Recommendations for a new conservatory

[Rodtheplod]

Hey all,

At the beginning of 2020 I moved into a new build property in Reading. It's generally spacious enough, but we've always thought that we could maybe do with just a little extra space - especially when family visit and stay for some weekends, etc.

We're thinking a good option will be to add a conservatory, so I've started looking at options this weekend, but would like some feedback from people here who may have already done it. I'm on a budget of around £25K, (maybe £30K at an extreme push). Size-wise I'd be looking for something in the region of 4.2m x 3.8m.

Question: Who would you recommend based on quality of the end product/workmanship/value for money, etc? I've had a look on the websites of the usual suspects such as Anglian, Everest, etc. But I have a feeling they will inflate prices, and not provide a product any better than a more affordable alternative.

Any suggestions for me a good conservatory company? In or around the Reading/Berks area.

Thanks!

 

[Deluks]

Don't do it. Put the money towards an extension instead.
You could get it done on the same budget if you're savvy.

In some areas a conservatory can knock value off of a house.

 

[jj4091]

As Deluks says a proper extension is a better option than a conservatory.

 

[Deluks]

If your garden is big enough, one of those posh looking nice cladding/insulated/bifold/rubber roof garden rooms would be a more useful addition, and gives you somewhere to get away from the wimmin!

 

[Rodtheplod]

Thanks both for the reply. I'm surprised, but also intrigued! Can you expand more on why a conservatory would knock the value off of a house? Especially if it was done well, and provides extra space? What are the downsides?

I assumed that, as this was a new build, adding a full-blown extension might not be possible (assumed is the key word - I might be completely off, there!) which is why this weekend, I started looking at the possibility of a conservatory instead, as I know those don't need planning permission, etc.

I'm just in the very early scoping stages here. There's clearly a lot more that I need to look into, so I appreciate your responses!

 

[HERTS P&D]

Too hot in Summer, too cold in Winter.

Andy

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The one and only advantage of a conservatory over an extension is that it won't make the room it leads from as dark.

If you're building onto an existing patio door with a solid room then that original room can end up feeling like it's underground if you're not careful about the design. You may need to add windows to the original room, if possible. Alternatively put the extension in a less obvious place, e.g. to the side rather than the back.

An "orangery" is a good compromise. Basically walls and windows like a room, with a glass roof or lantern. Has some of the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Alternatively, all windows around with a solid roof.

Most people with a conservatory hardly ever use them. You'll pay a fortune to heat it in the winter, and it will be stupidly hot in the summer so will also make the adjoining room unbearable too - especially if you can't open the doors to the outside any more.

Have a good think!

Whatever you do, avoid the big national brands, they're usually terrible. Get someone independent to design what you need then pay someone else to build it.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

The reason conservatory companies build them is that they're cheap to build. They're often built on top of topsoil instead of digging down for the decent foundations you need for a proper building. They still sink, as anything built on topsoil will, but it should take longer than the warranty period before it cracks, so it's your problem and not the supplier's.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Yes absolutely useless, we have one - like a greenhouse in any sunny weather, actually unbearable if it's actually hot outside that also heats up the room it's joined to irrespective of whether the door is open or closed and all of the opposite in any cold weather. Think I've sat in ours about 5 times in 2 years.

 

[Deluks]

The whole point of a conservatory used to be to keep plants in.
Basically a posh greenhouse!

Nowadays, conservatory means 'room to keep the exercise bike in, under a load of IKEA bags full of crap'

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I doubt that they're ever built onto new homes as standard, and there's probably a very good reason for that. New homes are regulated by insulation, energy efficiency and comfort requirements, a conservatory can not ever comply with any standards.

If you really want one then try ebay. There are people regularly selling them on there for £1, for anyone who wants to disassemble it and take it away. People often would prefer nothing to the one that they already have!