Your Home, Transformed: Elegant Conservatories and Orangeries Designed for Comfort

This depends on the size of each project. A conservatory or Sun Room of around 15 sq mm should mainly be completed within 4 weeks, once Planning Approval has been cleared and excavation of the foundations commenced. The principal building works should be finished during the first week. This will involve excavation of foundations and pouring concrete, building dwarf cavity walls with DPC, introducing an internal floor with damproof membrane and insulation plus a concrete oversite. If lead cavity trays are introduced, this would be during the second week whilst the preparatory building works are left to consolidate. Your conservatory installation would follow in the 3rd week and generally take around 5 days. The remaining week is in which the floor would be screeded, internal cill tiles layed and the electrics completed. It is important to be aware, that bad weather may well affect progress and that final laying of your floor finish, decorating and the introduction of blinds plus furniture should not be entertained until the conservatory has completely dried out, during the wet and colder months of the year, this will of course be consequently longer.
Some planning authorities will suggest 10/12 weeks for your application to be approved but most will be Delegated, which means it does not need to go before the main planning committee and our experience is that the general procedure is likely to be 6 weeks. When we are confident Approval is to be Granted, which is for most projects, we carry out the detailed technical survey as soon as the Application is submitted, so we may prepare drawings for manufacture, base construction and all glass units, we are thus able to achieve a completion time much more quickly following the Grant of Planning Permission.

Please call us to discuss your proposed project for advice regarding our Planning experience with many Council authorities for a realistic appraisal.

There are well over 500 RAL colours to choose from and these can be matt, satin or gloss. Our recommendation is that unless there is any overriding reason, white should be seriously considered, it will provide the lightest and brightest atmosphere within your Sun Room and substantially reflects the effect of degrading ultra violet rays. A dark brown or even green framework, may well mean a far less light and a reduced uplifting atmosphere on the all too often dark grey days and after the sun has set. Please do not only view a darker coloured conservatory on sunny days. Hardwood conservatories should incur only a small additional cost for colours but Architectural Aluminium and PVC may increase the price substantially, particularly if a non standard RAL colour is desired.
There are now designs using all three construction materials, for the frame work, which can be of dual colour. Whilst this opportunity might appeal initially, make sure you view one of these buildings carefully, as because from many positions inside and out, you will often see two colours and from experience we find that this outcome is not always ultimately pleasing, particularly for example if you have white inside and a dark brown externally – some suggest this may appear like wearing odd socks, so do be confident that it will be your best choice.

One of the criteria for exemption from Building Regulations, is that there must be doors separating your conservatory from the home. There is no reason however why doors cannot be omitted, as long as you are able to satisfy Building Regulation requirements, which will mean appropriate insulation values for not only the extension but those within your existing home This is called a SAP’s Rating and is carried out to satisfy Part L of Building Regulations. Should you be taking out an existing window or making a door opening wider, then a new lintel may be required and appropriate structural calculations will be necessary to ensure that no structural weaknesses are created, again all under Building Control.
Many people find that in the temperate South of England, doors between home and the Sun Room are seldom closed and the ultimate decision really depends on the amenity which you wish to create.

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Most certainly not. If you have deep pockets and a country mansion, then most certainly your ultimate project may cost many thousands of pounds. There are however opportunities to purchase a superb Orangery design which fulfils all your needs at prices which many people are able to purchase when a high budget is not desired.

Whilst any traditional thinkers would wish to have a low dwarf wall and small glass panels, there is a big move towards glass to ground and very large glazed panels even up to 2 metres in width. You may however wish to have brick or stone columns but do fully consider not just outward appearance but looking from within and if these might interrupt your view of the garden and surrounding countryside.

There is obviously a wide opportunity with different windows and doors, how can we best choose?

The concept of an Orangery has changed over the years and in the beginning gained its name as a protecting glass structure where citrus fruits could be grown. There is a very special light, bright and warm area within a glass building was appreciated and many became lavish glazed palaces on country estates, where sumptuous dining and balls could be held. In modern times, the general perception of an Orangery is structured with a fair amount of glass in the side elevations onto which is constructed a flat roof, albeit with one or more glazed lanterns.