Modern conservatories are now fully double glazed meaning that they are more energy efficient making them a space which can be enjoyed throughout the year. By fitting double doors to a conservatory it means you can help to bridge the gap between your home and garden in the summer months.  

Once you have decided you want to have a conservatory added to you home there are going to be some decisions you need to make. You need to ensure that your new conservatory is going to fit in with the style of your home. There is a vast array of styles to choose from including Edwardian, Victorian, Mediterranean or maybe you would prefer a more minimal bespoke tailor made conservatory. Then you need to think about the shape of your conservatory. Consider the space you have available and how best a conservatory will fit within that space.      

Once you have chosen the key features of you conservatory such as double glazing, french doors, roof ventilation, the style of you conservatory then comes the fun bit you can choose how to customize your conservatory. Do you want lead windows? colored glass? colored frame? It is worth taking your time and doing your research visit a few conservatory suppliers to ensure you get the best possible conservatory for your needs.

Source: Expanding Family? A Conservatory Could Be the Answer to Your Prayers

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In order to ensure that a conservatory is a worthwhile investment in the long term, it needs to be a room that can be enjoyed all year round, as a breakfast room, a venue for an evening of entertaining or the place to put your feet up with a cup of tea and a good book. In the winter months, this can be a challenge, and it is important to plan in advance mechanisms that can be put in place to keep your conservatory cosy in the chillier weather.

A variety of options exist for heating your conservatory. When calculating the cost of your conservatory, it is important to take into account the additional costs of keeping it warm in winter. Trying to maintain a pleasant temperature in a large space has the potential to send your electricity bill through the roof. It is for this reason that it is important to consider your alternatives before installing your conservatory, because those relating to the selection of the correct building materials are likely to be much more cost effective in the long term.

Central heating is an extremely effective mechanism for keeping your conservatory warm. It is however one that should only be considered if cost is not an issue, because maintaining the room’s warmth with this system is not energy efficient and will have an enormous impact on your monthly electricity expenditure, unless the correct low emissivity glass is installed in a double glazing unit.

Installing central heating should be relatively simple, and with the assistance of a reputable company, should not impact on your existing central heating system. It is important to remember though, that because central heating does not warm a room instantly, it needs to be turned on well in advance if you want to enjoy a pleasant temperature in your conservatory, throughout the winter months.

Choice of Materials

Central heating is all very well, and is ideal for those who have already built conservatories. A little advance planning though can save you a lot of money in the long term. This planning relates to the choice of materials used in the construction of the conservatory. Ensuring that your conservatory UK is insulated and ventilated effectively will guarantee that it is a pleasant room all year round. Of course, because it is a structure largely built out of glass, it is crucial that the right type of glass is chosen to facilitate this:

• Low-E coated glass: such as Pilkington K Glass incorporates a coating, which is hardly distinguishable from normal glass, and is an effective way of trapping heat in your conservatory. The concept behind it is relatively simple. Short wave radiation in the form of sunlight, is allowed through the glass, while long wave radiation reflecting upwards from the inside, is trapped in the conservatory. This assists in keeping it warmer. Because a Low-E glass makes a tangible difference to the surface temperature of the glass, condensation (often a problem in conservatories) is reduced.

• Glass roofs are an attractive and classy addition to a conservatory. They are however a pricier option and will probably require shading. Installing Low-E glass in your roof and vertical walls of the conservatory, and it may also be useful to explore alternative such as tinted glass as protection from the sun.

• 25mm Polycarbonate: If a glass roof is not your bag or puts too much strain on your budget, it is best to consider polycarbonate. While most conservatories come standard with 16mm polycarbonate, upgrading to 25mm will provide effective insulation for your conservatory. This polycarbonate has 6 skins and reinforcing webbing. It also affords the choice of various colour alternatives, offering clear, bronze tinted and opal options.

• Argon filled units: When combined with Low-E glass, these units provide the best alternative for insulation, offering more warmth than most brick extensions.

These include:

• Insulating effect of air/gas layer trapped between the two panes of glass. Warm air is thus prevented from escaping the conservatory.

• Because the glass keeps the conservatory warm, the costs of heating and electricity are minimised.

• Because of the energy-saving properties of double glazing, less electricity is necessary and this is more environmentally friendly.

