Conservatories For All

In recent years it has become very popular for homeowners to add a conservatory onto their home. The main advantage to building on a conservatory is that it gives you extra space. In better economic times many property owners would have been tempted to sell their existing home and to buy a larger residence if they had a need for extra living space due to the fact that their family had got bigger for example. However now that the property market is suffering somewhat, it is important that homeowners have the option of increasing the square footage of their existing properties.

To this end conservatories are an excellent extension option. This is because they are the best value for money per square foot extension that you can get. They also are very different to traditional extensions in many ways. Most conservatories comprise three or possibly four glazed walls and a glazed roof and this means that a conservatory will be a very bright room which has attractions for the inhabitants of the home throughout the year.

Not only are conservatories good value if you purchase them from a manufacturer and have them built on your property, you can even go one better than this. If you are a home improvement buff or have any experience with regard to DIY or building projects, you can purchase one of the many DIY conservatories that are on the market and in this way cut your building costs to the absolute minimum.

Getting a builder in to build your conservatory for you means obviously that you are going to have to pay his costs and also his profit. By cutting out the middleman and building your own conservatory you will not only be able to keep costs down, but you will also have the knowledge that the job has been completed to a high standard. It is a fact that much of the work that goes on with regard to constructing a conservatory is invisible to the naked eye. Foundations have to be of good quality and there should be a good base under the conservatory. In addition to this it is important that any drainage pipes that need to be laid are done so properly. What better way to ensure that all of these jobs are carried out to a high standard than by doing them yourself.

In addition to saving money there is a lot of pride in being able to carry out a project such as building your own conservatory. It will not be easy, but then nothing that is worthwhile is ever going to be easy. If you have very little knowledge of building yourself, there is nothing to stop you obtaining the help of some friends who have knowledge in this field. You could also decide to hire a neighbor or associate who possibly has retired from building and would be able to oversee the work while you do the manual labour.

With regard to your money, it is a very attractive option to have control over the amount you spend on your conservatory and also to have control over the speed at which you spend it. By taking on the project of erecting your own DIY conservatory you can dictate how quickly or slowly you want the project to proceed. You could decide for example to dig out the site, lay the drainage pipes and put in the foundations this year and then wait until next year and until you have replenished your funds before you finish the project.

If you build your own conservatory there are various advantages to be had. However you would either need to have some knowledge of the building process yourself, or be willing to take advice from someone who does before embarking on such a project. The worst-case scenario would be for you to commence building your own DIY sunroom and then find you have not this skills nor the assistance to be able to finish it properly.

If you are giving thought to building a conservatory onto your home, whether you intend to build you own conservatory or get a builder to construct it for you, it certainly will pay you to plan thoroughly before you commence to build, or to even commit to a purchase.  There are many aspects to a conservatory structure that need consideration.  The size shape and style of the sunroom you choose will all depend on your individual needs and desires.  One of the aspects of sunrooms that require special thought are conservatory roofs.

There are several reasons why choosing the correct conservatory roof is important and most of them are weather related.  No matter whether you live in a location that gets a lot of rain or one that gets plenty of sunshine, your conservatory roof will have to be up to its job if you are to have a comfortable living extension.

In actual fact most locations get a mixture of all types of weather, so your roof has to be able to withstand huge variations in temperature as well as heavy rain, frost, snow and plenty of hot sunshine during the summer months.

There are various types of roofs available for conservatories.  You can build a solid roofed structure if you wish – that would be a structure with glazed sidewalls and a slated or felted roof.  This is sometimes more appealing to homeowners that like to feel that they are sitting in a more solid structure, especially in the wintertime.  In this regard a conservatory with such a roof will appear more like a traditional extension and if constructed to a high standard and with proper guttering should cause no problems with regard to weather.

Conservatories that have glazed roofs require a different approach.  The advantage to these buildings is that they allow in tremendous amounts of light in both winter and summer and give the occupant the feeling of being in an outdoor room and closer to nature.  However planning for such a roof will need special care and attention as these roofs need to firstly be properly sealed so that they do not leak and secondly be constructed of materials that will provide protection to the inhabitants from the sun’s rays.

U.V. rays from the sun can be very damaging to both humans and to furniture if they are exposed to them for long periods.  By not having proper roofing materials that reflect the sun’s rays will also mean that the heat levels in a conservatory can build up to uncomfortable or even unbearable levels on hot days.  Homeowners that build conservatories do not want them to be unusable due to excessive heat on the best days of the summer.  A roof such as a polycarbonate conservatory roof is built to ensure the proper protection from the sun and even though roofs such as these may come at a higher price than ordinary glazed roofs, they will help protect humans from excessive exposure to harmful sunlight.

