buyer s guide - conservatory quotes comparison · right conservatory and builder and have it put up...

Buyer’s Guide

www.conservatory-quotes-uk.co.uk

Page 1: Introduction

-3: The design of the conservatory

Page 4: Choosing a supplier

Page 5: Do I need planning consent?

Page 6: First steps

Page 7: Existing conservatories

Page 8: Works gets underway

Page 9: Maintenance

Conservatory Quotes - Buyer’s Guide: Content

http://www.conservatory-quotes-uk.co.uk/

1


After an extension, a conservatory is the

largest addition to your home that you are

likely to build. It is a major structural

addition and, in most cases, will require the

homeowner to go through a similar process

to when planning and building a major

extension – having plans drawn up,

obtaining the relevant planning consent,

choosing a supplier and contractor, getting

building work signed off by an inspector and

final snagging.

It sounds daunting, but it need not be. We’ve

put together this buyer’s guide to make the

process as simple and as painless as

possible. By following this advice, a

homeowner should be able to choose the

right conservatory and builder and have it

put up in the shortest possible time.

For more information, visit our website:


If you have any queries do not hesitate to

call our helpline, on 0845 838 2107.

Conservatory Quotes - Buyer’s Guide: Introduction



2


The design of

the conservatory

Conservatories come in a number of different

styles, shapes and sizes. While they have

traditionally been additions to detached

houses, the number of options for the owner

of a smaller home is growing and there are

designs that will suit both semi-detached and

terraced houses.

Conservatories generally fall into five main

categories: the historic look (Edwardian and

Victorian styles), modern designs

(Mediterranean and Pavilion), lean-to

conservatories, gable-end conservatories and

P-shaped constructions. A quick search on the

web for each of these will show clearly what

they look like and give the homeowner a good

idea of what one might look like as an

addition to the property.

Victorian-style conservatories are ideal

for period properties and also add a

touch of traditional class to modern

houses. These conservatories have

attractive bay ends, decorative finials and

roof crestings. They are often used as

extra living space, dining rooms or even

sitting rooms. Because they are generally

large, Victorian conservatories tend to

increase the value of a property. Prices

are higher than for other styles.

Edwardian-style conservatories feature

are geometric designs, maximising the

floor space whilst not being as expensive

as Victorian styles. These conservatories

have 25 degree pitched roofs with doors

on any of the three sides making them

more configurable than Victorian ones.

Mediterranean conservatories are less

expensive than either of the period

choices. They are just as practical and are

increasing in popularity, particularly in

towns and cities. These work well on

most house styles and are also suitable

for bungalows or houses with low eaves

or even flat roofs. Because they come

with roof pitches of less than 10 degrees,

Mediterranean-style conservatories are

less intrusive where there are close

neighbours or in terraces. They can be

configured to have double doors

installed on any of the three sides.

Pavilion conservatories are making a bit

of a comeback because of their timeless

and simple designs that make them look

more modern or contemporary than the

other options. Costs are similar to

Mediterranean conservatories, although

they are less suitable for bungalows and

houses with low eaves because their roof

pitches are generally 25 degrees.

Pavilions have less obtrusive framing

making them feel lighter and airier than

other options. With floor to ceiling glass

panels and a 25 degree pitched roof,

pavilion conservatories feel light, airy and

spacious inside.

Conservatory Quotes - Buyer’s Guide


3



Beyond the generic design, the choices

multiply, particularly if the buyer is

considering something more bespoke

than an off-the-shelf design:

1. How many doors are needed and what

design should they be – French doors,

patio or bi-folding?

2. Dwarf walls or full height? While full

height conservatories are the most

affordable options, they are not always

the most practical. It’s true that they

maximise the available light and give you

full-length views of your garden but they

are less insulated (making them colder in

winter and hotter in summer) and you

cannot install electrical circuits in them or

place furniture against the panels. On the

flip side, they take less time to construct.

Although they take a little more time to

put up, dwarf wall conservatories feel

much more like a solid addition to your

home and can be made to blend in much

more easily. You can add electrical

circuits and power sockets in dwarf wall

conservatories as well as positioning

furniture along exterior edges and

decorate the walls themselves.