• Because double glazing is thick, the conservatory glass also insulates against external noise, ensuring that your conservatory is a quiet sanctuary in your home.

• Double glazing also provides extra strength, making breakage through an accident or vandalism much less likely.

There are numerous measures that can be taken to ensure that your conservatory is usable all year round. Double glazing, with the correct specification of glass should always be considered if you want to enjoy your new conservatory all year round.

Source: Keeping Your Conservatory Warm

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Adding a PVCu conservatory to your home is probably the most cost effective way of increasing your living space and also provides a room from which you can enjoy your garden all year round.

The number of people choosing a self build conservatory is growing substantially driven by consumer demands to get the best value for their hard earned cash. There are considerable savings available to those electing to go the DIY conservatory route rather than buying from a local or national conservatory installer which include:

• COMMISSIONS - A retail salesperson will typically earn a minimum of 10% of the value of your conservatory, the surveyor will earn in the region of 5% and the fitters will probably be paid another 10%. That’s a 25% saving to start with!
• OVERHEADS - Showrooms, Offices, Advertising, Vehicles and Staff all need to be paid for and will be reflected in the price you pay. Many online suppliers do not have these expensive overheads allowing them to sell at trade prices direct to the public.
• SUB-CONTRACTORS - Many installation companies sub-contract the conservatory base works to a local builder and will be adding their profit margin to whatever the builder charges them to construct your base.
• FINANCE - Most installation companies will want to convince you to take their ‘exceptional’ finance deal. Just remember that both the installation company and probably the salesman will be earning extra commission on your finance as well. If you need to finance your new conservatory it will be cheaper to apply for a bank or personal loan.
  

So, it is quite clear there are substantial savings available to you by opting for a new DIY conservatory. However, you don’t have to resort to doing the hard work yourself as there is another option.

BIY (Buy It Yourself)

Buy It Yourself allows you to select and buy a supply only conservatory yourself direct and then engage the services of a local builder to build the base and perhaps also install the conservatory for you. This offers you the best of both worlds as you are buying the conservatory yourself, ensuring you get the best deal available and project managing the installation without being involved in any of the manual work. The result is a substantial saving in cost together with the satisfaction of organising the conservatory installation yourself. The BIY route is becoming very popular as many of us are too busy or do not feel experienced enough to tackle home improvement tasks ourselves but do not want
to ignore the savings available.

DIY or BIY?

Whichever route you decide to take you will be able to enjoy your new DIY conservatory safe in the knowledge that a little hard work and some delegation has saved you thousands compared to the installed price that your neighbours probably paid for their conservatory. What’s more, because you have saved so much the additional living space added to your property will be reflected much faster in the value of your home.

Source:Self Build Conservatory Facts

If you want your new conservatory to act as a year round extension to your home it is very important to consider how the climate will be controlled inside the conservatory ensuring that you will be able to use it throughout the year. This is especially important if your conservatory is south facing as it will endure long hours of constant direct sunlight during the summer. Choose the wrong type of conservatory roof double glazing and it could limit it’s use during the most important months of the year.

Polycarbonate roof glazing is still the major choice for most purchasers mainly because of the considerable savings in cost when compared to glass and recent innovations such as Heatguard polycarbonate have improved the efficiency of polycarbonate to reduce solar gain from the sun.

Heatguard has a reflective coating on the external surface to help prevent direct sunlight penetration and an opal finish internally. It allows light to enter the roof but deflects solar radiation by up to 50% compared to other polycarbonates.

With most polycarbonate conservatory roofs now using 35mm thick material noise and insulation benefits have improved over previous thinner material but if your property suffers from heavy traffic noise or you want to enjoy your conservatory when it’s raining, polycarbonate roof glazing is not recommended.

A glass roof for your new conservatory will reduce noise levels by as much as 100% over polycarbonate and depending on the specification of the sealed units, will substantially
improve insulation values.

If your budget will stretch to a glass conservatory roof then you should also consider the latest innovation, a solar control glass roof. Specifically designed to provide the optimum roof glazing solution for conservatories, solar control glass is generally supplied with a blue tint and is also available with self cleaning or easy clean coatings to the external surface. The unique blue colour also helps keep the internal temperature of the conservatory cooler by reflecting solar radiation by as much as 72% whilst still maintaining excellent
light transmittance.

