Victorian (Syle) Wooden Conservatory Upgrade

chopsmcgee

Hi all,


I am after a bit of advice / stories on what the collective may have done when upgrading their conservatory.


I have a wooden framed "Victorian Style" conservatory with a top of the range plastic roof which is roughly 20 years old. We are now looking to upgrade this to a UPVC style, with the following:

• New UPVC frames / windows to latest spec.
• New "tiled look" solid roof
• New French doors etc etc
• Existing base / foundation would remain.

Now I have had all of my quotes in, I am starting to wonder, would it be better (not necessarily cheaper) to get a "Propper Orangery" done.


At first glance, this would involve:

• New foundation - to square base
• New windows - although smaller size than required for conservatory
• "Propper" roof

My question is:

• Has anyone had a UPVC / Solid roof upgrade carried out?
• Do you have regrets?
• Does this price stack up vs potential costs for second option?
• Is there any difference in the roof types for Conservatory style solid roof Vs Extension / Orangery style solid roof?
• Anything else I should be aware of.

I am not 100% on the dimensions of my conservatory - but at rough guess would be 4.5 x 4m(ish).


Many thanks in advance.

Davesnave

Didn't want to read & run.

We replaced a wood, single block wall and single glazed conservatory with a modern one, having insulated cavity walls and floor and a double-glazed roof for good light.

We're happy with the result, but not with the way we achieved it. We learned that even long established, well-reviewed, local conservatory companies can be as big a bunch of shysters as the nationals. Fortunately, we did all the groundwork and walls ourselves, to a housing standard spec, so there are no worries about the thing moving in a summer like we've just had. In 20 years, when the superstructure is failing, it will only be that which will need renewal. However, I will be past caring by then!

If you look at why conservatories fail, it's often because the foundations move. You need to dig and measure yours before proceeding further. If you need to rip up and replace, you should consider whether a conventionally built garden room wouldn't give you a better extension.'Orangeries' are just hype; buzz words to disguise the fact that they are temporary structures that don't add much value....and they bring you into contact with the Arthur Daleys of the building fraternity!

We wanted a conservatory to keep our light levels high and because we're not short of space; just money. If we'd had another £10k to do the proper oak framed extension, we'd have gone for it, but renovation involves compromises for most of us.

Just don't compromise on the bits you don't see, like the foundations and how you fix it to the house..

chopsmcgee

When you say "dig and measure" - what do you mean? :-(

Doozergirl

Dig a hole next to the footings to expose them. Then measure how deep they are.

These lightwieght roofs cost a fortune, and the last time I checked, didn't meet the required uValues for extensions. Because conservatories don't need to meet Building Regulations, conservatories are inferior to extensions. You should not be paying the same amount of money for a lesser product that doesn't add much, if any, value to the house.

An orangery isn't a thing when it comes to the average home extensions. As davesnave said, it's marketing rubbish.

I personally would say that a wooden conservatory was better quality than a PVC one anyway. It doesn't sound like an upgrade.

Davesnave

Doozergirl wrote: »

I personally would say that a wooden conservatory was better quality than a PVC one anyway. It doesn't sound like an upgrade.

You didn't see ours!:rotfl:

chopsmcgee

In my original post, when I say "Orangery" I mean "Extension".


So - What would I gain in re-using / repalacing the wood with UPVC / lightweight roof Vs getting complete new foundations, 4 brick pillars and a "propper" roof but using the same (ish) footprint?


Would the roof be so much better that this was worth the extra? Or am I in £20 - £30K territory?