How Much do UPVC Conservatories Cost?
A guide to getting the lowest uPVC Conservatories cost
Conservatories are often the thing homeowners consider building, to either add space or re-sale value to their properties. Getting the best deal on conservatories cost is also a high priority. That’s why some may consider whether it’s a good idea to consider different ways of getting the job done.
So here is a guide to some of the main things (we think) you should consider beforehand, and a brief “pros & cons” of supply only versus fully fitted options.
What type of conservatory design to choose?
Either way, supply only or fully fitted, you should begin with having a firm idea of which is the most suitable conservatory design for your circumstances. For example:
- Lean-to: can be small, medium or large and are well suited to most homes.
- Loggia conservatories: they are almost mini orangeries in their appearance and suit medium or large spaces.
- Victorian: not so well suited to smaller spaces due to their rounded design, so you need a bit of room.
- Edwardian & Georgian: square or cubic designs which may be better suited for medium or large size spaces.
- P, T, B or L-shaped conservatories: these designs are also suited for larger spaces.
- Orangeries: often seen as “grand” rooms well suited to larger designs.
What type of conservatory roof should you choose?
An important part of the design choice that can have a significant impact on conservatories cost is the type of roof.
There are 3 basic choices:
- Polycarbonate – clear or translucent.
- Glass – double or triple glazed.
- Solid – tiles or slates.
The lowest cost option is going to be to fit a poly-carbonate conservatory roof, then in the middle band is glass with tiles or slates probably being the costliest option.
The cost of the conservatory roof is going to be included in the overall price if you are buying a new conservatory.
A general guide to the cost of a solid tiled conservatory roof would be to allow £260 per M2 for concrete tiles and around £900 per M2 for genuine slate. But if you are just replacing a glass or poly-carbonate conservatory roof, you can see a rough guide to some costs in the table below.
What type of conservatory foundations are best?
What goes underneath your conservatory is just as important as what goes on top of it. If your conservatory base is weak it will lead to endless structural problems.
The three main options are:
- Pre-fabricated steel base: a steel frame resting on concrete plinths
- Reinforced concrete slab: a flat concrete area with steel mesh reinforcing on top of pre-prepared hardcore stone.
- Trench footings: a series of trenches that have a layer of concrete poured into them, on top of which the walls are built.
Pre-fabricated steel bases are really good for small to medium sized rooms and can be cost effective. A reinforced concrete slab needs to have well prepared ground underneath it.
Trench footings are suitable for any size conservatory and are considered the strongest type of foundation.
What other design features should be considered?
Glazing
As a typical conservatory is likely to be around 70% glass, then the type of glazing used is going to be important, both in terms of performance and costs.
Double glazing for conservatories is standard these days and the type of double glazed sealed units that are most often used are 24mm (2 panes of 4mm glass with a 16 mm air gap). To improve the thermal performance, you can increase the unit to 28 mm in size (2 panes of 4 mm glass with a 20 mm air gap).
Using low-emissivity glass (Low-e) alongside Argon gas filled double glazing will further improve the thermal performance of the glazing, but will also increase the conservatories cost.
Doors
French doors are very popular to use in small conservatories because the doors open outwards and so don’t interfere with interior space.
Inline sliding doors are very nice and also do not interfere with interior space. The bifold version of a sliding door is well suited to any type of conservatory because when bifold doors are open they do not get in the way and leave a big clear space.
The type of conservatory door you choose will have an effect on the overall cost of your new uPVC conservatory.
Any door which has full length glass should use tempered safety glass, as should any glazing in the sides of the conservatory which reaches floor level.
How many different UPVC Conservatory Colours are there?
White remains one of the more popular uPVC Conservatory colours, but a more recent trend is to go for something different. Grey seems to be a popular choice.
Colours for modern conservatory frames are commonly applied as foils or RAL spray colours during the manufacture process. Foiling is a process where a colour or a wood grain texture finish is laminated onto the surface by heat bonding. Spraying is done with a spray gun.
Both processes produce great looking finishes on the upvc frames, but sprays do not recreate a textured surface. Foiled colours are bonded to the surface and are much more peel resistant than a spray paint.
