Conservatories have many uses including a general living space, kids play room, games room, dining room, greenhouse, utility room and even a kitchen.

But how suitable is a conservatory when used to accommodate a kitchen?

Well there is a positive side to this but several negative reasons why conservatories are not suitable for use as kitchens.

The positive side is that adding a conservatory to your home for use as a kitchen leaves existing space in the home available for other uses, for example a dining room.

The negative reasons against this include:

• Conservatories become very hot in bright and sunny weather conditions and the use of a kitchen adds further to the heat build up which can make for extremely uncomfortable temperatures, especially whilst cooking. Remember, modern solar control glass is thermally efficient and designed to keep heat inside the conservatory as well as keeping it out.
• Due to the large expansion of glass in a typical conservatory, particularly conservatories with glass roofs as shown in the photograph above, the whole room is subject to condensation and wetness, again caused by cooking.
• Fitted kitchen units and appliances will hinder access to the conservatory roof and could therefore make cleaning more difficult.

With all this said, if the conservatory is not south facing or is situated in a shaded position, there is a valid argument that in certain circumstances, conservatories can be suitable for use as kitchens.

Photograph taken from K2 Conservatories http://www.k2conservatories.co.uk

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The conservatory and double glazing industry has had it hard enough over the past two or three years with the recession, the implementation of new building regulations, seemingly endless price rises in materials and fuel costs, let alone the VAT increase that is scheduled for January 2011.

We’d all like to think that we can absorb increases in costs and simply work on volume with a view to remaining the most competitive, but its not as simple as that.

No company, no matter what industry they are in cannot possibly absorb such a huge increase in costs and sustain the profitability they need in order to survive. No doubt we’ll see some try, and consequently disappear very quickly.

The price of double glazing and conservatories has been driven down over the years by fierce competition that think that in order to win sales, they have to be the cheapest every time. This is simply not true, very few consumers buy on price alone, price is important but not everything. The single biggest factor that makes a consumer decide to buy anything, not just windows and conservatories, but anything, is confidence. No matter how cheap you are or how good you think your product is, if a consumer doesn’t have confidence in you or doesn’t like you, they will not buy from you.

Although there is nothing wrong with being competitive on price, you still have to make a profit in order to protect the future of your company, it is not optional, you just have to.

The double glazing and conservatory industry is just one that has been hit with multiple sharp rises in material costs but in addition to that, the new Part L Building Regulations that came in to force on the 1st October 2010, means a further substantial increase in costs for double glazing installations, mainly due to a higher specification of glass that now has to be fitted, i.e. softcoat, argon filled double glazed units with a warm edge spacer bar which consequently must result in higher prices for consumers. Ironically, this improvement in thermal efficiency actually causes a different problem. See my previous post about condensation on A rated windows.

What about the forthcoming VAT increase and will it make much difference? Well, although the new building regulations don’t apply to a conservatory, the VAT obviously does. You might say that it’s only 2.5%, a couple of hundred pounds on the average conservatory but if its not passed on to the customer, it can cost you a big slice of your profits. We manufacture and supply around 800 DIY conservatories per year at an average order value of about £5000, therefore if we did not pass this on to our customers, a 2.5% increase in VAT means a cost to us of £90 per conservatory – that’s £72,000 per year!

I think that the trend in driving down both double glazing and conservatory prices now has to end and that the end user has to pay more. There is no other alternative which of course won’t help either our industry or the general economy of the country.

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First time buyers receive a great deal of attention at the current time due to the increasing difficulty of making that first step on the property ladder. It is rarely documented however of the difficulties facing homeowners looking to move up the property ladder which is too becoming increasingly difficult.

Recent research shows that the average upscale from a two to a three bedroom property now stands at £27,100. Those looking to upscale from a three to a four bedroom house face the biggest hike in price at £64,032.

As a result of these differences in price, coupled with the fees involved in moving home, more and more people are looking to improve & extend their current home to take the effect of upsizing.

When buying a property, many property developers will look at the potential to improve, modify and extend in order to increase the value, often with conservatories. This is also a technique now used by many buyers looking at the potential for home improvement.

It can be difficult enough to buy property, with many considerations that must be taken into account. There are many issues that can reduce property value let alone increase it; however the type of property you buy can dictate your ability to improve it or even make any additions at all.

