Conservatory Roof

Alison_B

We wanted to have a conservatory built but our next door neighbours objected to it. We ended up building a smaller conservatory with a flat roof so that we could get it within our permitted development rights and then when it was completed, we applied for permission to extend it. As the extension part did not affect our neighbours, permission was granted.

When we got the roof for the extension it was a completely different colour. We got in touch with the manufacturers and they informed us that they only make one colour roof, but the original one was purply blue and the new one was a definate grey. We took photographs of the roof and the company agreed to exhange the whole lot and get it all from the same colour run.

Anyway, when the roof arrived (via courier) 7 out of the 11 panels were damaged. The installers put up the 4 that were OK and the manufacturers said they would get another 7 sent out from the same batch the day after. The replacements arrived but they were from a different batch and a slightly different shade - so they did not match.

I got in touch with the manufacturers again and they said they would replace the roof yet again. As it was December, I asked if it would be OK to wait until slightly better weather came along before replacing and they agreed.

Now with it being nice weather recently I arranged for it to be done on Good Friday. The roof panels were delivered last Thursday and the fitters came on Friday and fitted the roof. Everything was going great until the very last 2 panels - you've guessed it, they were from a completely different batch. Now I have got 9 blue panels and 2 very grey ones. I was very upset and terribly annoyed that they couldn't arrange for the panels to be from the same run.

I got in touch with the company on Tuesday when they got back in from the Easter break and the man who was dealing with it could not believe that this has happened again. He said he would send out another 2 panels and they would match. We have argued that unless they are from the same batch as the 9 fitted ones, they would not match as the 2 grey ones were only produced 2 days apart.

They said they are going to send somebody out to look at the roof and the colour difference but I have got a feeling that this is not going to amount to anything. I presume that I am within my rights to have either 2 matching panels from the same batch or yet another complete replacement.

Sorry for the rant but I am really angry and upset that I have had 3 complete roof systems and it is still not completed.

Is there anything else we can do?

Thanks

Alison

IvanOpinion

Out of interest, how does your neighbour feel about this? Did you not simply build what he objected to in the first place ... or am I getting totally confused ?

Ivan

Alison_B

They did object to any conservatory being built as they liked to look into our garden from their lounge window. We originally wanted to build a longer conservatory but ended up by turning it around and having a shorter but wider one.


It has annoyed the neighbours and the local council that we managed to get around the situation. Our council have a stupid rule called the 45 degree rule which means you take your neighbours nearest window and you draw a line 45 degrees into your garden and you aren't allowed to cross this if you apply for planning permission. If we followed that rule, then the longest conservatory we could have built would have been 1.7 metres. The rule did not apply if you built within your permitted development allowance - stupid I know. We could have knocked down our garage and built a conservatory right along our neighbours fence blocking all our garden from them and they could not have done anything about it.

We did everything we could to make things more bearable for them - i.e. patterned glass on their side for privacy and flat roof instead of normal conservatory roof. We needed the space and could not afford to move. We removed large bushes that were along the fencing and replaced it with all glass from the conservatory - so it hasn't taken much light from them with it being a low conservatory - they have only lost the view from their lounge window. On the plus side for them, it has given them a lot more privacy to their garden also.

Alison