Conservatory

[GatheringRequirements]

We started looking to have a conservatory and wants it to be usable all year round, so far Anglian homes has given us a quote of 16000 ,they said they are only ones who does the mirrored glass roof and are the only company to be certified by BBA for the whole conservatory(they said others has just roof or base etc).The conservatory we want to have is a lean to style and 3m X 3m so its not very big. Is this the right price?

Could you recommend me a company in IG6 or IG1 postcode areas?

I would get at least 3 quotes and where I am in Buckinghamshire there are local companies which have a good reputation. I think these nation wide companies like Anglian put a premium on the prices so I think you might be able to get a better deal from someone local. Is the mirrored glass room simply a window film? We had this done on a conservatory a few years ago - again by a local firm and didn't cost very much. Some company's can do self-cleaning glass on the roofs which I know does cost more and Pilkington K glass costs more.

If you want the space to be usable all year round, you really need to consider building an extension rather than tacking a conservatory onto your house.
Depending on where in the country you are, build costs are roughly £1,500 psm possible plus VAT.
You shouldn't need planning permission for the size you are considering (assuming you are not in a conservation area etc) but you will need to meet Building Regulations.
I'm in central Scotland and we were quoted £9k for a conservatory of 3m x 3m and that included removing the 'greenhouse' we currently have. We are now going down the extension route.

'possibly' not 'possible'

They are talking bollox as we have solar reflective roof on our conservatory and didn't use Anglian

Personally I'd go for an extension/sun room with big windows. I'd never have another one they are cold and need a lot of heating in winter, warm and bright in the summer even with solar roof thingies, you need blinds etc to keep the sun out. They need to be on the shadiest side of your house, if you don't have a really shady place then a conservatory won't be useable. They take a LOT of cleaning and you have no idea how much until you actually have the thing, then it's too late!

So, get an extension which will probably work out cheaper in the long run

Anglian fed us similar BS when we had our windows and doors replaced - their quote was three times higher than local companies. Their sales rep was awful and really obnoxious in the end we told him to leave.

We found local companies offered the same quality but for a better price and better service..... certainly worth shopping around!

As others have said, an extension would have a more stable temperature all year around but cost will be something to think about. Also depend on what direction your garden faces too. I have friends who have a south facing garden which is beautifully sunny but their conservatory was way too hot in the summer and then too cold in the winter (and expensive to heat) so in the end they took it down and had a pergola put up to give summer shade!

Be careful, conservatories are value destroying not enhancing for a house. I've been in too many that are freezing cold or stupidly hot. Really look at other options for what you want to achieve. Extension or even a summer house?

A conservatory would definitely put me off buying a house. In fact I don't think I would even consider buying a house with a conservatory.

I know so many people who find them unusable spaces, too cold or too hot, the blinds for them are so expensive, the glass a pain to clean...

I'd consider an extension or garden room/office type of thing too.

Also OP, be wary of the sun reflective coating on the roof glass-if it's just a film coating it's pretty useless ime, the one we have which was thousands extra makes the conservatory useable but only because it's on the shady side of the house and it's actually really solid glass with a blueish tint which means nothing fades in there.

Oh and don't get me started on condensation! Grrr!

Our house has a conservatory across the whole back of the house and it is south facing. We use it as the kids' playroom. I love it and we do use it all year around. However, it does get hot and I have to open all the windows / roof vents on hot days in the summer. Sunny days in the winter are great! We had radiators put in there when we moved here, which means it is fine in the winter, but I am careful to turn the rads on and off so that we aren't heating the room when we aren't using it. I also keep the doors closed at night so that we aren't losing heat. If I were doing it (it was here when we moved in) I would do an extension, a solid roof with good insulation would make a massive difference. FWIW our roof is the plastic kind and previous owners had some fabric shades made to fit the roof panels. I'm sure this is less expensive than fancy glass and keeps the glare from being awful.

Building regs are not required if the size within permitted development, have lockable doors (think the have to be the sort you would have leading into the harden of you didn't have a conservatory) and no radiators.

We have a 6 x 4m conservatory and used a local company. Cost £15/16k which included taking the one down.

Use an oil fired radiator. It has a timer on it too

Or just fit a radiator at a later date