GreenSpace / Thermotec replacement conservatory roof

Bongo62

I contacted Greenspace yesterday. I was quoted £6900 for 4 slide in panels to replace my glass roof on a 3.6x3m conservatory. At most I reckon the panels cost of construction to be about £150-200 each for my size roof.  was asked how the price sounded and replied 'Too much'. The salesmen then reduced it to £5200 if I gave a testimonial and allowed photographs to be used. The conservatory cost £9000 when built 14 years ago. It has never leaked but is too hot in the heat of the day during sunny summer days and freezing in winter, thanks mainly to the company not insulating the concrete floor as I asked. Then when I looked into the construction of these panels, the salesmen said the price reflected the fact the panels were made to order in Germany and the cost of importation, survey & fitting had to be met (with a sizeable chunk going to the salesman no doubt). I am shopping around including a reputable local roofing company. Even if they dropped the price to £4000, I'm not sure I would go ahead with this. For one thing, they are far quieter to break into than a cascade of 4mx1m of toughened glass cascading down! 

bazzie

Hi All,

I know this thread is old but been some time since anyone posted, but I had a Greenspace Rep come round today to quote - long, slick sales pitch - ask a lot about you, your job, interests etc to create rapport etc. They were very keen & made multiple enquiries about who the actual homeowners & decision makers were & kept trying to ensure all relevant parties were present at time if appointment.

After the very long sales pitch & showing the system - basically 100mm of condensed Polystyrene sandwiched between 2 or 3mm Aluminium panels. They simply remove existing Polycarbonate/Glass Panels & just slide their panels in place keeping the existing rafters. New rafter caps then applied - very simple system indeed. Installation time - one day.

My case: 6 glass panels - all 3.4m long & between 500mm to 750mm wide. So to replace these with 6 x 3.4m Greenspace Panels plus the rafter top caps - the price quoted was - wait for it - a whopping £14,984.

I immediately told him there was no way I would consider it & he seemed taken aback. I informed him that considering the panels probably cost no more than £100-£120 each max to make with all other factors like transport, advertising etc & that two professional workmen rate at £250 a day each that I thought the price was astronomically excessive & explains why they are so keen to sign you up there & then.

I flat out told him that I can get a proper solid insulated tiled roof with the option of Velux windows which would be far superior to what he offered, would last decades longer, increase value of my property, be more desirable, better looking & would still be considerably cheaper.

He then said he would match the £12K I was quoted for the above & I said not a chance. 

It really is a very simple system & also does not qualify for any VAT Relief or VAT Reduction & must be incredibly cheap to manufacture so on the basis on just the cost of the system excluding all other factors, the value proposition just is simply not there - not even close.

£15K for 6 panels & some Rafter Caps? Wow - just Wow. I really am surprised in this day & age with all the information out there, that people still go with such exorbitantly priced systems when a time proven & tested solid tiled roof with insulation is so much better & even cheaper.

Hope the quote given to me by them helps anyone else who might be considering them or other similar systems in current times so if need be, they can discount outright & save themselves the bother of 2 hours of fancy sales pitching & hassle!

The panels are now made in the UK & not Germany so if anything, that should reduce costs in this post Brexit time!

Many Thanks!

TELLIT01

You're absolutely correct about the price being a joke, even at the special 'reduced' level.  We have a 14' x 10' conservatory with pitched roof.  That comprises 8 panels each roughly 8' x 2'6".  Complete roof replacement, including all roof joists, with 'Guardian' roof cost £8k just about 2 years ago. The insulation is at least 6" thick.

bazzie

TELLIT01 said:

You're absolutely correct about the price being a joke, even at the special 'reduced' level.  We have a 14' x 10' conservatory with pitched roof.  That comprises 8 panels each roughly 8' x 2'6".  Complete roof replacement, including all roof joists, with 'Guardian' roof cost £8k just about 2 years ago. The insulation is at least 6" thick.

Hi,

Are you happy with your Guardian Roof may I ask? Any issues, leaks etc? I ask as some reviews very really not very positive & I now have somewhat of a quite weary stance over these types of companies. Just wondering, did you have any experience with CosyRoof when you were looking around?

Many Thanks!

johnleo

We are looking at conservatory roof replacement for all usual reasons - glass roof is too cold in winter and too hot in summer. Had a couple of companies around giving quotes for new roof ranging from £8,700 to £13,000. Got Greenspace in and rep called to give his spiel. Hour and half later we were left to consider his offer. It was like listening to a timeshare blurb! All the usual spiel about how great the product was and how all the other options were rubbish! Then came the old chestnut about cost and 'discounts' for marketing etc. Price was £10,400 but reduced to £8,500 with marketing option. Have to say, the salesman was very good but alarm bells rang when he said he used to be an estate agent! Even more alarm bells when he told us the insurance company involved used to be part owned by him when he lived in Switzerland!!!
Needless to say none of criticisms of other products/companies were in writing and neither are some of the 'fantastic' claims he made about Greenspace. However, does the product work? Will it last and are there any ongoing issues with product?  All the 'reputable' feedback sites are full of obvious false comments from 'satisfied' customers. Not sure what to do - still would like new roof but.........

