Conservatory cost: what the job involves and who is registered to do it

the UK roofing register

• How much does a conservatory cost
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• Conservatory cost calculator
• Lean to conservatory cost
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• How much does an orangery cost
• Garden room cost
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How conservatories and orangeries works

1. Start with the base, because it is buried and it is not optional. Under every conservatory there is a foundation and a floor, and that is where the surprises live. Trees near the wall, a shallow existing footing, made ground, a drain running through the footprint or a manhole cover that has to be moved all change the excavation before a single frame arrives. Ask what depth has been assumed and what happens to the price if the ground says otherwise, because a quote that has not looked is quoting a hope.
2. Settle the roof before you compare anything. Polycarbonate, glass and a solid tiled roof are three different buildings sharing one word. Polycarbonate is the cheapest and the noisiest, glass with a solar control coating costs more and behaves far better in summer, and a solid roof is heavier, needs the frames and the base to carry it, and turns the room into something you can use in February. Compare like for like or the totals mean nothing.
3. Decide whether it stays a conservatory or becomes an extension. The exemption a conservatory relies on has conditions: it sits at ground level, it is under a floor area threshold, it is mostly glazed, and it is separated from the house by external quality doors. Take the separating doors out, or run the house heating into it, and you have built an extension, which has to meet the Approved Documents in full. That decision changes the specification and the price, and it is better made at the drawing stage than by a building control officer afterwards.
4. Ask what the quote leaves for somebody else. Electrics, plastering back to the opening, floor finishes, radiators, making good the external brickwork and taking the spoil away are real hours, and they are the lines that quietly differ between two quotes for the same room. Electrical work in a new room is notifiable, so the quote should say who certifies it and whether that certificate is included.
5. Read the deposit and the survey terms before the discount. A price given before a measured technical survey is an estimate, however firmly it is worded, and the survey can move it. Look at how much is asked for up front, what the payment stages are, and what happens if the survey finds the ground or the existing wall is not what was assumed. A large deposit taken on the night is the oldest pressure tactic in this trade.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

Why do conservatory quotes for the same size differ so much?

Because they are rarely the same building. Roof type, frame material, glass specification, base depth, whether making good is included and whether the room is designed as an exempt conservatory or as a full extension all move the total, and none of them is obvious from a headline figure. Give every firm the same written schedule and the spread narrows fast.

Does a conservatory need building regulations approval?

A conservatory that meets the exemption conditions does not, which is why the separating doors and the floor area matter so much. Anything outside those conditions is ordinary building work and needs approval, and the electrical work is notifiable either way.

Is a conservatory cheaper than an extension?

Usually, and the reason is the exemption rather than the materials: a room that does not have to meet the full thermal, structural and ventilation standards is a simpler job. Once you want it warm all year, with the doors removed and the heating extended, most of that saving disappears.

What is the cheapest honest way to reduce the price?

Reduce the footprint and keep the roof simple. A lean-to roof over a smaller floor costs less on every line at once, glazing included, whereas trimming the glass specification or the base depth saves money on paper and hands the cost back later.

Registered contractors by region

• Registered roofers in the East Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the East of England postcode area
• Registered roofers in the London postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the North West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Scotland postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South East postcode area
• Registered roofers in the South West postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Wales postcode area
• Registered roofers in the West Midlands postcode area
• Registered roofers in the Yorkshire and The Humber postcode area