Building a Conservatory Help & Tips
Self build conservatory kits really do make a lot of sense, if you’ve got the time on your hands, are pretty good at DIY and have at least a good basic set of tools you could save yourself a small fortune on your dream conservatory.
When looking for a conservatory you need to think of the following
Warranty
A conservatory should last for around 25 years, and 10 of those should be covered under warranty against discoloring, warping or cracking.
Selecting a company
There are lots of good self build conservatory manufacturers to choose from, personally I would be more inclined to choose one that has been around for a while rather than a recent startup.
Websites such as consumeractiongroup.co.uk are good for checking which companies get negative consumer feedback.
Selecting the right conservatory
The hardest part, and in many cases the most stressful for many people is getting the ball rolling, any good self build conservatory company will be able to assist you however your starting, this can include brickwork and base plans for you, or passed onto your builder (this is the most common part that many leave to the pro’s) the plans for the conservatory will then be exact to the brick work, this virtually illuminates the chances of mis-measuring between the brickwork/base and conservatory.
Planning permission
Most self build conservatories do not require planning permission, but the list of regulations can be confusing.
a) Not covering more than half the land surrounding the existing building.
b) No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a road
c) Must not be higher than the highest part of the original building.
d) Maximum depth of three meters for an attached house/property and four meters for a detached property.
e) Maximum height of four meters
f) Consent may be required if the property is listed.
g) No balconies.
As with any rules and regulations they can change, it’s worth contacting your local council to clarify this.
Paying for your conservatory
If your thinking of taking out a credit option for your conservatory be sure to check the APR, after initially checking we found interest rates ranging from a very good 0% to a staggering 21%.
Notes
As we said earlier self building your own conservatory is not for everyone, but after helping one of my friends assemble one that cost around £4000, compared to the £8500 for mine which was installed for me it certainly would make me think twice next time.
I recently added a self build conservatory, we was somewhat apprehensive to begin with but between myself and wife we were able to assemble it over a weekend, the cost savings were very good although we did ache a bit over the next few days, the company we choose helped from start to finish.
Its better to aire on the side of caution when it comes to planning permission, as if needed and you don’t get it i can only imagine it must be soul destroying to have to pull it all down.
Ray
Guys does any one know the names of any good reliable companies i can use? much appreciated
Whereabouts are you located Vas? Unless someone recommend a self build conservatory company i would recommend a company which is pretty local to you, checkout sites such as DooYoo to see if that have a good or bad rep.
How about a second hand conservatory, i was speaking to my builder who puts them together as a sideline, he said he built one, 18 months later was asked to take it down and set it up for the house next door as they had purchased it, originally cost £9000, but was sold for £2000, plus £1000 to dismantle and setup again, i guess this works if the houses are the same size etc, otherwise a circular or octagonal will work too, but big cost saving though for sure.
Thats not a bad idea, but you’d better make sure your not getting one with poor quality materials, after all if its more than 18 months old the PVC could be brittle and yellow after being out in the sun for so long.
I’m located in Hertfordshire, UK
thanks
Try Kingsholme they have carried out a wonderful job for us, did you want self or company build, as they only offer company build i think.
J.M
The website is primarily about self build conservatories not really company builds, i did check KH and they look like they are only a company not self build company.
There does not appear to be too many listed in your area, but then again its just a single delivery so it can really be any self build company in the country, personally i would not be even bother looking for just local self build companies better to get exactly what you want rather than convenience of a local company, after all regardless of where its being delivered from, 2 or 200 miles away it makes little or no difference to you apart from maybe higher delivery charge.
Many thanks for all your help we’ve now chosen one, it was pretty local, but thats just kinda luck though, thanks all
Thats good news, let us know how you get on with this, always happy to comment on good self build conservatory companies around.
I have begun to build my conservatory but my plastic roofing panels do not appear to all fit in between each of the roofing inserts, they all fitted well until halfway , I had them all spaced at uniform positions as well, can someone help me please.
JS
Not all roofing panels are created equal, i’ve seen conservatories on which all the roofing struts are uniformly spaced, and on others they simply don’t.
Generally self build conservatory companies are very good and ensuring you get the right sized parts (most would not be in business very long otherwise) its probably down to the way that they are being fitted.
Try laying them out before fitting to see the way they will fit in, if they still don’t it does sound like someone has measured the roof incorrectly.
Oh right, yes there was a slight difference in the sizes, only once i have measured these can i see the difference, it was very small so and hard to see, i thought they were all the same, cheers
Nice website, this is not a spam post, you have some really nice articles on self build conservatories very down to earth and even a DIY numpty such as myself can follow them, many thanks for all your help.
Valerie
How can i pinpoint a leak in a roof? I cant even see it, but when its raining like now its leaking every time, very annoying, i’ve looked from both side of the roofing, sprayed water on it and sods law it never leaks then, any help appreciated.
Puk
There is a post on this lots of tips here on this here
Leaking Conservatory Problems
Guys
Self build conservatories seems like a lot of work, can you really save 60%, i have a quote and the price of the self build is not much cheaper than the one pre-installed, any idea why?
Its all relative to what you class as a lot of work in comparison to the amount of money you can save yourself, when a friend of mine told his wife about a self build conservatory, she promptly said, its too much hard work, but once he told her they would save enough money for a holiday and a new car, for a few weekends of hard work she soon changed her mind.
Thanks for the good help, i now have a much cooler conservatory after fitting polycarbonate roofing inserts as per your article, make a big difference, plus it was cheap and managed to fit our selves.
cheers
Rod
Yes it is pretty straight forward just needs a little patience as larger conservatories can mean more than 100 inserts which can be very time consuming, generally people do this over a few weekends, or it can get really tedious.
How do i know if i need planning permission to build a conservatory? and how can i check, also does it cost any more?
Hi JKd – I just got a few conservatory quotes through (Self build and installed) and found the list of planning regs on the Conservatories in Cornwall site helpful. Local planning offices are often helpful too – so if you still are unsure then give them a call – mine were really helpful. I think if it turns out you do need planning permission then it may cost – but it will def. hold you up for a bit while it’s arranged.
Good luck!
Nice one thanks self build conservatories for the help getting rid of wasps, citronella works very well for us, after much trial and error, better to use less than more though as the smell can be a bit overwhelming
Yes citronella works well for me too, i even take a little bottle of this camping and when we go to outdoor restaurants, there is really a lots of wasps this year, went to a national trust property just out side of Luton over the w/e the wasps were everywhere luckily i had the citronella with me.
Dor
There is a post on self build conservatories @
http://www.self-build-conservatories.com/how-to-stop-hornets-in-my-conservatory/
which you may find to be of help.
I like your self build conservatories website it is most helpful to someone only just stating out such as myself
Where can i look to find a good company, worries the hell out of us as there are so many companies advertising, how can we tell which are good and terrible companies, i’ve seen programs on tv and there are some horrible companies out there.
I have now assembled 10 self build conservatories in as many years, I swore the 9th would be the last, but we just moved again and we hated the current boxy build, thats it i’m here for life, final last words, again.
cheers
J