Conservatories For All

When a homeowner decides to construct a conservatory and goes in search of keen conservatory prices from manufacturers and installers for the project, he or she will find that there is a huge variation of conservatory prices available.  As with many products however, this should not be all that surprising, as there is also a large variation in the production quality of conservatories, between the materials being used and the craftsmanship employed in construction.

There are various differences between timber conservatories and uPVC and aluminium structures in terms of pricing of materials, maintenance required, etc and these factors should all be considered before you make any decisions.

Treat bargain conservatory prices with caution – the price you are being quoted could be an excellent price, but before you accept it consider the following points to see if the conservatory you are considering is up to standard.

1. Material Quality

Some homeowners consider a conservatory to be an add-on to the home that can be made of light or inferior products.  This is a mistake and you have to consider that as it is connected to the residence, any heat loss from the conservatory will affect the main residence also.  A properly insulated structure will actually help improve the insulation of the entire residence.  Selecting a conservatory with a light window frame could well lead to problems in time, as these window frames are actually operating as walls also and are therefore subject to pressure during times of high wind and other inclement weather conditions.  If you are considering a timber conservatory, be prepared to pay for a hardwood conservatory, as the quality of the timber has to be good if your structure is to last a long time.

Added to this is the fact conservatories can be reinforced or fully reinforced depending on the quality of the structure.  A reinforced conservatory has sections that are over 600mm long strengthened, whereas a fully reinforced conservatory has the entire frame strengthened.  A Conservatory price will obviously vary depending on the quality and strength of the framework of the structure.

2. Security

Once again you have to bear in mind that if your sunroom is going to be adjoining your residence, then factors such as security are as relevant to the extension as to the rest of the home.  Ensure that the locks that will be used in the frames and doors are of good quality.  It is difficult to put a price on good security for your home.  Quality uPVC frames and doors will have multi-point locking systems set into the frames and these, along with double glazing, should offer excellent security for your extension.

3. Foundations

Purchasing the sunroom from the manufacturer is separate from site preparation and the construction of the foundations.  Again, some people consider a conservatory to be a light structure and decide to save some money by putting in very light foundations.  Again be aware it is going to be part of your home and that any future structural difficulties will affect the entire residence.  You should employ the traditional types of foundations that you would use if you were building a proper extension.

4. Temperature Control

A properly insulated sunroom or solarium will help to keep the temperature within the structure regulated, and that applies to keeping heat out as well as helping to retain heat.  If you are using a roof made of polycarbonate it is important to select one that is of reasonable thickness.  Again a conservatories price can be kept down if you choose a polycarbonate roof with a thickness of say 16 mm, but as the standard thickness is 25mm, you would do better to have a roof of at least this thickness.  This will mean that your sunroom will be in a better position to retain heat in the colder months and reflect heat in the summer.  In the long term this should save you money on the excessive usage of heating and cooling systems in order to maintain temperature control.

5. Conservatory Style

There can be offers on conservatories for sale at various times, especially if a company is trying to offload a conservatory style that has not sold very well.  In order to save money you might be tempted to purchase on of these structures in a conservatory sale.  However you should study the details of this offer closely and consider the impactof the conservatory on your residence when it is constructed.

If you want to look up conservatories prices for your particular country online, you can narrow down the search results by inserting your country into the search – search under ‘conservatories Ireland price’ for example.