diy conservatory...

I know a couple of people who have done this without too many problems. You need to make sure you build the dwarf wall too the exact size given to you by the conservatory manufacturer. Ideally you need two people to do the erecting. Another option is to have a conservatory with all plastic panels at the bottom instead of a dwarf wall. You would only need 1 or 2 courses of bricks. This could be a cheaper option.
 
Why go for a dwarf wall? When we did ours we looked into whether to have an elven wall, hobbit wall or human wall.
The elven wall had the advantage of being immortal but did cost the most, unsurprisingly. The hobbit wall was good value but meant we had to have round doors leading into the conservatory. In the end we went for a knee height Gondorrian wall which was fine, but we did have to climb up to the top of the chimney each day to light a beacon to get Big Davimir the builder to arrive and start work on it. It is apparently troll and orc proof as well. Guaranteed for workmanship until the fall of man.
 
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DorsetDude said:
Why go for a dwarf wall? When we did ours we looked into whether to have an elven wall, hobbit wall or human wall.
The elven wall had the advantage of being immortal but did cost the most, unsurprisingly. The hobbit wall was good value but meant we had to have round doors leading into the conservatory. In the end we went for a knee height Gondorrian wall which was fine, but we did have to climb up to the top of the chimney each day to light a beacon to get Big Davimir the builder to arrive and start work on it. It is apparantly troll and orc proof as well. Guaranteed for workmanship until the fall of man.
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what about ents?:rules:
 
whitewash said:
what about ents?:rules:
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He said brick wall, duh!

We had Ent fence panels round the rear garden but they are 50 foot high if they're an inch. A pain to creosote and we don't get any sun except at noon in June.

And dont bother getting Gandalf (a 'wizard with a paintbrush') painter and decorators in. They only do grey or white emulsion for the walls. Plus it took him 3 days to get past our black gate at the bottom of the drive. And if we wanted to ask where he was he would never let us give him a ring.
 
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It cant be that hard, can it... :-)

I'd get the walls all done before you get the plastics measured up!

We were debating this last year, ours is 4m X 7m so its quite a large area, we decided on a brick built extention, with lots of glass in the front face, for us it was the best option, as we got a downstairs toilet and utility room....

Just keep in mind that the bigger you go, the harder they are to keep cool in summer, and to heat them in winter, its the biggest issue for me, as the room will be a waste of time if they are too hot or cold.
 
jordanogrady said:
Just keep in mind that the bigger you go, the harder they are to keep cool in summer, and to heat them in winter, its the biggest issue for me, as the room will be a waste of time if they are too hot or cold.
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we are north facing so warm in the winter is the only issue we see..

the plan is so we can go bigger for around the same budget is choose conservatory, get base plans, get local builder to do base/wall then me and friend(s) install conservatory.
 
If you are going bigger you had better check on planning issues. You can only project a certain number of metres from the main building. You must have closable doors between the conservatory and the main building or it may be classed as an extension, which will then become a planning issue. There are also height restrictions depending on how far you are from a boundary.
 
quotes have started coming in, looks like I don't have to DIY [phew] although the company we like and have confidence with is a little over budget but not by loads and I have asked for a re quote minus the plastering of the back wall as that can be done at a later date..

one quote was half the amount but they didn't fill us with confidence at all and I am definitely part of the 'if its too good to be true' clan. and when asked about the projection and I said '3m so we don't to get planning etc..' we was told not to worry and go out as far as you want because
what the authorities gonna do'
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:cuckoo:
 
Gazebo + Gaffa Tape = sorted :)
 
Hmm.
...what the authorities gonna do'

Make you take it down.

Have fun with the build. :)
 
forgot to update thread, had conservatory a couple of weeks now, made such a difference and its great to have a proper dining table again..

pic was taken before I had finished gravelling the outside.

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and with our bargain Willis&Gambier dining set we got for £150 at the local Loros shop.

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conservatory is a lot more spacious than we had imagined and we did the right thing having the door to the side instead of the front.

missus is well happy, all thanks to the money left from her Grandma.
 
Since we've had nice weather the last couple of weeks, how do you find the temperature when the sun is on it?

I've got a ramshackle wood and single glazed glass edifice (polycarbonate roof) on the side of my house and at eye level when standing it reaches 50C in the afternoon with the sun full on it. 42C at seated level. Good for drying washing, but not much else.
 
This was one of the worries but it has been fine, the sun does not blaze on the back of the house plus we had the 35mm polycarb roof with the special films to kick away the sun when its hot and retain heat when its cold.. winter will be the test for us when it turns cold, we are not the toastie warm types so might be okay.
 
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