Conservatory Advice (norwich area)

sunshinetours

If you are on a slope I would suggest foundations may be even more important and arguably need to be stronger than for a comparable flat area. Steel base uI guess wouldn't be ideal in that case

Try anf get local recommendations if any friends / family / neighbours have them? You say your neighbour has one - ask them?

Personally I would get a proper extension priced up to compare - you may not need planning still as it may be under the permitted development rules, but the longevity and practical useable time of a real extension is much much better than a cheap conservatory

kittykat23uk

Hi Sunshine tours, thanks for the advice.

There is so much sales spin it's difficult to really get to a decision on this! :mad:

Can someone please help dispell some of the myths or clarify whether spending more would be a good investment?

We had another company round yesterday, Anglian 1st home improvements and their quote was even higher! Nearly £12,000! Seems the difference was mainly in the way the foundations would be laid. The way they proposed to do it was to do it all to building regs with a proper concrete base built up to the level of the house, just as you would with building an extension. But there are three steps from the house down to the garden at the back so it would be a huge job to dig out all the foundations and lay the base.:(

The quotes coming in around £8500 so far have specified a "suspended floor". Which the guy at Anglian said would be a bad idea and they wouldn't even consider quoting for this.

What are the potential issues with having a suspended floor? We have heard it won't be as well insulated, could cause problems with damp etc. Is this true? All the companies we are having round are good reputable suppliers who have been in business for many years. Surely they know what they can and can't get away with on our site? Or am I being naive?


We mentioned we planned to keep our pets in there during the winter. The quote from Anglian 1st also included self cleaning glass rather than Polycarbonate, which he said was a much better and safer option for thermoregulaton of the room. He said that this way we could use it all year round and it would stay cool in summer and warm in winter. He said that with regular polycarbonate the room could get way to hot to be safe for the to live in there:(.

Is there any truth to this?!

The cheaper quote was with "Athermic heatguard polycarbonate" for the roof (whatever that is). Do we need glass or is this sort of polycarbonate sufficient for us to be able to use the room comfortably all year round?

Also, the more expensive quote included gas filled double glazed units. He said the ones from the cheaper company would be air filled and not as energy efficient. I have no idea how he came to this conclusion. Are there different types of double glazed units, or do they all effectively do the same job? Again the cheaper quote states that all glass is B-rated for energy efficiency. Are there specific measuremets I need to ask for in order to directly compare the quotes?

Could someone here explain to me what the pros and cons of each specification would be?

Both builds come with a 10 yr guarantee. The more expensive one manufactures their own PVC units and they say their guarantee is backed by barclays bank. The other one uses ultraframe and swift frame products and their guranantee is backed by the Glass and Glazing Federation.

Also is there any truth to this statment from the Anglian 1st guy? That "a properly built conservatory to building regs standard as he is proposing is like adding a second bedroom and that adds cost plus about 8% to the value of our home"?

Sorry once again to ask so many questions, but it's a massive investment on what is only a modest 3 bed mid terrace house!

SuzieSue

From my experience, there is no way that you can use a conservatory all year round unless you want to burn money in the winter. I have a self-cleaning glass roof and it does look a hundred times better than a polycarbonate roof as you can see the sky, but it doesn't keep the heat in - the temperature inside the conservatory is virtually the same as outside in the winter unless it is a clear day and it is very sunny when it will be a few degrees higher, but not warm enough to live in there without heating.

I would take a lot of what the Anglian guy said with a pinch of salt.

Sorry I can't help you with the issues re your foundations.

motherofstudents

It is confusing isn't it ? I would honestly say get some quotes for an extension and do that instead if you possibly can. You can still have lots of glass but it should be much more usable than a conservatory. We put a 5m x 3m conservatory on the back 3 years ago and I really regret not waiting a bit longer to save up a for a proper extension. They are so cold in winter that it costs a fortune to heat. I always wanted a conservatory but now I have one it is not as good as I thought. Maybe you could get a basic extension built for not much more ? I have heard that ultraframe are very good if that is any help to you. Of course a fairly small conservatory should be cheaper to heat so it might be more manageable.

sashman

Can I suggest you invest £25 and buy the code of practise design quide (yellow book) from the Conservatory Association of the GGF. try www.ggf.org.uk or pm me and I will email you the direct email (dont want to post here)

It is the bible when it comes to sorting out problems with conservatories (I know you dont have any yet but it answers lots of these questions)

There have been frightening numbers reported this winter where snow has collapsed the conservatory. Most cheap ones are just windows with a roof screwed to them, so like anything the you get what you pay for. Certainly a glazed roof is so much quieter, and nicer than a poly carb roof but extra weight.

as for footings, a conservatory is an extension, dig them properly and it'll remain for years to come, but adding 8% is dangerous to claim.

sashman

sashman

anyone saying they are backed by barclays bank probably means if you pay by credit card its the bank that guarantees them but this is true of any credit card, so unless its something different, its not unique to that company

sashman

kittykat23uk

Hi all, another question for you all, Does this sound right for a conservatory base on a site which drops 7 courses over projected width of the conservatory?

600mm deep foundation to DPC, with a Brick/block cavity dwarf wall to be built 600mm above DPC. Concrete insulated base with a floated floor finish?

Does anyone know what the difference is compared to step foundations and therefore which would be the better option?

Thanks,

Jo