DIY Conservatories - DIY Conservatory Supplier in the UK

If you find that you have a height restriction on the back of your house or simply that you are trying to find a Diy conservatory for a bungalow you have several options. Most companies will offer you a lean to conservatory. To start with you need to work out what the minimum height is for your Diy conservatory. This is determined by standing outside and looking back at the bungalow what the lowest point is on your property. This is usually the top of the back door or the top of the windows on the bungalow. Once you have this dimension don’t forget that if you are planning on having doors opening inwards to your conservatory to allow for the door to open. As a guide this dimension is around 2100mm high on most properties.
You then need to see if you have enough room above the door/windows to guide the wall plate over above the door and under the soffit. If you don’t it’s not a problem this is usually the case. All we need is the dimensions of the soffit that is stopping you putting the conservatory onto the bungalow wall and we will design your conservatory to fit the frames under the soffit and the fly the conservatory roof onto the front of the fascia for you.
Although this sounds complicated at Diy conservatory quote we will send you out a quick and simple form to fill in and then we do all the hard work for you.
If a lean to conservatory is not for you another option for Diy conservatories for bungalows is the hipped back conservatory. This style of conservatory adds a 4th dimension to your roof and allows for a box gutter to be bolted to your property above the minimum window height and below the soffit. These hipped back conservatories come in a number of styles including hipped back Edwardian conservatory and hipped back Victorian conservatory. If you look at our quotes page you can find online pricing for all these different styles of conservatory.

Conservatory Design
At DIY Conservatory Quote we offer the best conservatory design advice for your conservatories. Take a typical Edwardian Conservatory, this flat fronted design is the most spacious and its internal spaces give you the most room for your money.
When designing a conservatory the first thing to consider is what am I going to use this conservatory for?
If its going to be a dining room on the back of the house is it big enough to comfortably seat your table and guests with out being cramped. If its going to be a TV room do I need a glass roof to keep the noise of the rain down on cold winter nights.
Which direction does it face ? You will be surprised how hot your conservatory gets even on cloudy days. I open the doors on mine and take the chill off of the lounge quite easily. If its south facing do you need a heatguard polycarbonate roof to reflect some of that heat. Also within your conservatory design specification make careful consideration of the glass type in the frames that you want. As fast as a conservatory warms up they cool down with out Pilkington k glass to stop the heat escaping.
Another conservatory design factor is what style of conservatory do I want ?
The Victorian design conservatory tend to limit furniture positions unless they are really big. The Edwardian Conservatory, with no diagonal facets, is the easiest of all the diy conservatories to mark out and build. The lean to conservatory design is great in height restricted builds ie on bungalows but a box guttered conservatory is a great alternative with the box gutter bolting on the fascia
Door position on a conservatory is also key to maximising the space that you have available. A poorly positioned door can create a corridor through the centre of the floor dividing the Conservatory furniture so that a seating plan is difficult. If possible one of the best places for the door is on the side of the conservatory. A good position of doors is one frame away from the house this allows a little bit more flexibility with things like TV positions or allowing the doors from the house to fold flat back on to the house wall. But if you want the doors next to the house make sure that the conservatory designer fits all the doors with door restrictors as standard to prevent the wind from catching them and slamming shut.
Most conservatory designs come with double doors as standard but you can ask for additional separate doors to give your conservatory design more flexibility.
Don’t worry if you have height constrictions or are looking for a conservatory to attach to a bungalow. A Hipped back Edwardian Conservatory can be easily adjusted to fit on or under any soffit height. By contacting us for a price we then once agreed send out the relevant forms for you to fill in and guide you through the design process one step at a time.
Whatever your design choice at www.diyconservatoryquote.co.uk we will make your build as easy as possible with clear concise drawings and friendly help all the way to finished conservatory project.

Lean to Conservatory
The lean to conservatory is the first thing that comes into people’s minds when they think of a conservatory. This style of conservatory has been made popular by the high street diy stores offering them in lean to conservatory kits as a modular build.
Take a typical Lean to Conservatory, this flat fronted design is the most spacious and its internal spaces give you the most room for your money. With no diagonal facets its conservatory base is the easiest of all the conservatories to mark out and build. Its roof is usually polycarbonate with horizontal roof bars running from the house wall to the front of the conservatory. Its roof comes in two angles 2.5 degree and 5 degrees with plastic firings to fill in each end. Personally I would always go for the 5 degree options as the rain tends to run off quicker and the steeper angle inhibits moss and that familiar green slime that can build up over time. Always get the thickest polycarbonate roof you can I would say that a 25mm roof for your lean to conservatory is a minimum.
Door position on the Lean to conservatory is also key to maximising the space that you have available. A poorly positioned door can create a corridor through the centre of the floor dividing the Conservatory furniture so that a seating plan is difficult. If possible one of the best places for the door is on the side of the conservatory. I like to position doors one frame away from the house this allows a little bit more flexibility with things like TV positions or allowing the doors from the house to fold flat back on to the house wall. But if you want the doors next to the house make sure the doors come with Door restrictors as standard to prevent the wind from catching them and slamming shut.
All lean to conservatories come with double doors as standard but you can ask for additional separate doors if you are taking out a window to get into your conservatory and with a couple of cuts the results to the existing house are instant.
The great thing about the lean to conservatory is that with a bit of skill and calculations the wall plate of the conservatory can be positioned on the fascia of a bungalow allowing the frames to carry on under the soffit.
Whatever your design choice at www.diyconservatoryquote.co.uk we will make your build as easy as possible with clear concise drawings and friendly help all the way to finished conservatory project.