Adding opening roof vents will also help ensure a free flow of air to the conservatory roof space helping to reduce any heat build-up. Roof vents are available in manual, electric remote control or automatic rain sensor versions.

At ground level, consider installing an air conditioning unit for the ultimate climate control option. There are many versions to choose from including dwarf wall models that can be built in as you construct your conservatory base. Normally operated by a remote control handset, the latest models are very quiet and also provide background heating for the colder months of the year.

All of these options of course will ultimately add costs to your new conservatory and you will need to consider which are the most important and relevant to your conservatory style and location.

Whether you are considering a self build conservatory or a fully installed one, before making such an important buying decision, think carefully about what your conservatory is likely to be used for and if, like most people, you want to use it throughout the year then make sure you consider how the climate will be controlled before buying.

Unfortunately, not all conservatory suppliers will remind you of these points and today’s cheap conservatory bargain could turn into tomorrow’s hot house as soon as the sun comes out.

Source:Conservatory Climate Control Facts

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It sounds simple enough but if your knowledge of conservatories is limited to what style will look good on your house and you are, like most people, searching the internet for the best deal the choice available could prove daunting and confusing. There is an almost endless choice of conservatory specifications for you to choose from ranging from low budget conservatories to high specification models and it is important not to simply look for a cheap DIY conservatory but one that will suit your specific requirements.

Obviously you will want to get the best value for money you can but going for a cheap DIY conservatory may not be the best choice depending on what you intend to use the conservatory for and whether you want it to be a year round extension to your home.

After all, the conservatory will be a permanent fixture on your property for many years to come and there are a lot of other design features that need to be taken into consideration. To put it another way, buying the cheapest conservatory now may seem like a great bargain but once installed, you will have to live with it until you decide to move on.

There are essentially two main routes to buying a self build conservatory:

DIY SUPERSTORES

Some of the search engine links will take you to the online sites of some of the major DIY superstores where you will be able to view their offerings which will normally be standard size models with minimum specifications designed to keep the price down. They will probably be quite basic in terms of design and limited in the number of options(if any)available. Opening vents and doors may be fitted with basic locking systems, you will probably be limited to a 16mm or 25mm polycarbonate roof in one finish and the double glazing is likely to be standard glass with no heat retention properties.

Buying a DIY conservatory from a superstore does however have the advantage that you
will probably be able to view a sample conservatory in their showroom although you may find it difficult to find anyone who will be able to discuss the project with you in any detail due to the thousands of different products these stores sell. It is simply a catalogue number to them which may come complete with a telephone help line.

Having said that, DIY superstores sell a huge number of self build conservatories every year and if you are on a very tight budget and are prepared to accept the lower specification you should be able to find a decent size DIY conservatory for less than £2,000.

SPECIALIST DIY CONSERVATORY SUPPLIER

Using a conservatory supplier who only supplies to the DIY market will ensure that you get all the assistance and advice you need from a conservatory supplier who knows what is needed and will provide base plans and installation instructions to make your installation as easy as possible.

• 70mm PVCu Windows & Door
• Internally Glazed forsecurity
• 28mm Sealed Units preferably using heat retaining glass
• Minimum frame connectors to ensure traditional sightlines
• High security locking
• High specification conservatory roof system
• 35mm Polycarbonate roof glazing
  

Options
worth considering are:

• Decorative glass fanlights
• Solar control glass roof
• Roof vents with rain sensor control
• Air conditioning unit
  

A new conservatory is proven to add value to your home, just how much will depend
on the quality of the product and the usability of the conservatory throughout the year.

Source: Buying A DIY Conservatory

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The history of conservatories dates back to some Roman attempts to provide structures, which let in the light but kept out the cold. These structures were primarily made out of sheets of mica instead of glass. Conservatories first showed their appearance in the 17th century, but their designs were as different from a modern conservatory as chalk and cheese. The earliest known conservatories were no more than simple structures of stone. These stone structures were more glazed than those buildings that they had connection with. The upper echelons of society like, the nobility, the scientific community, and the landowners used these conservatories to protect their plants. That was a time of great discovery when naturalists brought plants from all over the world to be grown in the colder climes. Thus, it was imperative that such plants were protected from the exigencies of nature.

