Find a Conservatory Installer you can trust in Northumberland.

It always an exciting decision to extend your home, be it adding to an existing room or building a new one all together. However, the problem starts when you realize there are so many options giving you a tricky challenge of knowing which to choose or where to start. There are great differences in renovations between homes, but a common question that remains is whether to go for a conservatory or an orangery.

There are large array of differences between the styles and knowing a thing or two about the special attributes is definitely a great way to get started. Let’s have a look!

• Orangeries are generally best suited to traditional-styled homes or with older property making use of matching stone or brick in construction. Meanwhile for a more recent or modern property, a conservatory will be the better option to add the flair to your property.

• Conservatories tend to be larger than orangeries, therefore if you want a smaller extension, an orangery would be your best bet.

• Orangeries are typically rectangular in shape and is traditionally a more regular building meanwhile a conservatory can be shaped to suit your needs. With an conservatory, you can get a T-shaped, L-shaped, curved, double ended and lean-to extensions to suit your preference.

• An orangery usually possess a flat roof at the edges with a glazed lantern section right at the centre. You can also find more luxurious orangeries having two or more lantern sections. However, when it comes to the roofing, conservatories generally have more options. Some are gabled or pitched, others are lean-to with a plethora of choice to finish off the roof.

• Due to the fact that orangeries are made of more brick than glass when compared to conservatories, they usually provide more insulation than their counterpart. If your goal is to use the extension during the winter months, then constructing an orangery is the best bet.

Does It Take Long To Put A Solid Roof On A Conservatory?

If you’re interested in installing a solid roof on your conservatory, it may also interest you to know just how long the project is going to take. Well, the fitting of a solid conservatory roof is quite easy and quick with minimal disruption and mess around when done by a reliable professional. The process, however, involves removing the old existing roof of the conservatory rather than fitting the new roof over the old one which can lead to many complications. Generally, the entire process should take about 6 working days to complete. In this article, we’re going to provide a breakdown of each task as well as the duration to complete the individual tasks to give you an idea of the entire solid roof replacement process. Let’s take a look!

✓ Day 1 - Setting up of the site. This includes sealing off your conservatory from the rest of the house as well as laying of the floor protection. Furthermore, your existing conservatory roof will be removed and positioned in such a way to enable easy transportation and disposal. By the end of the first day, the installation of the new roof will completed and made to be water tight

✓ Day 2 - Insulation will be installed on the inside of your new solid roof.

✓ Day 3 - The replacement conservatory roof will be tiled and the insulated plasterboard will be installed inside.

✓ Day 4 - This involves finishing of the conservatory roof’s inside and outside. And all rubbish would be adequately disposed off.

✓ Day 5 - Your tiled conservatory roof’s new ceiling will be plastered.

✓ Day 6 - This day is free as the plaster is left to dry off properly.

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.

If you’ve ever looked into different types of conservatories, you’ll see that wooden conservatories are not the cheapest. However, that’s not a reason to dismiss them as an option for your home.

Wooden conservatories can cost anywhere between £15,000 to £60,000. While this may seem expensive, they are often a much classier option for your home and are ideal for period homes and those in a conservation area where uPVC might not be permitted.

If you choose a hardwood conservatory, you could see your conservatory last over 15 years. Most uPVC conservatories will only last around this time, and as they get old they can look shabby; it’s common for the frames to discolour in the sun. With good maintenance, wooden conservatories can look fabulous for years. Wood naturally retains heat too, so ensure that you use low-e internal glass which reflects heat back into the room and you’ll have as warm a conservatory as any.

When you weigh up all of the pros and cons of uPVC conservatories compared with wooden ones, you might come to the conclusion that wooden conservatories aren’t that expensive when it boils down to it. Although the initial cost is higher, you’ll get a better-looking conservatory that works with both modern and period properties and will look elegant and tasteful for years to come.

Lean-to conservatories are often known as Mediterranean conservatories or sunrooms and are a great way to add more living space when you’ve only got a small amount of room to work with. They usually have clean lines, a rectangular shape and attach to the side or rear of your home, which makes them one of the easiest conservatory types to build yourself.

So how do you build a wooden lean-to conservatory? The first step is to decide what you want it to look like. Most lean-to conservatories are constructed of glass and the wood frame, but you can choose to have dwarf walls too. Dwarf walls are low brick walls that are useful if you’re planning to plumb in radiators, have air conditioning installed or put plug sockets in the conservatory.

When you’ve decided what your wooden lean-to conservatory is going to look like, you’ll need to get the materials. You’ll need to choose a hardy wood – oak is the most expensive but also the most durable – and source glass for the windows. You’ll also need to decide on a roof material and work out the correct pitch.

The first step to building your wooden lean-to conservatory is to dig the foundations. You’ll then need to level the earth, then add concrete to the correct height, which should be lower than your property’s existing damp course. Then, you’ll build up to the damp course, which will be your conservatory’s floor level. Don’t forget to make sure it’s even.

If you’re building a dwarf wall, start it from the base and build up to no more than 1 metre high. Once the cement is dry, place external sills on top of the dwarf wall. You’ll then need to secure the frames; start with the one that secures to your property, then do the same for the rest, connecting outwards until they meet from the two sides. Then put up your doors.

Now it’s time to build the roof. This should be simple if you’ve bought your own custom-made kit. Place the roof ridge on top of the frames, then add the roof rafters between the roof ridge and hip bars. Fit your glazing sheets and guttering – it’s important that your wooden conservatory roof has guttering just like your house, otherwise your conservatory roof won’t last very long and could even cause rainwater to rot your wooden frames.

Once you’ve built your wooden lean-to conservatory, all that’s left is to decide on how you want to decorate it. But if this all sounds like too much, get in touch with specialist wooden conservatory installers who will be able to give you a quote for building you a lean-to conservatory.

This varies according to the quality of the conservatory and installation work. If these are both high quality, your conservatory should last at least 25 years. But obviously if you notice deterioration or leaks, then this could be an early warning sign that time is running out.

Modern conservatories are well insulated and have double glazing. This means that you can use them in winter, as well as in the warmer seasons. Different roof options such as a glass roof or a titled roof will allow a conservatory to become simply another room in the home.

If you’re conservatory leaks every time it rains, has degraded roof or is apparently worn, then it’s high time some repair and maintenance work is carried out. However, several home and property owners tend to overlook this type of repair work because they believe it’s going to cost them a lot of money. In reality, this need not be the case when you work with any of the accredited tradespeople or companies in your local area as they’re always able to provide quotes that’ll suit your budget. If you’re wondering what the cost of repairing your conservatory is, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to give you an idea of a conservatory repair cost range. Let’s take a look!

First and foremost, it must be stated that there’s no single and straightforward answer to this question as there are multiple factors that influences the repair cost of a conservatory. These factors include the type of damage(s) involved, the materials used, the experience of company hired, your location and many more.

Generally, for conservatory fixtures and fittings repair jobs, we have a lot of parts to consider. For replacement roof panels, the cost you should expect to incur is within the range of £30 to £50 per panel. For sealed glazing unit replacement, you’re likely to incur within the range of £17 to £19 per unit. For door re-hung, you should expect to incur about £19 to £22 per door leaf. For leak tracing and repairs, you’re likely to spend within the range of £18 to £22 per hour, while call out charges will possibly range from £30 to £50 per visit.