5 Things You Should Know About Conservatory Costs

Published by admin at March 25, 2016

How to estimate new conservatory costs?

Many homeowners ask the question – “how much should I have to pay for a conservatory?”

This is a very difficult question to answer because there are so many variables that have to be considered. Conservatory costs are dependent on the quality of the materials you want to use in the structure, labour costs and initial ground work that you may have to take on.

In this article we will touch upon five points that hopefully will raise your awareness as to the possible costs involved in building a new conservatory.

Before you commence any work check out whether or not you require planning permission. You may believe that it is allowed to build one without permission, and in most cases this is true in the UK, but it needs to be within certain size & design constraints in order to bypass planning laws – if you get this wrong and infringe or outright break a planning law it can cost a lot to put right.
On top of the above ground structural costs, you need to investigate the potential ground work that will be needed. Preparation of the site for your new room is essential. If you are lucky, you will have no drainage pipes, sewer pipes, power cables, gas & water mains to deal with – don’t’ bury a pipe under the room that you can’t access in the event of a problem. Don’t get lazy & build over something just to save a few pounds.
Do not scrimp on the quality of the foundations for your conservatory, “slapping” it on top of a bunch of patio slabs is not going to be of any use. If you are thinking about doing anything other than putting an adequate foundation suited to your room size you are just storing up a heap of expensive problems that will manifest themselves later.
Spend wisely on the quality of the glazing – conservatories are known for large glass areas and this can be problematic if the glass just allows heat to pour into the room during the summer or conversely letting the heat escape during the winter – both situations make the room pretty much unusable for large parts of the year. Pay attention to safety. Where the glass reaches the ground be sure to fit toughened glazed sections.
Get it built by a qualified team – DGCOS registered installers (Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme) are independently vetted and the scheme offers great consumer protection benefits. At the very least, use a GGF of CERTASS registered company to do the work.