Records suggest that the conservatory in the Oxford Botanic garden was the first conservatory ever constructed in Britain. Conservatories became more popular in the late 19th century. There were several reasons associated with this. One of the primary reasons was that there was a tax levied on the weight of the glass in England. It was abolished in 1845, and there was a significant increase in the construction of conservatories in England. Literature and history have kept up-to-date records of the development of conservatories. There is mention of a great conservatory built in 1842 in Queen Victoria's diary. It has been told that it was the most astonishing and bizarre creation that was created.

Most people have a desire to enjoy the benefits of a garden within the comforts of the house; to make uPVC conservatories part of our every day life. A fact that stares us in the face is that style should never erode functionality. Moreover, affordability is also becoming an important criterion that dictates the kind of conservatory construction that takes shape. This is evident from the fact that over time people has given wrought iron and glass a miss and has gravitated towards aluminum, polycarbonate, and PVC. The history of conservatories is comprehensive and cannot be condensed. To conclude, conservatories are the greatest gardening inventions ever.

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For many years the conservatory remained a functional and practical attachment. Later conservatories could be spotted all over Europe and North America as fashionable appendages to stylish homes. Today the conservatory's original purpose has given way to being used as an indoor/outdoor space. The successful conservatory is one which is created and designed to bring out the best elements of the home and the outdoors.

Build a conservatory!

Conservatories are stunning additions to any home, but they do take a fair amount of planning and decision making. One of the most important decisions is the design of the conservatory itself. There are several points to consider when making design decisions; the most important is that the conservatory must compliment your main building. Victorian style conservatories added on to über modern houses can look garish rather than stylish and visa versa. Many conservatory companies offer a range of styles from Victorian to Georgian and Lean-to but it is better not to get bogged down with styles. It is advisable that you decide, with the help of a designer, on the rooms’ purpose, position and size before you select a style. Your conservatory must work effortlessly with your home rather than overshadow it. Once you have chosen a conservatory company, you will need to work closely with them to ensure that your conservatory will be a unique and fluid extension of your home.

Planning Permission

In the UK you don't usually require planning permission as most properties have a permitted development right to extend, though the size of this varies according to where you live. If you have already added on to your home, you may have used up some, or all, of your development right, in which case you may need planning permission for your conservatory. It is vital that you check with your local authority when considering any building at all, as each authority has different rules. It is always better to be safe than sorry when to comes to planning permission.

Location/Direction

In the northern hemisphere, south facing conservatories get the most year round sun. In summer, they can get extremely hot so you'll need to make sure you opt for opening windows and roof vents, which will give you excellent ventilation. Another two options are getting tinted (anti-sun) glass and/or air-conditioning. East facing conservatories get wonderful early morning sun which making them ideal settings for breakfast rooms. Easterly winds can be quite nippy so you may have to heat an east facing conservatory. West facing conservatories receive good sunlight on summer afternoons and evenings. Plants which thrive on indirect sunlight will love this location. A west facing conservatory is an amazing place to spend relaxing evenings, as they are pleasantly warm. North facing conservatories are without direct sunlight during the cold winter months and will need good heating and insulation to make up for this. In the summer these conservatories are warm and bright but they do not get direct sunlight.

The Main Structural Materials

The three main types of materials utilised in conservatory construction are PVC-U, Aluminium and Timber. PVC-U is available in many colours and is an extremely low maintenance material. This material is generally the most affordable option and works well with internal as well as external sealed glass units. Aluminium is another great low-maintenance option. It is lauded for its strength and slim sections which permit larger glazed areas. The most traditional material is timber which is a good insulator, but will need to be maintained. When making glazing decisions there are two main options, Polycarbonate and Glass. The former is a lightweight material which provides good insulation and is cheaper than glass but not as transparent or sound resistant. Glass is the preferred option as it is strong and transparent. There are several types of glass to choose from. Double glazing units will improve insulation but combining them with Low-E products and argon filling can improve this still further. Solar control products (tints or coatings) are most effective at controlling heat from the sun, internal heating and condensation. Another growing favourite amongst those who go for glass is the revolutionary self-cleaning glass which is making the lives of conservatory owners that much easier. This glass uses natural light and rainwater to keep glass cleaner and clearer and doesn't require any daredevil stunts with a ladder and soapy water to keep your glass ceiling transparent and looking great.

There are a host of other decisions you will have to make about your conservatory including: ventilation, heating and décor but the initial decisions discussed here will prove invaluable to anyone thinking about building a conservatory.

