpertSure, May 2026)

Which is warmer, Guardian or LivinRoof?

On paper, neither. Both quote 0.15 W/m²K as standard, which is the limit Approved Document L sets for a new roof in England. Guardian also publishes 0.13 for Wales and 0.12 for Scotland, matching the tighter targets there, and Ultraframe offers a 0.12 LivinRoof build. Guardian says its figures are BRE assessed. Older sources quote 0.18 for both.

The bigger variable is glass. ExpertSure notes that adding glazed panels to LivinRoof reduces its thermal advantage, and the same is true of roof windows in a Guardian roof: in England a roof window only has to reach 1.4 W/m²K, roughly nine times the heat loss of the solid roof around it. A LivinRoof with a lot of glass will lose more heat than a mostly solid Guardian roof. If winter warmth is the main aim, keep the glass to what you need. Our guide to tiled conservatory roofs explains how much difference the roof makes to the room overall.

Weight and structure: will your conservatory take it?

LivinRoof is the lighter roof by the published numbers. Ultraframe gives 31 kg/m² including the plasterboard, the lowest figure for any solid roof in our research. Guardian publishes no weight per square metre. ConservatoryRoofCosts.co.uk puts it at about 55 kg/m², and ExpertSure quotes 18 kg/m² for the tiles alone, so treat the Guardian figure as a third-party estimate.

Weight matters because your existing frames carry the new roof. LABC, which represents council building control in England and Wales, says frames built for a polycarbonate roof may only have enough reinforcement for that load, and inspectors check for a steel core by drilling pilot holes or using a magnet. Where there is none you may need new frames or extra posts. LABC also says a lightweight composite solid roof typically adds less than 10% to the load of a glazed roof, and trial holes are usually dug to check the foundations.

Two design details are worth knowing. LivinRoof’s LABC certificate says bi-folding doors under the roof must be bottom supported, not top hung. Guardian’s installer guide notes that its box gutter insulation sits 82mm below the aluminium, so there must be clearance for opening sashes and doors. LivinRoof also goes down to a 5 degree pitch, which helps on low lean-tos. Our guide to the checks for a solid roof explains what the surveyor looks at.

Looks and finishes

This is where the two differ most. Guardian is a tiled roof. You can choose Guardian Esprit Shingle (Greenstone, Coal-Black, Charcoal or Scarlet), Metrotile Shingle in seven colours, or Guardian Slate, a synthetic slate in Black, Grey, Mulberry or Terracotta. Inside you get an insulated plasterboard ceiling, ready to plaster.

LivinRoof has no tiles. The outside is grey aluminium-faced insulated panels in RAL7016 Urban Grey, which Ultraframe describes as a rolled lead look, with a black gutter or a powder-coated cornice in grey, frame-matching or bespoke colours. Inside is a vaulted plastered ceiling with an insulated pelmet round the edge, 300mm deep as standard and up to 1,200mm, which can take downlights or speakers. Ultraframe itself says the grey look may not match the main house roof. If your house has a tiled or slate roof and you want the conservatory to look like part of it, Guardian is the more natural fit.

Light: roof windows or glass panels?

LivinRoof is the better choice if you want real daylight through the roof. Ultraframe says glass panels can replace any of the grey panels, in almost any shape including triangles, without additional cost, and performance glass is available. You could glaze the section over a doorway into a kitchen and keep the rest solid.

Guardian offers the Solstice rooflight, a sealed glazed panel, and VELUX roof windows from centre-pivot to contemporary designs, and installers also list sun tunnels and LED spotlights. That brings light in at chosen points, but it is a solid roof with openings rather than a roof built around glass.

Guarantees, and what happens if your installer stops trading

Both brands sell only through independent firms, so the installer is the company you contract with and, usually, the one that stands behind the workmanship.

Guardian lists a 10-year product guarantee and a 10-year workmanship guarantee from the certified installer, and says the cover is insurance-backed if the installer ceases trading. Ultraframe gives LivinRoof a 10-year parts guarantee and says installer warranties vary. ExpertSure reports that the LivinRoof guarantee is not insurance-backed.

An insurance-backed guarantee (IBG) is what protects you if the installer goes bust: it underwrites the installer’s written guarantee and is issued by FCA-regulated providers such as HomePro. A maker’s parts guarantee covers components, not the fitting. Whichever roof you choose:

• Ask for the IBG policy document and the insurer’s name, not just the phrase in a brochure.
• Keep any deposit to 25% or less, as Citizens Advice suggests, and ask whether it is protected.
• Pay by credit card where you can: section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act covers single items over £100 and up to £30,000.

Our guide to conservatory roof guarantees explains the different kinds of cover.

Price and value for money

On ExpertSure’s 2026 figures Guardian is the cheaper of the two: £7,500 to £14,500 fitted, with most 14 to 18 m² Edwardian or Victorian roofs at £9,000 to £11,500. LivinRoof runs from £9,500 to £15,500 including VAT, with a 15 to 20 m² Victorian roof at £11,500 to £14,000 and a 14 to 18 m² Edwardian at £10,500 to £12,500. ExpertSure does not say whether its Guardian range includes VAT, so treat the gap as rough. ConservatoryCost.com puts Guardian at £900 to £1,400 per m² installed.

For context, our 2026 range for a fitted tiled roof on a medium conservatory (about 4m x 3.5m, across four common shapes) is £7,400 to £12,100, typically about £9,600. Our general hybrid range is £6,600 to £12,600, and branded LivinRoof prices run above it. See tiled roof costs for what moves the price, such as frame reinforcement, plastering and lighting. The extra you may pay for LivinRoof buys glass wherever you want it, which counts for less if you want a mostly solid roof.

Reported problems

These are reviewers’ reports, attributed; we have not verified individual cases.

• Guardian: Guardian Building Systems scores 3.3 out of 5 from 21 Trustpilot reviews (checked 27 September 2026), with 71% five-star and 24% one-star. Low-star themes include installers going into liquidation and leaving customers without recourse, with reviewers saying Guardian told them responsibility lay with the installer; building control paperwork not obtained; and leaks, water staining, condensation and tile fading appearing years later. Individual Guardian installers can score far higher, for example NECS Group t/a Guardian Roofs UK at 4.9 from 101 reviews.
• LivinRoof: Ultraframe’s Trustpilot page covers all its products and shows 4.4 from 115 reviews. Some reviewers describe intermittent leaks on LivinRoof installations fixed only after several service visits, and others report water getting in at box gutters and flashing on older installations. Ultraframe replies to negative reviews.

Review counts are small and none of this proves a design fault, but it shows the installer matters as much as the system.

Guardian or LivinRoof: which should you choose?

• You want the roof to look like tiles or slate: Guardian.
• A kitchen or living room behind the conservatory relies on light through the roof: LivinRoof, with glass where you need it.
• You have a low lean-to with a shallow pitch: LivinRoof, which goes down to 5 degrees.
• You want the widest choice of local installers: Guardian, which ExpertSure estimates has about 70 against about 35 for LivinRoof.
• Insurance-backed cover matters most to you: Guardian says its guarantee is insurance-backed; with LivinRoof, ask each installer exactly what they offer.
• Your frames are borderline for weight: LivinRoof is lighter on published figures, but get a structural survey either way.

Our full Guardian Warm Roof review and LivinRoof review cover each system in more depth. When you get quotes, ask each installer to name the system and its U-value, say who applies for building control, and put in writing who backs the guarantee. Our guide to comparing quotes has a full checklist.