DIY Conservatories

Many house owners wish to add a conservatory to their property, especially people who have to live in colder climatic zones like the UK. Unfortunately, glass houses generally are regarded as a real luxury and therefore conservatory prices are often enough prohibitive. But, there are alternative ways, and if you are not shy of doing some work yourself, DIY CONSERVATORIES may just be the right thing.

The process of finding the right solution should take several factors in consideration: What building experience do you have? Can you do some qualified woodwork? Are you able to provide a fundament? This may involve digging to frost free ground levels and dealing with a significant amount of concrete. Depending on your utilization plans you may want to include water and waste-water pipes as well as ventilation / heating facilities and electricity supply at this point. Buying a complete diy conservatory kit has usually the advantage that the producer provides all the necessary plans (or at least the minimum information required to provide a safe base in the right dimension).

If you are lucky, some part of your house is perhaps ready to be converted into a conservatory in a few simple steps. If you already have some sort of “Veranda” with a solid roof and base, a number of skylights and a few double- or triple-glazed windows in standard sizes can turn it into a sunny room usable around the year. A small log stove should provide sufficient heat on cold winter days, and, if massive enough or connected to a radiator system with water tank, can keep it frost-free over night if the conservatory shall serve as a shelter for mediterranean plants. One additional advantage of basing a conservatory´s construction on solid windows in standard measurements is that the installation of shutters and blinds is easy and rather cheap. Most skylight producers offer blinds fitting their products. They keep the hot summer sun from overheating the room and let it cool down slower in cold winter nights. Modern skylights can be opened easily, which helps the ventilation – in many cases automatic openers are available too. Some solid walls make such a conservatory construction far more stable and provide a certain thermal buffer. Sticking with standard-sized windows as much as possible keeps the costs low.

If you do not have a convertible Veranda already, European company “Unopiu” makes several extensive pergola systems stable enough to carry a solid roof, in addition wall elements and windows are provided which can be included anytime later. This allows for cost-effective building in steps.

An interesting alternative to look at are greenhouses. Generally, good-quality hardwood or aluminum greenhouses are significantly cheaper than their “conservatory” counterparts. If you don´t need a fully insulated glasshouse for keeping high room temperatures all year around, but rather a shelter for plants and a place to have some tea in on rainy autumn afternoons, a large lean-to greenhouse could serve you well at a fraction of the cost. Greenhouses with light and self-carrying frame construction often come with a prepared base, so the whole construction can then be built on a post and pier foundation, which is not only quickly installed, but has a low impact on your existing garden and saves on material and transport. We have seen the first glasshouses built on “ground screws” as made by Krinner, a metal post foundation which can be installed in minutes.

When choosing a diy conservatory kit, a decision has to be made regarding the materials. The frame could be from uPVC, a softwood like pine, aluminum or a hardwood, with the latter being the most pricey, classy and long-term durable. Safety glass and double glazing are optimal, often enough Polycarbonate will serve as a replacement, which, in the case of a brand material like Lexan may arguably function as well or better.