If you have an old conservatory that needs replacement, there are a number of things you should consider before embarking on your replacement conservatory project.
An old conservatory may have rotting timber, rusting ironwork and windows and doors and roof vents loose in their frames. It will also have been built in an age when insulation was taken less seriously and all you needed to do to make the conservatory warmer was turn up the heating, a much more expensive solution with today’s rising energy costs.
If the conservatory was built on a dwarf wall, this will probably have been a single course of bricks. This is unlikely to be able to take the weight of modern double-glazing and neither meet modern insulation standards. So the dwarf wall may need reinforcing along with the foundations, or demolished and rebuilt.
If rebuilding is necessary, you may as well consider a different conservatory design; making it larger or smaller, a different shape and perhaps even with door(s) in alternative positions.
Frankly, unless you are forced into a restoration project, a new build will be the best solution in the long-term, providing more comfort and requiring less maintenance. It also allows you to choose a conservatory in keeping with your lifestyle and a design that complements your home, whether traditional or modern.
Within a few years rebuilt brickwork will have weathered and with good external landscaping, it will look as though it has always been a permanent feature of your home.
A Year-Round Conservatory
A further benefit of having a new conservatory is that you should be able to use it for more months of the year than an old one. Conservatories can be cold drafty places in winter if single glazed and with inadequate heating. In summer, south-facing conservatories can be uncomfortably hot. Modern conservatory heating will help solve the winter problem, while double-glazing and heat-reflective glass will make the conservatory more comfortable all year-round.
We can provide you with estimated costs so that you can compare the investment required for a refurbishment with that of a new build. We can also give you an idea of future conservatory ventilation, heating and maintenance costs so that you can see whether a replacement conservatory will reduce your running costs and perhaps defray the investment cost over time.
