Hi Guys,

Little project for next year is to build a conservatory. Just starting to look at options and want to see if anybody has any recommendation as to where to buy the conservatory from. Want to build it myself so not to pay anyone for the labour. I have looked at a few on line ones but they are the mainstream general public ones and seem quite expensive for a self build.

Any idea's? I know the style, sizes etc just need a locost place to buy from.

Thanks

Andy

[Edited on 2/9/13 by AndyW]

I've fitted loads of doors and windows, but never a conservatory.

I always buy mine from a local manufacturing company (Modplan) which has a trade outlet.

Don't let the size of the company distract you, I've tried a few local smallers companies and they are always more expensive.

The bay of E if your not in a rush and can wait until the correct size and shape come up. This is how I bought mine. Paid £650 for a 6m x 4m. Sellers were replacing it with a extension. Downside was I had to dismantle it, but this gave me the opportunity to take exact measurement for the foundations and brickwork.

One option if you're doing it yourself is second-hand.

A friend's neighbour decided they wanted a larger conservatory and I bought all the bits of the old one off them. It was 3.5m x 2.5 m.

I re-arranged the door and windows as I wanted them, bought a couple of extra roof beams and panels (upping the width to 5.4 m), putting in an angled, brick corner (to satisfy the council and also to fill the extra width) although I could have just bought a couple of extra frames from a local supplier for about £75 each. I also built a flat roofed brick section against the house, increasing the projection to 3.5m (and incidentally giving me a work platform for window cleaning and house maintenance.

I got a kit from Baltic pine, now defunct, pro was nice wood, cons it was wood so started to rot and needed painting so next time it will be plastic.

So purchased a cement mixer, dug decent foundations so went down a couple of feet and filled with concrete then laid concrete blocks on there side which gave me floor joist level (if doing again I would concrete on an insulated block and incorporate underfloor heating and tile) then made the dwarf wall from celcon thermalite blocks, outside rendered, inside plastered.

It was pretty big, a 5m hexagonal with lean to on one side.

You have to be accurate with heights, levels etc, I used 3/8 plastic tubing with dyed water to set the height, much better than relying on a spirit level and just measured carefully.

It was great for the first 3 years then the paint started to age

Point to note, make sure you get the roof sheets the correct way up, I mixed up a couple and they turned green and discoloured with UV light.

It was a nice little building project.

Regards Mark

Having had both a conservatory and a sun lounge (tiled roof) I'd never go back to a conservatory. Simply because they are roasting hot in the summer, Baltic in the winter. Very noisy in the rain and roar during hail. Our sunlounge is warm enough to be open to the rest of the house all year and is really our most used room in the whole house rather than the living room. That little bit extra for a tiled roof makes all the difference in the world. Great thing to is you don't need a kit, it's just ordinary windows and blocks.

[Edited on 2/9/13 by Mr Whippy]

I got a second-hand one a long time back for a previous property we were in. It was a Wickes own make and I think 8' x 10' IIRC. I wouldn't say I was much of a builder, but I managed to sort it OK, and I just used the instructions I got online. As long as you get everything straight on the footings, it's a pretty simple task really. I found it a heck of a lot easier than building the Locost that's for sure

Orangery
Less roof glass, the same side glass and same planning permission as a conservatory

Bought ours from eBay. Ex display. £4k conservatory for £800.

High security locks, brown PVC etc.

Like new because it was inside a show room.

Fitting it is dead easy

I did a self build of a 7.5M x 4M one six years ago, and got it from one of the 'trade price conservatory' type companies. I think I paid something like 4k for it but it had a 28mm glass roof which increases the price.

I knocked it down last year and build a proper extension instead. The planning and building regs process really isn't that bad, and I'd never have a conservatory again - they're unusable for half of the year, unless you have a deep wallet and want to constantly pump heat in to the thing. You can DIY an extension in just the same way - it just takes a bit longer :-)

Gary

quote:

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Originally posted by garyo
I did a self build of a 7.5M x 4M one six years ago, and got it from one of the 'trade price conservatory' type companies. I think I paid something like 4k for it but it had a 28mm glass roof which increases the price.

I knocked it down last year and build a proper extension instead. The planning and building regs process really isn't that bad, and I'd never have a conservatory again - they're unusable for half of the year, unless you have a deep wallet and want to constantly pump heat in to the thing. You can DIY an extension in just the same way - it just takes a bit longer :-)

Gary

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Thanks for the replies!

We had a conservatory built on our last house and it was the best thing ever, used it all year round, never too hot unless no windows or doors open, and during winter the standard central heating rad kept it nice and warm. That was a 4m wide by 3m projection.

Was looking at a 5m wide and 3m projection on current house. Have seen these pre fab'd bases but they look really poorly insulated so will prob build proper walls.

Anyone else have any thoughts. Not got enough money/time to build an extension, also want to keep the two rooms at the rear of the house as light as possible, and I thing an extension would make it too dark!