Self build Conservatories

Its early June and we are in the depths of a recession. There’s no point in trying to sell your house as you want the market to pick up and your savings aren’t earning any interest. You’ve decorated your house to death and your garden is all done and ready for a barbeque. So now you are investigating the possibility of a self build conservatory.
What are the main criteria for selecting a self build conservatory
1.Decide what you are going to use it for.
With self build conservatories this needs to be thought about rather carefully as this will denote the size and the style of the project.
2.How big do you want your conservatory to be ?
Where self build conservatories are concerned this is really a two edged sword, as the obvious answer is as big as possible for my budget. But think practically and go outside with a tape measure and mark it out. There’s nothing worse than sitting in one thats to small or the sofa wont fit !
3.What style of conservatory would I like?
Self build conservatories come in a range of styles with the most popular being the Edwardian,lean to or Victorian style. Most come in a range of three colours White , Light Oak (caramel) or Rosewood. The best advice I can give is match it to your windows.
4.What type of base would you like ?
types of base I hear you say what’s he going on about . Well for self build conservatories the base market has been brought into the 21st century over the last couple of year. The big development is steel bases. These fundamentally are a floating steel raft that your conservatory sits on. There are no back breaking footings to dig just 450mm pads that you then fill with quick setting cement. These bases are great in difficult situations where drains are in the way of your building and go up in no time at all. In fact one Saturday i dug and concreted the pads for mine in around 3hrs. Admittedly I did get a move on as I was going to the rugby that afternoon but still I surprised myself. These bases also have prefabricated walls that have different slip brick styles to match your house.
5.Glass roof or polycarbonate roof ?
Which is better well it depends on your budget and what you are going to be using it for. Glass roofs are more expensive but offer greater sound insulation but are more expensive. This is because of the glass itself is always toughened and the rafters and roof aluminium use to support the extra weight is reinforced. Polycarbonate offers great value for money but always make sure it is at least 25mm thick. Beware some diy high street chains offer 16mm as standard. At 25mm or 35mm if possible its insulation properties are superior to glass keeping the heating bills down.

6.Your budget and finance
Self build conservatories usually have a 10yr warranty and so Stick to you budget and don’t get seduced into finance there are much better deals to be had from the banks than any company can offer. And don’t forget to haggle there’s always a promotion round the corner.

Blog article on www.diyconservatoryquote.co.uk where you can design, price and buy your diy conservatories.

Conservatory Kits
Conservatory kits are a great way to improve you the value of your home if done well. Conservatory kits can also be cheap and nasty and create an eyesore.
It is a common misconception that all conservatory kits are the same. Well let me tell you now they aren’t. Like everything there are good and bad and like everything in life you generally get what you pay for. What they are, is great way of adding space and value to your home.
So what should I look out for and what are the differences between the different types of supply only conservatory kits ?
Generally it’s not what the salesman tells you it’s important to know what he has not told you. When buying a conservatory kit make sure that you get at least 2 quotes. All diy conservatory kit companies will do this free of charge. Some of the better ones will supply you with a 3d drawing of your choice so that visualising the build is much easier. Always ask for a Conservatory Kit product specification. Below is my minimum recommendation
1. The conservatory kit is pre-glazed i.e. the window panels come out to you with the glass in and then are joined together using aluminium joiners. This prevents you smashing the glass when trying to glaze the frames. Don’t listen to the salesman that his unglazed conservatory is easy to glaze ask him to explain how the beading fits and he will soon run out of the room. He will have never glazed one in his life. Trust me I have and you have to match the glass to the aperture, mark and remove the glass, pack it correctly so that the drainage isn’t blocked and then put the beading back in. It’s a ball ache and he doesn’t want to tell you that. Do you know how to toe and heel a door so it doesn’t stick ?
2. That it is a 70mm System. This means that the conservatory window frames are at least 70mm thick some systems brought in from sunnier climates are 50 or 60mm these have lower insulation properties and so you build will lose heat rapidly
3. That the glass in the windows of the conservatory kit is 28mm and internally glazed. This is a great trick on low end cheap conservatory kits. Make the glass units thinner usually 20mm or 24mm and then externally glaze the product. This means that again you lose heat due to thinner glass units but more worryingly your glass units can be removed from the outside. They are less secure and easy to break in to as the beading can be removed from the outside.
4. The roof polycarbonate is at least 25mm easy this one just watch the high street diy superstores as some of their conservatory kits contain 16mm polycarbonate roof sheets
5. That the windows and doors are multipoint locking. A cheap alternative on the window locks are espags (roller cams) always ask for Shoot bolts these lock into the frame of the conservatory providing greater security and usually a second position night vent. Doors again multipoint locking with twin handles. You will be amazed how many companies offer you a conservatory kit with only one handle on one door. Well you didn’t ask for two did you!

Don’t let me put you off buying a Diy conservatory Kit they are great and easy to build just make sure you have printed off this document when the sales guy rings. Happy building!
This article was written by www.diyconservatoryquote.co.uk