The type of property that best suits improvement will depend on the nature of work you would like to perform. For example, when planning conservatories, it is important that there is enough room to install them without taking up too much garden space.

Sometimes the easiest and cheapest way to increase your homes value is to invest in an improving, up and coming area. Signs that an areas property market is set to improve can be relatively easy to find.

These signs may include looking at particular areas or streets that are already popular with buyers. It is often the case that as particular streets or areas increase in value, buyers are priced out of their preferred location, so move as near to it as they can afford.

The important thing to remember is that there is no guarantee that any improvements made on your property will result in an increase in value, even in the case of conservatories which are one of the most popular home improvements. Buyers in different locations will be after different things.

It is an important consideration to ensure that you are offering potential buyers what they really want. For example, conservatories may be appealing to some but not to others.

A good yardstick is often to consult the local estate agents who much a property would be worth subject to improvements being carried out, such as a new kitchens or a conservatories.

Often its the smaller, cheaper improvements that can generally offer higher returns than the more expensive ones. The larger and more expensive jobs such as converting your loft or basement may seem appealing to buyers, however they are often unwilling to pay a premium that meets the expense and effort of carrying it out.

The cost of any home improvement and the likely return will vary hugely on the type of property and the area that its located. Very few developments come in under budget with the majority coming in over budget.

Quotes received from builders can often be on the optimistic side. It is therefore prudent to over budget for works.

Conservatories may not seem quite as attractive in todays market as they once would have done to the potential buyer. Adding a conservatory is an expensive exercise and would perhaps be best considered for personal use rather than as a tool to increase the value of the property.

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Sash UK has been quick out of the blocks in the first month of the new financial year, increasing sales of their conservatories by more than a third compared to the same time last year.
The Yorkshire based trade fabricator’s combined sales of its VEKA and Spectus conservatories were up 35% in May and it reports that June also looks set to continue this impressive trend.

Sash UK claims that it has attracted many new conservatories retailers so far this year, from across England, in Scotland, and in Wales, along with the continued loyalty from its existing customers. In fact, more than 25% of all orders in May were placed by installers who have joined Sash in 2010, and 90% of customers ordered their frames with either a Global, Ultraframe or Quantal roof system.

A spokesman for the company, stated: “The market for conservatories is shrinking but our customer orientated approach has enabled us to attract new trade clients, even when other fabricators have offered lower prices. With our extensive marketing support package and lead generation scheme, we are capable of winning more business for our customers and this is obviously a major factor for installers and retailers who are looking for a new supplier.”

To improve its service and product range further, in addition to conservatories, Sash recently invested in the technology and manpower needed to manufacture rakes and gables in-house and, crucially, reduce lead times for these products. Similarly, its South Yorkshire factory will soon be able to fabricate sliding patio doors and vertical sliding windows.

For further information, visit the website: www.sashuk.com

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The single most important thing when adding conservatories to homes is careful planning and in particular, making sure that the appearance of the finished installation is in keeping with the property.

Conservatories should not be so big that they look out of place on the property to which they are attached, they should be in proportion to look just right. Similarly, a conservatory should not be too small to be of practical use for the purpose for which it was intended.

The first thing to consider is what you want to use your conservatory for. With this in mind, decide how big the conservatory will need to be and where it will need to be installed on your home.

Depending on position, the style of your property and subject to none-moveable obstructions, you then need to decide which style conservatory will be most suitable and look best.

For bungalows, flat roof extensions and other height restricted situations, simple traditional lean-to conservatories often provide the best solution, however if a Victorian or Edwardian design is preferred, these can also be installed by having the conservatory roof manufactured with a hipped back which normally joins to the fascia board.

Subject to individual preference, conservatories can be manufactured with full height frames with glass to the ground, PVCu panels around the bottom or have shorter frames to sit on a dwarf wall, typically 600mm in height.

Then there’s the colour. Modern PVCu conservatories are normally available in white, rosewood and golden oak woodgrain finishes and with the recent introduction of cream PVCu profiles there is a colour to compliment any property.

Consider the environment and your heating bills. Advances in technology now means that there is an excellent range of energy efficient glazing options, both for the frames and the roof.

Another thing to consider is keeping conservatories at a comfortable temperature during the summer months, particularly if they are south facing. A great range of solar control roof glazing products are now available including polycarbonate fitted with reflective foil inserts and solar reflective tinted glass.

