Help!! Trying to build a conservatory!

Megababe

Hi there everyone!
i've just found this site - isn't it amazing?

we are just entering into the murky world of trying to find a conservatory. (we are based in Hampshire)

Does anyone have any tips on:

Buying online a build your own conservatory?
Any advice on which website are reputable?

Buying from B&Q or homebase?

Or a garden centre? any good ones?

are there any glazing companies that won't sit in your front room for 5 hours, tell you a rediculous price, but offer you a discount that only applies if you sign up that very second (who commits to that sort of money without researching and thinking about it?)

What sort of roof? plastic or glass? does it really matter?

any idea how much we should be spending on a 3m X 4M edwardian conservatory - i have found them online for about 4K - Zenith (Mr Hard Sell man) have quoted about 26K (but 18K if i bought it on the spot aarrgh).

Please help - any advice would be very welcome - i never realised this was going to be such a challenge!

Thanks for you help

marybishop

Sorry - can't answer any of your questions but just make sure that the size doesn't require Planning Permission - don't just take the conservatory company's word for it!

Megababe

thanks for your help - we've actually got planning permission - that was the easy bit!

LandyAndy

Megababe wrote: »

What sort of roof? plastic or glass? does it really matter?

Hi Megababe.

The only bit of your questions I can answer is that when it rains glass roofs are noisy but plastic roofs are deafening.

When these salesmen say discount for signing on the spot I always say 'so if I call back tomorrow you really won't give me this discount?' Of course they generally admit that the discount will still be good. If they say no I show them Mr Door.

Megababe

i tried that! i said - do you really mean if i call and offer you 18K tomorrow you are going to say no - he slowly explained (like i was a 6 year old) that the terms of the offer are.... it was at this point that i tore his head off with my bare hands (metaphorically speaking of course). he knew we weren't in a position to make a desicion that evening cos we had told him and he still sat in my house for 3 hours jabbering away - god i was mad - i'd had to cancel dinner plans!
as you can see i'm still very upset about this
and the quote was so rediculous - 18K for a conservatory???? and before you ask, no the window frames aren't solid gold!
thanks for your comments about the roof

niccy

we bought one off e-bay, it was secondhand and still attached to a house in wales.
L shaped 8mx3m x 7mx3m = £2000

£5000 to put it up and roughly another £5000 for materials

saved quite a few bob

mirrorimage0

hiya, my OH is in that line of business, he is not in at the moment but when he gets here i will get him to have a look and see if he has any advice to give. he has been doing it 18yrs

mirrorimage0

have just had a quick word with oh and basically he said it really depends on how many openers your having is it being leaded etc but basically you should be paying no more than about 12k maximum 14k hope this helps you.

HugoSP

Having fitted a type that is available in the DIY sheds I would say that we were generally very pleased with it.

Albeit a few years ago, the conservatory cost me £2500 for a 13' by 7' full height with a pent roof in upvc.

I got a builder (I wasn't in the trade at the time) to build the base for £500, cheaper than buying their fabricated base kit, let alone the cost of fitting that. This price also included laying the floor with dpm and screeding it when the conservatory was up. We also got him to do a few minor prep jobs to start us off smoothly.

Fil and I put it up in 4 days. It would have taken us 3 but we hit a minor hitch associated with us having made a mistake.

When we had the conservatory up he came back and screeded the floor for us and rendered the outside of the base.

The whole lot cost us around £3200.

I would have classed myself as a competent DIYer at the time and it was not beyond me.

beaker141

definately consider glass roof not plastic. My last house had a plastic roof and it was dreadful when it rained.

If I were looking to do a conservatory again I think I would want a full tiled roof, with lots of windows in the sides etc, probably have to usea bit of steel to get the strength for the roof etc.

Glass roofs are fine for tomatoes but not so good for us humans.

Megababe

Thanks for talking to him for me Mirrorimage - thats really useful