There are also solutions available to homeowners who have conservatories that were built without the benefit of such products as polycarbonate roofing.  Products such as conservatory roof insets are available and consist of inserts that can be fitted into existing roof panels to protect the conservatory interior from glare, heat and harmful rays.

What style you might select for your conservatory and its roof may depend on several factors.  If you have a home built during a certain period, you may decide to extend this style to your conservatory and you may choose a Victorian or Edwardian conservatory type.  However if you are working from a tight budget, you may elect to go for one of the lean to conservatories on the market, which are recognised to be of the most cost competitive sunroom types available.

In addition to erecting a quality roof with protective glazing a homeowner may choose to add further protection in the form of conservatory roof blinds.  Even the best roofing glazing cannot keep light from a room and there are times that you might like the daylight in your conservatory to be muted.  In addition to allowing better light control, proper blinds will also help to provide further protection against UV rays.  By entering such terms as ‘blinds conservatory ‘ into a search engine, you can get excellent advice on what types of blinds are best suited to the style of conservatory roof you have.

Conservatory roofs are perhaps the most important part of any sunroom structure, whether you are building a simple lean to greenhouse or a much more elaborate structure .  When you sit down to plan your sunroom, ensure that you are aware of all of the roofing options available to you.  Conservatories prices vary and be prepared to pay for quality roofing materials because materials that appear to be excellent value today may simply not perform well when they are installed in your roof.

If you are thinking about building a conservatory onto your property, whether you intend to build your own conservatory , purchase a sunroom in a conservatories sale, or get in a builder to do the work, then there are many factors that you will need to consider.  It’s not that you have a difficult decision to make as to whether you want a conservatory or not – you probably have done that already.  However you will want to think about whether you would prefer a uPVC conservatory or a wooden conservatory for example, what size you would like your conservatory to be and perhaps what style of structure you would prefer.

Here are a few useful ideas that may help you with your decisions.
1. Think about what you intend to use the sunroom for: This may sound like a strange task to put to a homeowner when they are thinking about extending their home.  However, if they know what they want the sunroom for then many answers to the other decisions that they have to make will flow freely.

Depending on whether you want the conservatory as an office or a dining area or even as a humble lean to greenhouse for example, will have a large bearing on the size, the furnishings you will select and possible the shape you want it to be.

2. Make a decision on the size of the structure: You can build a conservatory as big as your budget allows, but making it bigger than it needs to be means that you are spending more than you need to and also that you are using up more of your valuable garden space than you might want to.

An office will need less floor space than a family living area one would suppose, so plan out the size you think that you comfortably might want for the activities that you foresee taking place in your new room.  One point to note is that a lot of suppliers of conservatories will quote you external measurements for their products, so you need to be aware that the internal measurements (or floor area ) of the room will not be quite so big.

3. Decide which material that you would like the conservatory to be made from: The three most popular types are aluminum, uPVC and timber conservatories.  All three of these choices have advantages that make them attractive to different people.  For instance aluminum structures are very strong in the frame, uPVC double glazing conservatories are quite maintenance free and very cost competitive, while conservatories made from timber have a beauty that is hard to match because timber is a natural product.

4. Consider how you plan to construct your conservatory: There are different approaches that you can take to building one of these structures onto your home.  You can purchase a conservatory for a supplier and they will bring the materials to your property and assemble the entire structure.  This means a totally hands off approach on your behalf and this is the most costly option.

Another option that home improvement enthusiasts prefer is to purchase uPVC sunroom kits or DIY wooden conservatories and to assemble them themselves.  In this way a homeowner can save a considerable amount of money on assembly costs, site works and foundation laying.

There are other options with regard to types of conservatories for sale that lay somewhere in between these two extremes.  The owner could for instance undertake to prepare the site and to lay the foundation for the structure and leave the assembly of the structure to professionals.  If you are flexible as to what type of sunroom you might consider waiting to see what kind of prices a manufacturer might be offering in a conservatory sale.

As you can see there are various options that are open to you as a purchaser and not least the kind of conservatory prices that you feel you are willing to pay for a sunroom.  You will also have to make decisions as to what furnishings you wish to have in your new extension and whether you might prefer drapes or wooden conservatory blinds for example.  However these decisions will make themselves apparent further down the road.