This article covers the main issues to be considered when designing great conservatories.

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Conservatories are a substantial purchase and now is a good time to order one before the VAT rate increases to 17.5% from January 2010.

It’s only 2.5% you might say but that could mean a saving of £300 on a £12000 complete conservatory build and installation project.

Another advantage of ordering conservatories at this time of year is that you’re much more likely to be able to negotiate a better deal from suppliers as their sales are normally at their lowest levels of the year and they are usually more generous with the discounts with a view to filling up their order books.

There’s another great way of saving lots of money on a conservatory, and that’s with DIY conservatories.

A DIY conservatory can save on average around £3500 compared to purchasing a complete design, building and installation package.

DIY conservatories are not for everyone, but if your prepared to take a little control of the project yourself, the savings are very worthwhile.

It’s not only on conservatories where you can save money either, there are lots of other great deals to be had at this time of the year on conservatory furniture, flooring and blinds.

Many trade and retail sectors, particularly in the home improvements industry suffer from lower sales volumes around the Christmas period so you can use this to your advantage when negotiating prices and of course the same VAT savings will apply if purchased before the end of the year.

Remember, January and February are normally the busiest months of the year for home improvement sales and that’s when prices will be at their highest as suppliers can afford to ‘cherry pick ‘ and demand higher prices for their products, so there’s no time like the present.

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Will conservatories ever be replaced by orangeries?

In my personal opinion, the answer to this is, some will, but conservatories will continue to form the largest slice of the industry’s sales, at least for the foreseeable future anyway.

As we all know, orangeries are now becoming more popular in the UK and I think this popularity will continue to grow over the next few years.

I would expect though, that this will eventually settle down with orangeries taking the smaller percentage of sales in relation to conservatories. The reason I feel this is due to a conservatory being a far cheaper, easier and typically quicker option for consumers to add space to their homes.

To conclude, I think there will always be a healthy market for both conservatories and orangeries, with conservatory sales taking the biggest slice of the action.

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They are the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to add space to your home and are now one of the UK’s most popular home improvement products.

They are everywhere you look, on every type of property, in all types of locations and neighbourhoods, streets, roads, lanes and housing estates. It’s a fact, conservatories seem to be everywhere.

I have noticed that particually on the new modern housing estates, there are often rows of conservatories all looking similar and on the same style houses, almost like a cookie cutter situation – all looking the same and like somewhat of a ‘conservatory disease’ or epidemic.

So why are conservatories so popular? I think part of the answer to this is the great value added space that is achieved for relatively little cost, saving money compared with traditional extensions, and the fact that it can be achieved very easily and quickly, often within a month from order to completion.

Of course, there is also the ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ scenario. One person installs a lovely conservatory for everyone to see, someone else decides to do the  same, and so on… they just seem to spread.

Conservatories started getting really popular back in 2002 and the industry has continued to grow, somewhat providing a god sent lifeline for the struggling double glazing industry and it is thought that they now form well over half of all sales within the industry.

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Over the past few years, conservatories have become one of the most popular additions to UK homes to add space and increase property value as well as making homes more saleable.

When deciding to buy a conservatory, there are many choices and it is a fairly large investment so you should do a little research on conservatory companies and recommendation is always the best bet, so look for companies that have supplied conservatories people that you know.

There are many options when buying conservatories but you should choose a style and size that will look right on your home.

Conservatories that are too small will be of little use, too large and they look out of proportion to the property, so take some time over this.

Depending on location, privacy requirements and personal taste, you can choose a dwarf-wall model or full height frame, either glass to the bottom or solid panels in the bottom which can be smooth or embossed.

Any combinations can also be chosen, for example, one side could be full height glass and the other sides could be dwarf-wall, subject to your chosen company supplying bespoke designs.

Conservatories can be manufactured with different styles of windows which can affect appearance and provide ventilation, it’s all down to personal requirements and taste.

You will also need to choose the colour of your conservatory, the most popular is white but there are normally two or three woodgrain finishes to choose from although these tend to be a little more expensive.

There are also many glazing options to choose from including low e glass, self cleaning glass and solar control glass, all of which can be glazed in the frames and/or the roof.

The other glazing option for the roof is polycarbonate which has long been the most popular choice due to cost, strength, robustness and appearance, as it is available in various colours with the option of solar control inserts.

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