A Conservatory.

General:

By definition, conservatories are buildings with a minimum of 50% of their external walls glazed and at least 75% of their roof glazed. Therefore it can become very confusing when people say they want a conservatory with a tiled / solid roof. What they are referring to then is a sunroom. This would then come under Extending Your Home.htm

This section deals only with conservatories, an area in which we have 19 years of technical and design experience at the top end of the market. These buildings range from small stand alone garden rooms to large swimming pool enclosures. Most, but not all attached to period homes. Our advice is totally unbiased.

Various materials such as uPVC, aluminium, steel and wood have been used over the years. More recently, the combination of wood and aluminium has been combined as a composite material. Much depends on how much you want to pay and how long you are prepared to wait for your conservatory.

How to go about it:

• Do you know what you want? What are you going to use it for and where on your home will it be? They don't have to face south! Have you sufficient room and are you going to be overlooked (remember these are see through buildings). What type of design are you thinking of? Will it be simple, decorative, square, octagonal ended or a combination of all of these!………… shapes are endless. We will guide you through this.
• You might need planning permission. Contrary to belief, conservatories quite often require permission under the Town & Country Planning act. Especially on a new house or if, you've had alterations done which required permission. Your supplier should confirm this with you.
• What is your budget, £5,000, £50,000 or even £500,000? Some companies carry out the whole project including getting the relevant local authority approvals but some will only fit the framework and glaze it leaving you to organize the rest with your builder. The latter tend to be the bespoke market who will deliver and fit anywhere.

What About the Regulations:

• Unless you intend having a large building you may not have to apply for Building Regulations Approval. To be exempt the conservatory must be under 30m² internal floor area, separated from the main house by external quality doors, any heating to be only background heating, be at ground floor level, and not interfere with any drain runs. It should also be more than a meter away from your neighbours boundary to comply with fire regulations.
• If you do want a large building, be prepared for considerable expense. You will need to comply with the latest amendments to the Building Regulations Part L Approved Document, which is quite onerous and can require expensive glazing and high levels of insulation. Having said this it is still possible to design a beautiful conservatory and still comply.
• If Planning Permission is required, we will submit the application on your behalf and liase with the planners as and when necessary. Planning Permission normally takes around 8 weeks.

How To Go About It:

• Contact us for a brief discussion and we can arrange an initial meeting with you (free of charge within Norwich Area) to discuss your ideas and the overall feasibility of the project, interior decoration and furnishings to suit.
• We will write to you confirming what our fees will be and give an indication of what Local Authority charges will be. We will also confirm whether or not any other consultants will need to be involved such as Structural Engineers to design steel work etc.
• We will carry out a measured survey and prepare drawings of the existing layout and proposed scheme that suits your requirements.
• Full joinery workshop and building work drawings can be prepared and manufacture can be organized for a design unique to you.
• We will confirm if Planning Permission is required. If it is, we will obtain this on your behalf. A location plan at a scale of 1:1250 or 1:2500 will be needed for the application (often found with your deeds outlined in red). If you do not have, we can organize this.
• If Building Regulations is required more detailed drawings will then be prepared giving all the necessary construction information to submit for Full Plans Building Regulations approval and also to enable the builder to carry out the work.
• We can obtain prices, organize builders, and if you wish, carry out full supervision. All can be tailored to suit your particular requirements.

Not Sure?

• If you are unsure in any way about what is involved and would prefer a simple chat please do call on 01603 860809