A conservatory is a wonderful and aesthetically enhancing extension to any home providing that you take care when planning. There is nothing nicer than soaking up warm rays of sunshine in the total comfort of an indoor setting with stunning outdoor views.

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Of course you'll want to employ conservatory design experts who can work with the space available and create the most charming of conservatories that compliments your habitat. For experienced professionals who have a growing list of satisfied clients that can give testimony to their superior craftsmanship, it's certainly worth looking at Hardwood Conservatories. Their specialised team of qualified consultants can create a conservatory design that adds sympathetic space to your home. What's more, they'll take all your requirements into consideration and give you a classy conservatory that comes right within your budget.

Your conservatory will be made from the finest of hardwoods that has been carefully selected from environmentally responsible merchants. It'll incorporate the latest glass technology, which means your conservatory will be warm for Christmas dinner and cool for summer evenings. Installed by time served craftsmen, this beautiful addition to your home will enhance and enchant, improve and impress and with a conservatory design from Heartwood, you'll enjoy many happy hours sat in your hardwood haven.

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The sad fact is that most people do not use their conservatories. Why is this? Well very simply because of the high temperatures these glass rooms create. In the winter a conservatory is often the coldest room of the house - being mainly a summer room you would think that as the warmer weather increased, a conservatory owner would use their conservatories more and more. However as the weather warms the heat in your conservatory multiplies into almost unbearable levels very quickly.

Most people who have invested in this type of extension quickly realise that they need some protection from the heat and glare and the obvious solution is conservatory blinds.

Conservatory blinds come in many styles and colours though they keep away the glare and offer a degree of shade they do not do a great job of keeping the heat out. The heat is still created as the sun hits the glass.

A perfect solution to heat reduction is to use external conservatory blinds. Modern fabric technology has allowed for a special type of fabric that is designed to reflect up to 95% of the suns heat away before it hits the glass, still allowing light to pass through though taking away the glare.

These exterior conservatory blinds offer huge heat reductions in the conservatory bringing the temperatures down to standard room temperature - even on the hottest of summer days.

Being these conservatory blinds are mounted externally an electric motor powers the blind on opening and closing. This allows simple temperature control as, at the press of a button, you can open, partly open or close the blind allowing more or less sunlight to hit the glass.

When not in use the exterior conservatory blinds retract back into a small housing that is hardly noticeable. In it’s cassette it can remain protected from adverse weather elements and kept looking as smart as it did on day one!

These conservatory blinds are often not cheap, certainly if you are looking at quality, though the benefits of a room you can use often outweighs the cost implications.

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If you have an old conservatory that needs replacement, there are a number of things you should consider before embarking on your replacement conservatory project.

An old conservatory may have rotting timber, rusting ironwork and windows and doors and roof vents loose in their frames. It will also have been built in an age when insulation was taken less seriously and all you needed to do to make the conservatory warmer was turn up the heating, a much more expensive solution with today’s rising energy costs.

If your conservatory was built on a dwarf wall, most likely this will have been a single course of bricks. This is unlikely to be able to take the weight of modern double-glazing and neither meet modern insulation standards. So the dwarf wall may need reinforcing, along with the foundations, or demolished and rebuilt.

If rebuilding is necessary, you may as well consider a different conservatory design; making it larger or smaller, a different shape and perhaps even with door(s) in alternative positions.

Frankly, unless you are forced into a restoration project, a new build will be the best solution in the long-term, providing more comfort and requiring less maintenance. It also allows you to choose a conservatory in keeping with your lifestyle and a design that complements your home, whether traditional or modern.

Within a few years rebuilt brickwork will have weathered and with good external landscaping, it will look as though it has always been a permanent feature of your home.

A further benefit of having a new conservatory is that you should be able to use it for more months of the year than an old one. Conservatories can be cold drafty places in winter if single glazed and with inadequate heating. In summer, south-facing conservatories can be uncomfortably hot. Modern conservatory heating will help solve the winter problem, while double-glazing and heat-reflective glass will make the uPVC conservatories more comfortable all year-round.

A good conservatory designer or installer should be able to provide you with estimated costs so that you can compare the investment required for a refurbishment with that of a new build. They should also be able to give you an idea of future heating, ventilation and maintenance costs so that you can see whether a replacement conservatory will reduce your running costs and perhaps defray the investment cost over time.

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