Does this conservatory quote sound OK?

NannyOgg

Hi, hoping some kind person(s) can give me an opinion on a quote for a conservatory extension - we’re planning to knock out our kitchen wall and create an open-plan kitchen diner.

We’ve been quoted £9.5K by a local(ish) company for a ‘dwarf wall’ conservatory (1.9m x 4.2m) with French windows, glass roof and triple shield (?) glass all round. Price includes groundworks, surveyor costs, RSJ, plastering (including a bit of touching up on the existing kitchen ceiling), indoor guttering with downlights, one electrical socket and levelling/tiling floor throughout (we’ll supply floor tiles).

We’re in a terraced town house, offset with one neighbour, so they only need to create and L-shaped building to fill the gap, as it were.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quote but then I don’t know much about conservatories (or building in general, actually!) so second opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Meepster

Well, there does sound like there is a lot of work going into it. Especially it having a glass roof.

The only thing I would check is if they are members of any professional building associations. If they are, then go for it!

Lorian

I'd not heard of tripple shield so I googled:

"Instead of just K glass which meets current UK standards of insulation all our self build conservatories are supplied with Argon Gas filled Triple Shield performance double glazing as standard. Triple Shield is manufactured using a European glass with a higher level of insulation than K glass and which does not have the impaired vision or tint that is often associated with K glass."

thebaldwindowfitter

your price seems very high for the size and associated works unless there is a lot of work involved with rsj

thebaldwindowfitter

williamrobb88 wrote: »

I've been in this game 10 years .

Lorian, why would you put 'K' glass in a conservatory? It is not a neccesity.


Hope this helps

it is a necessity to have low"e" or "k" glass if the conservatory has any form of heating which it will have and also because by the sound of it there is no door between conservatory and house in order to comply with building regs and fensa which came into force in april 2002 something you should know if you have been in the "game" for ten years

NannyOgg

Thanks for the feedback so far guys :T

To clarify on some of the points you've raised...

mwilletts wrote: »

The only thing I would check is if they are members of any professional building associations.

Their paperwork declares they are FENSA registered - but I can't find them listed on the FENSA site; I've emailed an enquiry and am awaiting response on this.

williamrobb88 wrote:

Somebody please tell me what the surveyor costs are. What is the surveyor needed for?

The surveyor is coming out to measure up after the floor and walls have been done - so the conservatory will be made-to-measure, apparently (I thought they all were )

williamrobb88 wrote:

What's being levelled? Surely after they have dug the foundations they would level the ground themselves.

The floor is being raised to the same level as the kitchen floor is now - there's a step up from the back garden at the moment - I assumed this was what was meant by levelling the floor.

williamrobb88 wrote:

I've been in this game 10 years and have NEVER heard of triple shield EVER. This is obviously some sort of trade name etc.

Ask them to describe what this is.
Ask them is the glass Pilkington.

This what what I googled on Triple Shield this afternoon... I don't think it's Pilkington by the sound of it. Some sort of rival product I think... and the blurb makes it sound like an advancement on K glass but, since I ain't an expert or in the trade I could be wrong

a6windows wrote:

it is a necessity to have low"e" or "k" glass if the conservatory has any form of heating which it will have and also because by the sound of it there is no door between conservatory and house

Pretty much word-for-word how it was explained to us by the rep. And as the dividing wall will be taken down once the conservatory is erected, this will create a large open plan area at the back of the house, so insulation was a premium concern for us anyway.

a6windows wrote:

your price seems very high for the size and associated works unless there is a lot of work involved with rsj

No experience with rsj so don't know what constitutes 'a lot of work', but we're having the whole wall removed to merge the conservatory space with what's now a small kitchen/diner so the rsj that's in over the existing patio door needs to be replaced with one the width of the house.

Hope this clarifies - and sorry for the essay

ETA: Forgot to mention the window frames are to be rosewood on white - dunno if that makes a difference...

thebaldwindowfitter

williamrobb88 wrote: »

A6, I merely misread the thread (Sorry Nannyogg). However, A6, you seem very quick to correct & ridicule me. Please remind me, how many frames, doors or IGU's do you manufacture from your corner shop every week?

misread the thread? how many conservatories do you know of that dont have some form of heating .are you suggesting that your company (jackson joinery)supplies and fits products that dont meet building regs .
We dont manufacture any i dont need to i let companies who KNOW what they are talking about manufacture for me using the best profiles on the market .And we have been trading for over 19 years not simply been in the "game" for ten years .I am not ridiculing you ,yet you seem to be adding to every thread speak to jackson joinery based in salford for supply only price simply recommending your company by way of a hyperlink on every post you make on double glazing which is not allowed on this forum IF i am wrong then i appologise i seem to remember your company actually aproaching me to supply and dont forget it is companies/joiners /builders like me who keep companies like you going after all why do we need the overheads and have to worry about big premises and staff when i can buy them cheaper than you can make them due to the quantaties we order

thebaldwindowfitter

NannyOgg wrote: »

ETA: Forgot to mention the window frames are to be rosewood on white - dunno if that makes a difference...

yes it does add about 15% but only to white frame cost.personally i would avoid triple glazing there is twice the chance of the unit failing and most manufacturers only give a 5 year guarantee.are you having obscure glass put in on the boundry side with your neighbour?

NannyOgg

Don't know about obscure glass, would have to check. Also need to check re. openers as they're not specified on the quote.

I thought triple shield referred to the two panes of glass and the inert gas in the void... the sample he had only had two panes of glass from what I could see, but it was a larger void than on our other windows. I think he said it was a ten year manufacturer guarantee though.

However, the plot has thickened slightly today as I've heard from FENSA and the company is not on their database at the address I have...

Now where did I put that barge pole?!

ytfcmad

There are a few people on this thread who really should know what they are talking about if they are in the window trade, they clearly don't.

For the record i worked for 9 years as a Sales Manager for UK's biggest DGU manufacturer who have a £200 million T/O PA who in turn are owned by one of the worlds biggest glass manufacturers £32 Billion T/O world wide PA.(not quite corner shop)
The Low E glass they refer to is probably a product called Planitherm (Mainland Europe's Biggest selling Low E). It IS a slightly better insulator than Pilks K. Planitherm is a soft coat product and Pilks K is a hard coat product. Pilks K has a Greeny Brown tint, Planitherm has little or no tint. This can be clearly seen if you have white Georgian bars in your DGU (Double Glazed Unit) K glass will make them look off white Planitherm makes no change.

Anybody in the trade SHOULD know that if there is no door between the conservatory and the house you have to conform to Document L of building regs and fit Low E glass (K and Planitherm are both Low E and both conform without the need for Argon gas). Pilks K is made by Pilks (now a Jap owned company) in St Hellens and Planitherm is made in Selby N Yorks and is a French owned company called Saint-Gobain.
If i was you i would use a self cleaning glass along with a solar control product in your roof. Pilks call there's Active and Saint-Gobain call there's Bioclean.
Just about all decent DGU manufacturers give 10 year guarantees so that should be the least you should get from your window and door home improvement company NOT ALL DGU's are made the same way.

Williamrobb88 have you been misleading people for 10 years?

Nannyogg, pm me if you want any other info on how glass is made, rules and regs, how much glass costs in sheet form, what your supplier pays for his DGU's, why Argon is a con, what to ask etc etc etc etc

ps, if you go for obscure glass down one side due to neighbours don't buy any Pilks patterned rubbish get yourself some nice sand blasted type product like Satinovo.

NannyOgg

Thanks for all your advice folks, but we've had to shelve the project for now anyay - found out this week I'm to be made redundant