BCSR

More on GreenSpace UK, I'm afraid

I am writing on behalf of my father in law, aged 83, who had an encounter with Green Space UK. 

After responding to an advert, my father in law requested further information. He was offered a "no commitment" visit from a representative. 

The person who arrived was not who he originally expected, and instead was a classic example of a pressure salesman. 

He cajoled my father into signing a contract on the spot, and handing over nearly £4000 as a deposit. My father in law spent two anxious days trying to work out what to do, and then cancelled his contract. 

In doing this, he was informed that he would lose nearly half his deposit money due to a loophole in consumer law that excuses companies providing a 'bespoke service' from the standard 14 day refunds rights.

This was even though no one had visited to carry out the survey required before commissioning the bespoke panels.

In his desperation, he called me to help. 

I have tried to communicate with the sales person, but after an initial call where I was asked to provide written proof I was speaking on behalf of my father in law (which I did within minutes) my calls have been ignored.

We have since sought consumer protection advice, and our case is now with the Trading Standards Authority

Their product may well be excellent, but their sales techniques are the worst example of pressure selling to the elderly. 

I have heard about these sort of things on consumer programmes, but it is a shock to see them happening to a member of my own family.

MysteryMe

How was the deposit paid?

Jamesp31_2

A_Wright-Burke said:

Sorry for dragging up an old thread but I felt compelled to respond after trawling the t'internet for some reviews on roof companies.
Having recently ( 2 years ago) knocked through into our conservatory to create an open plan kitchen diner, I thought I maybe well placed to answer some of the misinformed or misunderstood replies above.
Firstly, a conservatory isn't a temporary structure is defined as something that will stand for no more than 28 days from a planning perspective nor is it considered short life, the framework and glazing has the same expected lifespan as many other components used in construction. A temporary structure doesn't require foundations for a start and if the door security and efficiency is considered external quality and the dwarf walls have cavity insulation, then building control approval is very easy to obtain as long as you can prove it has the necessary requirements fitted. We changed our glazing on the walls and door to Argon filled, showed the building control guy the build specification sheet that came when the conservatory was fitted and the certificate was forthcoming, very quickly and without fuss.
For us, the cost of knocking it down and starting again was cost prohibitive and this was the best ( and only) option open to us.
We left the glass roof alone because funds didn't allow us to change it at that point but I'd convinced myself that solar reflective glass would do it's job! Of course it didn't, candles still melted and everything in the dining room was bleached on one side, so now I am looking for the best option to insulate and block out the light, hence my internet trawl.
I agree in that these roof conversions look expensive but for us, it will have a purpose and not just because we are gullible, clueless folk that have got nothing better to spend our money on.

I am also aware that something similar 25 years ago may have been pennies in relation to today's cost but my wages have increased greatly since then and so has the value of the house so I'm prepared to believe some of the quotes I get are relative to my gains over the years.
Furts. Sometimes life moves on and options are developed. These solid roofs are one of them.
Many thanks AWB:cool:

Bit late to this thread, by several years! But we have a tinted glass roof conservatory and we are debating changing the roof to a ‘solid roof’.  My ideal solution would be to knock it down and build a new kitchen extension.  My question is, you mention you opened up your kitchen to incorporate the conservatory and have one large open plan kitchen - I didn’t think this was an option while it’s classed as a conservatory?  As I’d love to create an open plan kitchen diner but assume I’d have to rebuild the conservatory as a permanent structure/extension first?

omgitsshane

I just endured a 2 HOUR sales pitch by Green Space UK. I'm sure taking their sweet time works for some customers but they need to remember that some of us have things to do!

I was quoted £12,500 for a 4m x 2m lean-to roof but he could give me a "special discount" and reduce it by £1,700 if I agreed to my property being used for marketing purposes. I said sure, as long as I'm happy with the end product. But after he finally left (thank god), I read reviews of people who were pointing out similar sales tactics and it just gave a bad taste in my mouth. I understand that aluminium panels won't break, sure, but some Trustpilot reviews mention leaks, which is the issue I'm trying to fix in the first place!

The sales rep also said my conservatory would be even brighter with their panels, which I find hard to believe because how would an opaque panel be brighter than my current translucent plastic sheets?

Overall I was put off by the pushy sales tactic and will not be choosing Greenspace UK.

I've gotten quotes for EPDM/rubber and GRP/fiberglass roofing and I think I'll end up going with an EPDM roof. They seem durable enough. But honestly, it's so hard to tell which company I can trust!