How much does a conservatory cost: what the job involves and who is registered to do it

How how much does a conservatory cost works

1. Ask for the quote as a schedule, not a total. A conservatory quote that is one number cannot be compared with anything. Ask for it split into groundworks, frames and glazing, roof, electrics, internal finishes and making good. Each of those is a different trade with a different risk attached, and seeing them separately is what tells you whether the cheap quote is cheaper or shorter.
2. Find out what the base assumes. Foundation depth is an assumption until somebody digs. The quote should say what depth has been priced, and what the rate is if the ground demands more. Nearby trees, a drain crossing the footprint, or an existing shallow footing on the house wall are the three things that most often turn a fixed price into a variation.
3. Check who signs off the electrics. A new room needs power, light and usually a heat source, and that work is notifiable. Either the installer is registered on a competent person scheme and certifies it, or a separate electrician does and you get the certificate from them. A quote that says nothing about this is a quote with a job hidden in it.
4. Separate the sales price from the survey price. Almost every firm quotes before it surveys. Ask what happens after the technical survey: whether the figure is fixed, what can move it, and how much notice you get. That is a more useful question than any discount, because the survey is where the real number is decided.
5. Look at what happens to the house wall. The opening between the house and the new room is structural work on the existing building. Whether it is a set of doors into an existing opening or a new hole with a lintel over it is the difference between a straightforward job and one that needs a structural calculation and building control involvement of its own.

Insurance and paperwork

Common questions

Should I get three quotes or is that overkill?

Three is the right number for a job of this size, and they are only useful if all three are pricing the same written schedule. Two quotes give you no sense of the middle, and more than three usually just adds sales calls rather than information.

Is a quote with a long guarantee worth more?

Only if you read who stands behind it. An insurance backed guarantee held by a third party survives the installer going out of business, and a guarantee printed on the installer's own paper does not. That distinction is worth more than the number of years.

What is a normal deposit?

There is no legal figure, but a deposit is meant to cover the firm ordering materials, not to fund the job. Staged payments tied to delivery and to completion protect you far better than one large payment up front, and any firm that will only work the other way is telling you something.

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