3. What sort of windows do you want –

wooden or UPVC frames? While wooden

windows are considered more attractive

and more in keeping with historic

designs, UPVC windows are generally less

expensive and require less maintenance.

4. How many windows will the conservatory

need and will these be fully-opening

designs or simple openers?

5. Consider the lighting and supplying the

conservatory with electricity.

6. Privacy may be important, particularly

when neighbours overlook the plot

where the conservatory is to be built.

7. Does the back of the house have a

southern aspect? Conservatories on the

south side of the house will become hot

in the summer without sufficient shading

but also act to warm the rest of the

house during the winter.

8. Consider blinds, particularly in the roof

lights. Sitting in glaring sunshine inside

what can effectively become a

greenhouse might quickly become

uncomfortable.

9. How big is the garden? While a large

conservatory might be attractive as a

showpiece, building one that encroaches

too much on the garden may be a

mistake in the long term and could

negatively affect the value of the

property.

10. Heating needs to be considered. This

might seem counterintuitive during the

summer but all that glass (even if it is

triple glazed) means that the

conservatory can become very cold in the

winter, particularly at night.


4


Choosing a supplier

There are an enormous number of

companies that supply and build

conservatories. We are all familiar with the

horror stories of companies that build a faulty

conservatory, one that leaks or is unsafe and

then disappear, never to be seen again.

The homeowner can avoid these and other

pitfalls by ensuring that the suppliers the

quotes are obtained from are members of

FENSA – the government competence scheme

which governs the suppliers and installers of

double glazing, as well as being Guild

Approved Ultra Frame Installers and,

preferably, the Conservatory Association.

These schemes and associations all have

codes of practice which members are obliged

to follow. Your eventual supplier and installer

should have a third-party complaints process

which can be called upon to judge on financial

disagreements and enforce a settlement.

It is generally good practice with building

projects to obtain at least three quotes before

settling on the one that you are happiest with

and the installation of a conservatory should

be no different.



5


Do I need planning consent?

This depends on what type of conservatory

you are considering, be it a full conservatory

or a simple sunroom. As well as guiding

whether you need planning permission for

the building, choosing a conservatory over a

sunroom also affects the situation when it

comes to building regulations.

For planning purposes, a conservatory is

defined as a building where 75 per cent of the

roof is made from translucent material, not

less than half of the wall area is translucent,

can either be heated or unheated and is

separated from the main house by

exterior doors.

In most cases, conservatories which meet

these guidelines do not require planning

permission because they fall under the

category of ‘permitted development’.

Sunrooms on the other hand generally do

require planning permission because they are

classed as single-storey extensions.

In most cases, a sunroom is added onto an

existing structure and has a non-translucent

roof with either tiles or slates.

But there are other planning guidelines to

consider when it comes to conservatories.

The building will also have to meet the

following requirements:

It must not be larger than half the size of the

existing house and must not be wider than

its width.

It must not front a road with verandas,

balconies or raised platforms.

The roof must not be higher than the roof on

the house or include eaves higher than three

metres when it is within two metres of the

boundary of the property.

There are further restrictions if the property is

located in a National Park, an Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty or a

Conservation Area which could mean that

planning permission has to be obtained even

if the building classifies as a conservatory.

Both Wales and Scotland have different

planning rules governing the building of

conservatories or sunrooms so you should

check with your local authority.

Ignoring any planning guidance when you

need to obtain permission could result in a

£5,000 fine and the local authority could insist

that the conservatory is demolished.

The conservatory supplier and installer –

particularly if they are registered with one of

the trusted industry bodies – will be able to

advise you on planning rules and, if

necessary, handle the entire planning

permission process as well as obtaining

building regulations sign off from the

local authority.



6


First steps

When the homeowner has chosen the

installer, the necessary permissions have

been obtained and work gets underway, a full

technical survey will be drawn up which will

result in a detailed construction drawing of

the new conservatory being created. This will

then be sent to the factory where much of the

structure will be prefabricated, ready to be

installed on site.

A project manager will then be on site to draw

up plans for the groundwork and excavation,

removal of the spoil, building the foundations

(including new drainage or rerouting existing

waste pipes), quantities of materials needed

and a full build schedule.