Over the long term, the foil process for coloured UPVC is likely to be the better choice. However, there are a lot more colours to choose from in the RAL spray paint range – over 100, compared to about 20 for foil.
A few popular uPVC colours:
- Wood effect: Rosewood / Mahogany / Light Oak / Irish Oak / Beech
- Plain: Pearl Grey / Black-Brown / Chartwell Green / Steel Blue
- Wood Grain: White / Anthracite Grey / Golden Oak / Dark Oak / Beech / Natural Oak
You could also opt to have a colour or wood-grain on the outside and white on the inside of the frames.
UPVC Conservatories Design Ideas
In one of the more recent polls, it turns out that around 40% of conservatory owners use it as a dining area and about 30% use a conservatory simply as extra living space, but what else can you use a uPVC conservatory for?
5 ways to make use of your conservatory
- Lounge – just to sit & relax.
- Work space – a personal office for those of you who work from home.
- Eating & entertaining – free up space in the house by dining in the conservatory.
- Children’s room – let the kids have their own space.
- Home Kitchen – extend your existing kitchen into it or create a new cooking experience.
Supply Only Conservatories Cost Vs Fully Fitted Conservatories Cost
The Pros & Cons.
There is a big difference between using a single company to supply and install your new upvc conservatoryor sourcing the conservatory itself from one supplier and then having it fitted by another.
It may be that you could save money by separating the supplier from the installation team but, if you don’t plan ahead, you could end up spending more than you bargained for.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both ways of getting your new conservatory built, here is a look at some of them:
Supply only Pros
- Wide design choice – select a design from any supplier.
- Wide price choice – prices from a range of sources.
- Fixed purchase cost – no variables, you pay for what you order.
- Short lead times – you can buy what is “in stock”.
Supply only Cons
- You need to find an installation team.
- Unknown cost of installation.
- Different companies honoring guarantees. 1 for product, 1 for installation work.
- Logistics 1 – getting the installers and the conservatory to be in the same place at the same time.
- Logistics 2 – if you have to wait for an installation date, where do you keep the conservatory parts until the fitters arrive?
- Up-front costs 2 – you have to pay for the conservatory when you buy it.
- Up-front costs 2 – you may have to pay deposit to installers to begin work.
Fully fitted Pros
- Wide design choice – many companies offering products.
- Complete “start to finish” service.
- One point of contact.
- One company honoring guarantees – no confusion about who is responsible for what!
- FENSA / CERTASS / DGCOS registered installation (consumer protection).
- Up-front costs – some companies don’t ask for payment until completion. Otherwise you only need to give a relatively small deposit.
- Deposit guarantees – if you pay a deposit, you get an insurance backed deposit guarantee.
Fully Fitted Cons
- Limited to the designs & price range of the company who supplies & fits.
- Lead-times – you will have to wait until the company can “fit-you-in”.
- Can’t choose who installs the conservatory.
- Check whether the company is using sub-contractors to carry out any works (uninsured or non-registered).
How much do uPVC Conservatories cost?
Supply only uPVC Conservatories cost
| Design | Typical Material | Prices Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Lean-to (Basic) | uPVC white | from £3,600 upwards |
| Victorian | uPVC white | from £5,500 + depending on size & design features |
| Edwardian | uPVC white | from £6,000 + depending on size & design features |
| P, L or T / L Shape | uPVC white | from £7,000 + depending on size & design features |
Fully Fitted uPVC Conservatories cost
| Design | Construction Material | Price Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Lean-to | White uPVC / polycarb roof | £5,500 to £8,500 |
| Victorian | White uPVC / polycarb roof | £7,500 to £8,500 |
| Edwardian | White uPVC / polycarb roof | £7,500 to £8,500 |
| P, L or T / L Shape | White uPVC / polycarb roof | £10,000 + |
A few frequently asked questions
- Supply only from £2,500 – Small, full glass sides, poly-carbonate roof & French doors.
- Fully fitted from £4,000 – Small, full glass sides, poly-carbonate roof & French doors.
