A conservatory is never going to be complete without a rooflight or roof lantern. It will ensure that the entire room is light and airy, giving it the feeling of bringing the outdoors inside. More often than not, a conservatory will have a roof lantern that will allow plenty of light to penetrate. This gives a conservatory the typical look and feel you would expect, providing a large, decorative roof that gives beautiful panoramic views outwards.

You could also opt for a flat glass rooflight or another type of skylight. However, this is usually not advisable if you want your new conservatory to have excellent aesthetic qualities. A flat glass rooflight would be better fitted into a flat roof on an extension.

Look at the options available for roof lanterns – some will be more ornate than others. You will be able to find something that matches the preferred aesthetic for your conservatory.

Roofs come in many different shapes and sizes. Flat, pitched, glass, GRP, fibreglass… the options are endless. Here are some roof types that will work well for homes and businesses wanting to remain robust in the harsh British climate:

• Bonnet roofs. These have a steeper upper slop and less sloping in the lower part, offering a kind of porch construction. They can be seen as old fashioned but work well on period homes.
• Box gable roofs. The roof slopes at the sides and meets in a triangle on top. This design will withstand rain and snow very well.
• Flat roof. Used on modern and commercial buildings, flat roofs incorporate a very small slope to prevent water buildup.
• Dormer. These can be built into a traditional pitched roof to create an additional window, usually when there is a loft room.
• Simple hip roof. All four sides a symmetrical with vertical sides or gables.

Modern flat roofed homes make use of some kind of lighting. This can take the form of electrical lights inside, or for a more decorative and natural feel, windows installed into the roof itself.

A flat roof window makes it easy to bring daylight and fresh air into a flat roof home. Flat roof windows are available in several sizes as venting or fixed installations with manual or electrical operation.

There are many different models to choose from. Some examples include the classic model with a convenient dome or the stylish flat glass version with discrete profiling.

Many roof products are also available with a flat glass solution featuring a beautifully integrated 4 mm hardened glass pane. This is a great way to enhance the light that comes into the space below. The flat glass stands out as a stylish and minimalist design feature with underlying black bordering and discrete profiling.

Make sure you get it right the first time with these tips on installing a rainwater guttering system.