Many of the decisions that you have to make, such as whether you would prefer a wooden conservatory or a sunroom made from uPVC, and also the kind of conservatories prices that you can budget for,  can be quite difficult to make.  However if you do plenty of research into the subject, you will find that many of the answers present themselves.  If for example you type in phrases such as ‘Conservatory styles Ireland’ or ‘Wooden Conservatories UK’, you will be able to narrow down the results you get to a geographical area that is suitable to your needs.

One of the most popular conservatories for sale on the market today is the lean to conservatory.  In surveys carried out with conservatory manufacturers, they receive more enquiries and orders for this type of conservatory than for other conservatory types.

Lean to conservatories are simply-constructed structures of square or rectangular shape, which make the most use of their floor space.  A conservatory or sunroom of this type is not an elaborate structure in comparison to a Victorian conservatory for example.  Victorian structures usually have three to five front facets and elaborate décor and trim as part of the design.  These conservatory types also have a simple sloping conservatory roof that is easy to clean and maintain.

There are various reasons why homeowners might favour a lean to structured conservatory.

• In a booming or buoyant property market couple often start out on the property ladder by purchasing a small residence and as their families get bigger, they trade up to a larger property.  However, when the market is slow many of these homeowners find that they are unable to attract a sufficiently good offer on their home to be able to move.  They are then possibly in the difficult position of wanting more space for their growing family without being able to purchase a bigger home.  The answer to this problem is to build on to their existing residence.
• Per square metre conservatories are recognised as being excellent value, in comparison to a traditional builder’s extension.  Some people would assume that conservatory prices are lower because conservatories are not as strong or as energy efficient as a solid block building.  However a quality conservatory built on proper foundations can be every bit as durable and long lasting as a regular home extension and can in fact be better insulated and more energy efficient.
• Due to their no-nonsense style and simple method of construction, lean to conservatories are better value per square metre to purchase than many of their counterparts.
• If you would like to build your own conservatory, then a DIY lean to conservatory is probably the best and simplest style of conservatory to take on.  Manufacturers produce kits for DIY lean to conservatories along with detailed instructions to enable home improvement enthusiasts to complete the project.  You can purchase a kit for a uPVC conservatory or for one made from aluminium or a wooden conservatory.  Lean to conservatory roofs for example are simple sloping roofs with little complications by way of design or construction.
• Conservatories as a whole are very versatile structures and given that a lean to conservatory has a regularly shaped floor space it is more versatile than most.  Homeowners use these structures as offices, living areas, dining rooms, kitchen extensions, garden rooms, as a lean to greenhouse and even as hot tub areas.  A properly located sunroom will fit well into most house plans.

One of the main factors to give consideration to when building a conservatory is that you should not scrimp on the foundation work and site preparation.

Many people make the error of thinking that a sunroom is a light-weight structure that does not need a very deep foundation.  It is true that a sunroom comprising mainly of glazing may not have the same bulk or weight as a bricks and mortar structure, but if you want a conservatory to be structurally solid for many years, it need to be solidly supported underneath and attached firmly to the main residence.

One of the best locations to source a quality conservatory that may be very good value is on the internet.  From your own home you can compare prices and consider which manufacturer is giving you the best deal.

If you are flexible ragarding the kind of conservatory you would like you could wait until you see that a manufacturer is having a conservatory sale of certain lines.  If you want to restrict your search to a particular area or country, simply enter ‘lean to conservatories UK’ or ‘lean to conservatories Ireland’.  In this way you will be able to locate conservatory manufacturers that are reasonably close to your address.

Whether you undertake to build your own conservatory or to purchase one from a supplier, you want it to be constructed to a high standard for your own living comfort.  One of the most important parts of any conservatory or solarium is the conservatory roof.  This is because the roof will be facing full into the extreme heat of the sun’s rays in those hottest of months.  This is when you will most want your conservatory, and this unfortunately is also when a lot of homeowners find that their conservatory is too hot and stuffy for them to enjoy properly.

There are many products used to construct conservatory roofs and in many cases it comes down to what you are willing to pay for materials, be they uPVC, glazing or metal roofing materials.  Actual erection costs of a roof structure should not vary too much, so if you want a conservatory roof that repels the sun’s rays and thereby helps to keep you cooler, then you will have to consider good quality materials.

A Quality Conservatory Roof.

Many homeowners choose a material called polycarbonate to glaze roofs for conservatories , mainly because it offers a good compromise between heat reflective capabilities and cost competitiveness. Recent improvements in the production technology have produced a product called Heatguard polycarbonate and this involves putting a reflective coat on the polycarbonate, which allows for the deflection of the radiation from the sun with excellent results.

