Conservatory Installation and Repair

• Lean-to: A simple sloping roof against the house wall. It suits terraced houses, bungalows and narrow gardens.
• Victorian: A faceted, bay-shaped front with a steep pitched roof, suited to period homes.
• Edwardian: A square or rectangular shape that makes the most of the floor space.
• Gable-fronted: A tall, upright front that lets in more light and gives a feeling of height.
• P-shaped: A lean-to and a Victorian or Edwardian section combined, for larger homes.

Most conservatories sit on a low brick dwarf wall with glazed frames above, while full-height glazing gives more light. We help you choose the style, size and frame colour to suit the house.

• Foundations and base: Foundations designed for the ground, a damp-proof course and an insulated floor slab.
• Dwarf walls: Brickwork to match or complement the house.
• Frames and glazing: UPVC or aluminium frames, with safety glass where the building regulations require it, such as doors and low-level panes.
• Roof: A polycarbonate, glass or solid roof, sealed and flashed into the house wall.
• Electrics: Sockets and lighting through our domestic electrical installation service.
• Heating: A separate heating system with its own controls, such as electric underfloor heating installation, so the conservatory stays exempt from building regulations.
• Finishing: Flooring, plastering of any solid walls, and decoration.

Usually not, for a house. A conservatory is treated as a single-storey extension, so it can be built under permitted development if it meets the extension limits:

• Rear conservatory: Up to 3 metres deep on an attached house, or 4 metres on a detached house, measured from the original rear wall. Larger conservatories may be possible through the prior approval process for larger home extensions.
• Height: No more than 4 metres high, and no more than 3 metres to the eaves within 2 metres of a boundary.
• Side conservatory: Single storey, no more than 4 metres high and no wider than half the width of the original house.
• Position: Not in front of the main wall facing the road.
• Coverage: Extensions and outbuildings together must not cover more than half the land around the original house.

Permitted development does not apply to flats and maisonettes. It is more restricted for listed buildings, in conservation areas, where an Article 4 direction applies, or where the house has already been extended. We check the position at the survey. If permission is needed, a planning application or a lawful development certificate can be arranged.

• Leaking roof: Failed seals and gaskets on glazing bars, cracked or slipped roof panels, blocked gutters and box gutters, or failed lead flashing where the roof meets the house.
• Misted glazing: Condensation between the panes means the sealed unit has failed. Usually the glass unit can be replaced without replacing the frame.
• Doors and windows: Sticking, dropped or draughty doors, broken handles, hinges and locks.
• Draughts and resealing: Perished seals around frames, and gaps between the conservatory and the house, finished with siliconing.
• Dwarf walls and base: Cracks in the brickwork or a sinking floor, which we investigate before repairing.
• Condensation and temperature: Better ventilation, solar-control glazing or a new roof.

We tell you honestly whether a repair, a new roof or a replacement conservatory is better value.

Usually, yes. Most leaks come from a few specific points rather than the whole roof. We find where the water is getting in, which is often not directly above the drip, and then repair it: resealing or replacing gaskets and glazing bar caps, replacing damaged panels, clearing and resealing gutters, or renewing the flashing against the house wall. If the roof has many failed panels, a very old polycarbonate roof or a frame in poor condition, a roof replacement may be better value than repeated repairs.

Replacing a conservatory roof can turn a room that is too hot in summer and too cold in winter into one you can use all year. The options are a new glass roof, often with solar-control glass, or a solid, tiled roof with an insulated ceiling inside.

A solid roof is much heavier than polycarbonate or glass, so it normally needs building regulations approval. The frames, dwarf walls and foundations must be checked to make sure they can take the weight, and the roof must meet insulation standards. Changing the roof on a house with permitted development rights does not usually need planning permission if the conservatory is not made larger or taller, but we confirm this for your property.