One reason I think we’ve done well during the recession is the fact that we specialise in manufacturing and supplying DIY Conservatories direct to the UK retail market.

We supply around 800 DIY conservatories per year and believe that we are the only conservatory manufacturer in the UK to manufacture the complete DIY conservatory, that means conservatory roofs, conservatory frames and our latest addition, steel conservatory bases which we have branded ConservaBase.

All this makes our DIY conservatories extremely price competitive and provides the perfect solution to consumers looking to add additional space to their homes at the lowest possible cost, a kind of recession-busting product if you like. In addition to this, we offer our ‘pay nothing for a year’ option which is completely interest free and enables our customers to save their cash to kit out their new conservatories with flooring, heating, conservatory blinds and conservatory furniture.

Another reason we do well is the confidence we give to our customers and we achieve this by employing professional sales staff, investing in our presentation, producing a premium quality product without the premium price tag and providing an after sales service which is second to none. These days, consumers expect perfection and that is what we continually strive to give them.

DIY conservatories are a lot easier to assemble than people might think, particularly when purchased with a steel conservatory base system. Our steel conservatory bases are unique, they are by far the easiest and fastest steel bases available on the market today and can be fitted in less than 1 day with no builders or bricklayers required, it is completely suitable for DIY installation.

We design all our DIY conservatory products to be fitter friendly, as easy to fit as possible and provide easy to follow instructions.

Share/Save

If you’ve ever thought about adding a conservatory to your home but were put off by the cost, why not consider the DIY option?

This guide assumes that any planning permission approval and building regulations control that may be required has been approved before proceeding.

Once you have decided on the location of your proposed conservatory, it’s size and style, you will need to decide how you are going to build the base and walls (if applicable). There are two options available; the traditional build method where concrete footings are created or a much easier, cleaner and more modern method of using a steel conservatory base which can easily be carried out by anyone with moderate DIY skills, thus making the whole project truly DIY.

The next step is to place an order for your conservatory, at which point, you will be issued with a base plan (if opting for traditional build) or a pad plan (if opting for a steel base, which simply stands on concrete pads or foundation blocks). This will enable you or your local builder to build your base/walls before your conservatory is delivered.

Upon confirmation that you are ready to take delivery of your conservatory, you will be contacted to check all sizes and specifications before manufacture, your delivery scheduled and your conservatory delivered on a mutually convenient date ready for installation by you or your builder.

Share/Save

With the UK economy still struggling along and the property market showing little signs of improvement, home owners continue to look for more ways of saving money which can only be good news for DIY conservatories.

Depending on the amount of work carried out themselves, consumers can expect to make savings in the region of £4000 on DIY conservatories in comparison to placing an order for a complete building and fitting package.

The past two years have been very consistent for DIY conservatory sales and although we have seen disruption to sales and deliveries due to the exceptionally severe and prolonged weather conditions over the last few weeks, consumer interest in these products continues to be strong.

It is anticipated that all conservatories, whatever size, will eventually be governed by building regulations in the UK and this is expected to increase sales of steel bases for DIY conservatories as they easily meet and exceed all current and proposed requirements, as well as eliminating the need for outside trades, making the complete DIY conservatory project, truly DIY.

Steel conservatory bases are made to measure for each individual conservatory and can be manufactured to any shape and size, can be base only or as in most cases, incorporate steel modular walls with real brick finishes at any height and on any or all elevations.

Share/Save

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.

Share/Save

With many years experience in the marketing, manufacture and delivery of DIY conservatories and also with providing a fully installed package to our customers, I would like to share my views on the two very different services.

I will start with fully installed conservatories. By this, I mean carrying out all the building work, base work, supplying and installing the conservatory – the complete job start to finish and ready for the customer to enjoy.

Advantages of fully installed conservatories

1. Higher order values – this results in higher turnover and increased profit per conservatory order
2. Easier to market for and sell – the DIY conservatory market forms only a small percentage of the overall conservatory market, whereas the full package appeals to a greater audience making marketing and selling easier
3. Control – you have greater control over the complete building and installation process

Disadvantages of fully installed conservatories

1. More to go wrong – you rely on your surveyor, builders and installers to do their job right and to effectively communicate with your customers, leaving you more open to human error which could cost you money
2. More to guarantee – you have to guarantee the complete job including base and building work, product and installation which can increase after sales service costs further down the line
3. Getting paid – whilst most customers are good customers and will pay you promptly when they are satisfied, there is a greater risk of bad debt. Even if you take stage payments throughout the job, there is always the last one outstanding on completion of installation, leaving you at the customer’s mercy

OK, now for the advantages and disadvantages of DIY conservatories.

Advantages of DIY conservatories

1. Less to do – there is far less to organise and do to complete the customer’s order
2. You get paid – you can collect the full payment in cleared funds before or on delivery and therefore eliminating any possibility of bad debt
3. Less to guarantee – you only guarantee the actual products, the base, building work and installation is guaranteed by the third party that carries out the work or by the customers themselves

Disadvantages of DIY conservatories

1. Harder to market and sell – DIY conservatories do not appeal to the majority of conservatory customers as they only form a small part of the overall conservatory market
2. Lower order values and cheaper prices – these result in a lower turnover and profit margin for every order, presenting the need to market for and sell more conservatories to achieve the required levels
3. Less control – if a DIY conservatory customer has a query, they are often at the other end of the country on the telephone and it can be difficult for them to explain any problems or describe various parts

Share/Save