In older times all roofs for conservatories were constructed from glass.  In actual fact glass is an excellent form of glazing as it offers much better soundproofing than polycarbonate glazing and also has better insulation properties.  Again, more modern production capabilities with regard to conservatory roofing can produce such products as a solar control glass roof, which helps to keep the conservatories cooler, can come with self or easy-clean glass coatings and has the ability to reflect solar radiation.

There are various other ways of cutting down on glare and heat gain in your conservatory through your roof.  One way is to install specialist conservatory roof blinds such as solar blinds inside the glazed roof area.  Another is to install solar inserts, (these are only available for polycarbonate roofs) and yet a different option is to apply a reflective roof film to the inside of the glass or polycarbonate.  These roof films give excellent results in that they can stop over 75% of the glare and heat from the sun and over 95% of the UV rays from entering through conservatory roofs.

In addition to the above, ensure that your conservatory roof has adequate and easy to operate roof vents that allow you to regulate airflow to the conservatory.  With proper glazing in your roof and quality roof ventilation you will be well on your way to having a conservatory that will give you year round living comfort.

One of the best ways to get an extension for your home without having to outlay too much money is to invest build your own conservatory.  As the name suggests, this is a structure that you either construct completely yourself, or at least erect pre-constructed components on your own.

There are various ways of looking at this option.  We would recommend it as a very viable way of getting an extension for your home if you are used to home improvement / DIY work and have some skill and ability in this area.  There is tremendous satisfaction to be obtained from building your own conservatory and as conservatory prices can be expensive, you could save quite a bit of money .  However, if you have not done this sort of work before you will have to learn how to build a conservatory,  employ someone with this sort of experience to help you, or simply not get involved in constructing your own sunroom and have a professional do the work for you.

If you are considering constructing your own extension and not purchasing one of the conservatories for sale from a manufacturer, do not take the attitude that not only should you save money on construction costs, but that you should save money by using inferior materials also.  DIY conservatories can be of an even higher quality than those you get constructed by someone else, because you can take the opportunity that you are constructing the structure yourself to design and construct a bespoke structure that is perfectly matched to your needs and desires.  Find a manufacturing company that is interested in discussing what type of sunroom you desire and is willing to give you what you want.

One of the first tasks you will face is deciding which type will compliment your home – a traditional design type such as a Victorian or Edwardian conservatory, a more general type such as you get with lean-to conservatories, or if you have a modern home, a contemporary style may suit best.  Take care in making this decision, as a well chosen and complimentary style will enhance your existing residence and will add to the value of your home, whereas an extension that does not blend in with your home can do the opposite.

In deciding what size you want your DIY conservatory to be, you need to decide firstly what use you intend to make of the space and secondly, how large a structure you can afford.  By building yourself, you may be able to spend more on making the structure larger, but do not go for a very large extension simply because you can afford to.  Many homeowners actually make their sunroom larger than they need.  Use an existing room in your home to judge a size that would be suitable for your needs and base your measurements on this.

Before you get involved in ordering or committing to purchasing any materials for your DIY conservatory, you need to ensure that you do not need planning permission for what you intend to build.  Different planning laws apply in different localities and whereas in many locations you can build an extension under a certain size without requiring planning permission, it is always best to check.  Other factors to take into account is the possibility that your home is a protected structure, that you may be building your new solarium over an existing sewage pipe, or that your planning department has some issues with uPVC glazing or any other issues.  In such cases timber conservatories are often a more accepted option, with a hardwood conservatory being a quality choice that will last many years, but you need to check out these details before commencing any work.

Constructing a DIY conservatory involves more than simply building the structure, unless you simply want something like a lean to greenhouse.  You will want to get a double glazing quote and will have to carry out plenty of research to get the best galzing for your budget. You will also have to consider which type of heating system you intend to use to heat the space.  Do you want a stand alone system, or do you hope to integrate the heating with your existing home system?  Electrical and plumbing work will probably also have to be integrated, so you will have to employ trained tradesmen for these parts of the project.

As you can gather from what we have outlined above, learning how to build your own conservatory is not a project to be undertaken lightly.  There are many issues that you have to consider before you commence work and while construction is underway.  If you employ a reputable builder with proper insurance cover to build your conservatory for you, you are covered if something goes wrong.  With a self-made sunroom unfortunately, you are on your own.

However homeowners that have run with the ‘build your own conservatories‘ challange and have succeeded in erecting attractive and useful extensions to their home are always immensely proud of their achievements.  The choice is yours!