The technical drawings will include levels and

alignments. While most conservatories are

constructed on level ground, there are

gardens and plots which slope and this may

require additional stabilisation and

earthworks resulting in greater upheaval in

your garden and more spoil.

Careful consideration will be given to the

height of any damp proof membrane (DPM) –

if there is one – in the existing house and

where the conservatory’s DPM should meet it

to avoid causing problems with rising damp.

Where this is likely to cause problems,

particularly in older houses which do not have

DPMs, the company may recommend a

suspended floor instead of a solid base which

may affect the choice of floor covering (tiles,

vinyl, floorboards etc).

Although a full technical survey should have

been carried out, there are occasions where

unforeseen obstacles can lengthen the time it

takes to build a conservatory and increase

costs. Your contract will tell you what to

expect in terms of extra payments should the

contractor come across an obstacle which

wasn’t picked up in the survey. Obstacles

might include: drainage problems, gas or

mains water pipes, mains electricity cables,

old wells, foundations for demolished

buildings and subsidence caused by

water run-off.



7



Existing conservatories

Conservatories have been around for a long

time and while original Victorian and

Edwardian structures retain their appeal,

more recent ones (particularly those built

in the 1960s and 70s) tend to look tired

and dated.

If you want to replace an existing

conservatory it is highly unlikely that much if

any of the existing building will be retained.

The older structure will have to be

demolished or dismantled and removed

safely from the site before any work can start

on the new one.


8


Works gets underway

It may take several weeks between the

technical survey being carried out and work

actually getting underway. That may be

because of prefabrication in the factory and

to allow time for the necessary materials to

be ordered and delivered to the site.

It’s surprising how much material is needed

even for a smaller structure. Bricks,

blockwork, sand and cement will all have to

be delivered and basic foundations and wall

bases completed before work can get

underway on the conservatory itself. You

should be prepared – as with any other

building work – for disruption and mess

during the early building stages that involve

so-called ‘wet’ materials.

The first step is for a trench to be dug half a

metre wide by half a metre deep. This may be

subject to change dependent upon slopes,

soil conditions and what other buildings are

close to the site. That trench is going to

generate a lot of spoil (a conservatory with a

16 square metre footprint will generate more

than four tons of spoil) and this waste will

have to be placed in skips.

Concrete is then poured into the trench and

the cavity wall is then built up to the level of

the DPM (generally to a height of 60cm).

Concrete is then poured onto the footprint to

make the slab that the building and floor will

sit on. Brickwork to match the style required

by the owner is then constructed on top of

the DPM level.

Once the base work has been completed and

any electrical circuits installed, the frames,

windows and doors are fitted and secured to

the cavity walls using frame anchor bolts.

There will probably be a vertical DPM to stop

damp travelling between the new

conservatory and into the walls of the

existing house.

Where the conservatory roof is to meet the

existing house, lead flashing will be used to

weatherproof the join before the roof itself

is installed.

Finally, the glazing is installed in all of the

frames and the entire building is cleaned.



9


Maintenance

UPVC conservatories require little

maintenance other than regular cleaning to

keep the frame and roof free from algae.

Wooden conservatories are a different

matter. While powder coated aluminium

cappings are used on the roof beams and

glass giving a life expectancy of at least a

decade, the wood will require regular

maintenance. Softwood conservatories will

need to be repainted at least every two years

to prevent rot (particularly at the base of

windows) while the glass should be regularly

cleaned to prevent build up of algae where it

meets the wooden frame. Many windows

now come with self cleaning glass and you

should check the manufacturer’s instructions.

Hardwood conservatories (non-oak) should

be treated with micro-porous paints or stains

every five years, but hardwoods with very

high resin contents should be treated

more regularly.

Oak conservatories which are unpainted

(these have a classic weathered, silver look)

will have to be oiled every few years to

protect the wood whilst allowing it to age

gracefully. If you want to retain a newer oak

look, then the frames should be oiled much

more frequently.

Doors, windows and locks should all be

regularly cleaned while the locks themselves

should be oiled every six months.



buyer s guide - conservatory quotes comparison · right conservatory and builder and have it put up...

Documents