DIY & Budget Conservatories
Saving on Conservatories Costs
Extending your home itself generally gives you a couple of choices, employ a builder to create a new room by going up (loft extensions), going down (basement extensions) or going out (room extensions).
But you also could consider a conservatory or orangery which, in most cases, is the simplest and lowest cost option. Conservatories are less costly than a “bricks & mortar” extension because the work is less complex, not so labour intensive and can be fully fitted without the need for planning permission (provided you abode by the guidelines).
Having said that, a lot of folks want to reduce their spending even further.
Typically, people get quotes for their new conservatories from a company that designs, delivers & installs the new room. That method has its advantages, in that all you need to do is choose a style, pay for it and wait for it to be built – it’s all very “hands-off” and you can just sit back and watch.
The alternative to this is to split the work into 2 sections:
- Supplied by one source
- Installed by another source
In this way you can search around for a deal on conservatory prices and then do the same for a contractor to install it. Or, if you have the skills, fit it yourself.
To see how this could save you money would involve some “legwork”. You could get a set of supply & fit quotations for your room to give you a fair idea of the market price and then move on to find out what “supply only” conservatories cost.
Finding the right team to install the conservatory may be more problematic, as you would need to employ an experienced contractor and that could mean quite a few phone calls & meetings with builders in your locale.
Fitting a conservatory yourself could be either a good idea or the worst of ideas – depending on your skill set. This is not a job for someone who’s experience in DIY has been gained by putting up a shelf or two!
Planning Permission & Building Regulations
When you buy from, and have your room fitted by, a conservatory company they will be able to deal with all aspects of planning & building regulations where required – usually via being a member of a trade body such as FENSA / CERTASS / GGF or DGCOS. If you do it yourself, all these things need to be handled by you.
Summary
You could very well save money on the overall cost of a new room by separating the supply & installation aspects.
Suppliers are quite readily available in the market, but construction element is the tricky aspect, it may be tough or take quite a while for you to find a local team with the right experience.
DIY is only to be undertaken if you know what you are doing. If you make a bad job of it, not only will it have been a waste of your time, but also your hard earned money if you have to get a professional in to put thing right.
Its fine to save money, but “penny pinching” could be costly.
Typical Prices for Supply only Budget Conservatories
- LEAN TO 2450MM WIDE X 2500MM DEEP From Around: £1,953 Incl. VAT
- LEAN TO 3950MM WIDE X 3000MM DEEP From Around: £2,987 Incl. VAT
- VICTORIAN 2950MM WIDE X 3000MM DEEP From Around: £2,465 Incl. VAT
- VICTORIAN 3950MM WIDE X 3000MM DEEP From Around: £3,006 Incl. VAT
These example costs are for a basic glazed construction. You would need to consider the base cost & also if you wanted to use dwarf walls.
Bear in mind that your room may cost more than the prices shown here – they are just a sample of currently advertised prices available online and shown for convenience only.
Low Cost Conservatory Quotes Online
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quotations for the cost of fully fitted conservatories
