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Aluminium conservatories are really easy to maintain, making them a top choice for many homeowners. Unlike wooden conservatories, they don’t need regular treatment to ensure they don’t deteriorate.

The most you’ll need to do to keep your aluminium conservatory looking great is give the frames and glass an odd wipe with water and a mild detergent to get rid of any occasional dirt.

Most conservatories won’t require Building Regulations approval. However, if you’re planning a conservatory more than 30 square metres in floor space this may be required. If there is no linking door between the home and conservatory then Buildings Regulations approval will be needed too. For more information and to ensure getting everything right, speak to the local council or planning officer.

Are Glass UPVC Conservatories Cold?

An extension is always a great addition to any home or property and while it’s a handy space, it also helps to enhance the visibility of the garden. If you plan to extend, the choice is yours as you can develop a customized design to give you the much desired appearance as well as function. However, in order to give more natural light to a single storey extension and for a more modern look, so many homeowner’s wonder the viability of glass roof. The short and quick answer to this question is yes, but will this lead to a trade off when it comes to heat loss?

If you’ve had the chance of making use of a poorly designed conservatory, you’d be in a better position to explain how weather affects the living space. Due to fact that glass is being used, heat becomes very difficult to retain as it easily leaves the conservatory. However in the summer, this quality can actually be helpful as conservatories without the right glass or the appropriate vents can heat up in just an hour or even less. Overall, all these are extremes a glass roof extension wouldn’t suffer but there are still a few things to be learned.

First and foremost, glass needs to insulate the space, it’ll never perform as good as a flat roof when you make use of a cheap glass. Then secondly, the installation of the glass roof extension has to be designed and carried out for your unique home or property by a specialist due to the fact that both size and direction would have to be put into consideration. This way, your UPVC conservatory wouldn’t have to so cold and unusable especially during the winter months.

With the ability of orangeries to create additional space in your home as well as altering the appearance of your property completely, it’s very likely you’ll require a planning permission to construct an orangery. However, with the lengthy and complicated application process, you might want to consider the few exemptions before getting started.

If you’re considering to build an home extension such as an orangery, the obvious first step would be to consider whether or not you’ll need planning permission. And while you tend to get carried away in the thought of adding new beautiful living space, you should never forget to take into account your area’s planning regulation as well as the planning process realities. However, the application process is not one of the most exciting activities any homeowner would like to pass through and even more so when they live in a conservation area or possess a listed property that can even make the process a lot more challenging.

It’s recommended that you consult your plans and ideas with a professional such as an architect, building design company or a chartered surveyor, but there are some options you can put into consideration if you want to avoid the applying for a planning permission.

If you’re sure about not wanting to apply for a planning permission, you’d have to check your area to identify the possible local planning implications and determine whether or not your home has permitted development right which allows for some building works that can be made without the need to apply for a planning permission. To do this, simply check the government’s planning portal to determine whether your project is covered by the permitted development rights or applying for a planning permission would be required. What’s more? You need to determine if your building is listed especially if you live in a period property. For listed building, it can be much more difficult to get a planning permission as you must comply with some very specific regulations.

How To Tile Conservatory Roof

If you’re thinking about replacing your old conservatory roof with a tiled one, you’d probably want to know how you can go about it. Tiling of a conservatory roof comes with a plethora of benefits with the most significant one being a much improved insulation which helps you save money on heating bills. This activity is also, however, a task that is best done by a professional. It requires working at height which can be very dangerous and also demands a particular set of skills as well as confidence to make the project a safe and successful one. In other words, if you lack any of the aforementioned attributes, then we’d strongly recommend that you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we’ll walk you through the conservatory roof tiling process.

✓ Remove the existing roof. As you would have guessed, the first step is to remove the old existing roof and dispose off in an environmental friendly way.

✓ Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) rafters are fitted so as to develop the structural frame for the new solid roof.

✓ Waterproofing. The next step is to add 100% waterproof sheets under the GRP rafters.

✓ Insulation. Once the waterproof sheets have been installed, it’s then time to fit the insulation boards making sure that there’s a 15mm gap between the boards and the waterproof sheets.

✓ Outer sheets. To minimize the number of roofing bars and increase the conservatory’s efficiency, you’ll have to include the outer sheets at this stage.

✓ Tiling. This is the final step in the process. Add the tiles to the conservatory roof and make sure that they’re firmly secured. This wouldn’t take forever as most conservatories are not that big in size.

The roof is the place that your conservatory is most likely to get grubby, but cleaning it is easy. You shouldn’t need to use any powerful cleaners – just warm water and a mild detergent.

The best tool to use to access your conservatory roof is a telescopic brush. This will help you get into corners and high areas without needing to work from height. You can use a ladder to help you clean your conservatory roof, but you should be very careful to avoid leaning it against any glazing

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Consider investing in a telescopic cleaner with squeegee, brush and mop attachments to help you achieve a great finish on your aluminium conservatory.

How To Build A Conservatory

Conservatories are a perfect means of creating an extra living space within your home. They can serve various purposes which includes serving as an avenue to entertain guests, a playroom for the kids and can even be used as a home office, they’re able to open up your property without having to break the bank for the highly expensive renovations. So if you wish have a conservatory constructed in your home, it’s either you do it yourself or hire a professional. Doing it yourself will help you save some money but can also end up disastrous. So if you lack the confidence to undertake this project by yourself, then it’s strongly recommended that you hire a professional who can guarantee the best results. In this guide, you’ll discover all steps required to build your own conservatory.

✓ The Base. Due to its durability and cost, concrete happens to be the most used material for conservatory’s base. Firstly, measure the enough area to accommodate the conservatory. Dig at least 1 metre deep and ensure it’s level. Fill with damp membrane and pour your concrete mixture in evenly till it reaches level ground. Once done, make sure that the base is totally dry before erecting the conservatory

✓ Building. Basically you can start by constructing the walls and ensure that they’re sturdy and secure, putting into consideration their measurement.

✓ Roofing. Good news here is, DIY conservatories will already come with the roofing in place, so you won’t have to bother about this stage when building. They usually come with an acrylic roof which is easy to install and maintain.

✓ Flooring & Finishings. Starting from the roof, ensure that there’s sealant on all areas where air can pass through. For the flooring, you’ll have to choose your patio slabs or tiles to go outside of the structure. You can apply these with a thin layer of concrete or onto screed flooring.

When people talk about finishes on a wooden conservatory, there are a few different things that they may be referring to. Some may be referring to the colour and type of wood used to build the conservatory, but they may also be talking about the type of treatment used to protect the wood from the weather. We’ll cover both bases for what finish is best on a wooden conservatory here.

When you’re thinking about the best wood type and finish for the conservatory, it’s best to go with a hardwood. There are both hardwoods and softwoods, and hardwoods are the most durable. Oak is the most expensive choice but is also the most durable, so lots of people decide to go for this option. Other good choices that are slightly cheaper are Brazilian cedar and idigbo. Softwoods like European redwood or Siberian larch are cheaper still, but they won’t last as long, so it may work out more cost-effective to spend more on a hardwood.

Wood is a natural material, so it’s important to look after your wooden conservatory to prevent it from rotting or getting attacked by bugs and pests. Your conservatory will be exposed to all weathers, so you’ll need to use a good finish to ensure that it stays in tip-top condition for years to come. Your installer should be able to tell you what’s best, but some of the best finishes for a wooden conservatory include breathable varnishes and decking oil. However, if you do use an oil, it’s best to use a preservative treatment too; oil will only repel water. Joints are particularly susceptible to water penetration, so make sure you use a good wood treatment and focus on areas where water would pool during rain. Then you can apply a decking oil afterwards.