A Conservatory for the New Year and All Seasons

A new year is upon us, and what will the new year have in store for conservatory consumers and installers in 2008. We have already seen changes in the conservatory market place and the trends should continue in 2008. So what exactly has changed for the conservatory market, well there are several issues regarding all aspects of the conservatory package in that have changed in recent times but in the main conservatory issues seem to be focussed far to much about price, rather then what is best with regards to size, design, and specification to make the conservatory a usable space all year round. The conservatory specification in is paramount to make the conservatory usable all year round.

When looking for a conservatory what are the main areas that you should look for in the conservatory and what areas of design should you be looking for the representative from your local conservatory company to advise you on? Well size is the first area of conservatory design I always look for, when setting out the proposed are for the proposed conservatory on your property in my advise is always think big, I spend a lot of time talking people into extending the proposed size for their conservatory by 500mm or even 1000mm, when the conservatory is finished you will appreciate the difference in floor space. The feedback we get from people we have installed conservatories for is quite funny, they almost always say the same thing about their conservatory in the same order, I can’t believe how much time I spend in the conservatory, I use the conservatory more than the lounge, and the second and most relevant is I wish I’d had a larger conservatory. We have actually extended several conservatories in Nottingham and Derby that we built in previous years, our customers in had enjoyed their conservatory so much they had spend a substantial amount again on extending the conservatory. It is so much more cost effective when considering what conservatory size you are looking for in consider that you always move into the space you have and generally the conservatory will be much more cost effective the larger the size you order, this is because of the amount of fixed costs involved in building a conservatory regardless of the size, a 3m x 3m conservatory takes the same time to build and install as a 4m x 4m conservatory.

The design of the conservatory in my opinion should take areas of the house into consideration, i.e. the design features of the house should be duplicated in the conservatory to ensure the conservatory looks like it belongs on that particular property. This could be taking aspects of the properties roof such as a flat apex and duplicating that with a flat apex design conservatory, or if you have windows with Georgian bar designs in them out a Georgian cross in each top light of the conservatory to blend the designs together. If the windows on your property have no transoms in then duplicate this on your conservatory design. A very popular option is to plaster the internal walls of the conservatory to create the feeling of a room rather than that of a conservatory; I think you get a nice blend between a conservatory and a modern, contemporary room.

The specification of the proposed conservatory is critical to achieving a usable room all year round. The main areas of design to consider are ventilation, insulation, glazing and roof glazing. It is important to achieve a design that has both enough ventilation and the right glazing to create a conservatory that’s usable all year round. We find that most conservatory companies only quote for small top opening vents, but I like to include a combination of small top opening vents and large push out vents that open below the transom to provide additional ventilation in summer, when there is little or no breeze these vents are very effective at providing ventilation for the conservatory. The roof glazing is probably the other biggest area of design that requires looking at; the most popular options are polycarbonate glazing in a range of colours for the conservatory providing different benefits for the conservatory. Polycarbonate in its 35mm depth provides a very cost effective and attractive conservatory roof glazing solution for consumers in Nottingham and derby, the 35mm polycarbonate glazing actually has a more effective U value rating than Pilkington K glass. For conservatory consumers in wanting something a little different for their new conservatory glass roofs are becoming more and more popular with the development of cost effective solar control conservatory roof glazing. Solar control conservatory roof glazing means you can have a glass roof without the problems that are created in summer with glass roof and the heat gain. A glass roof conservatory in is quieter, the life expectancy of glass is far longer than polycarbonate and the there is also the cosmetic benefits of the design.

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Lifestyle Windows, Doors and Conservatories offer an extensive range of styles and designs on conservatories for installation as well as DIY conservatory construction, bespoke design, UPVC/PVCU windows, doors and fascias.

Boss End Foam Trim for Conservatories

Ever the exponent of attention to detail for conservatories, K2 has revealed that the Boss End Foam Trim unveiled at this year’s Glassex, has become one of its most popular developments amongst installers of conservatories.

Designed for conservatory consumers to tackle the often problematic aesthetics in the crown area of the conservatory roof, the K2 conservatory Boss End Foam Trim was developed both to provide effective sealing and improve the appearance of the hip and intermediate bar top caps where they are cut to meet at the radius end of the ridge, another area of conservatory design Lifestyle are excelling in when constructing conservatories in the Nottingham and Derby area.

"Systems manufacturers have tried various solutions to this problem but most have been considered by users unsatisfactory in one way or another. Conservatory designs that rely on brush type products that attach to the underside of the boss end cover and hang over the conservatory glazing bars do not improve the aesthetics from all vantage points of the conservatory. And, while conservatory designs that require the installer to cut the conservatory boss end cover on site to cover the glazing bars can work, a rough cut can spoil the appearance of one of the main feature areas of the roof."

Having listened to feedback from consumers of conservatories about installation difficulties and end users’ comments, K2’s conservatory solution was to look for a simple, neat and cost-effective conservatory design solution that would address both the aesthetic and weatherproofing conservatory issues. The company’s technical team designed a specially-engineered closed-cell foam component, which has sufficient flexibility to allow it to mould to the shape created by the hip and intermediate bar top caps, whilst compressing to form a first line of defence against the weather. Designed to wrap around all sides of the ridge end cover, the K2 Boss End Foam Trim overcomes the problems of inconsistent aesthetics associated with some other solutions by offering improved appearance and weatherproofing from all angles.

"Initially we viewed this as a small enhancement to our system, which was an integral part of our continuous improvement programme. However, it would seem that the combination of aesthetic and weatherproofing benefits for the consumer and ease of use for the installer have made the product a significant selling point and it has become an increasing source of new enquiries."

Amongst the conservatory installers that have been impressed by the K2 Boss End Foam Trim is John Sapsford, who has recently converted to the K2 system. He comments:

"This aspect of my previous suppliers’ system was a constant source of frustration and annoyance to my customers as the brush seal quickly took on a straggly appearance and became home to spider’s webs, leaves and other debris. The design team at K2 has developed a simple yet effective solution, which should look as good in years to come as the day that it was installed. It’s this type of attention to detail and commitment by K2 to making the installer’s job easier that persuaded me to change over to their system."

Conservatories DIY conservatory upvc pvcu windows doors fascias
Lifestyle Windows, Doors and Conservatories offer an extensive range of styles and designs on conservatories for installation as well as DIY conservatory construction, bespoke design, UPVC/PVCU windows, doors and fascias.

Thermal Performance

At Lifestyle Windows and Conservatories creating a conservatory that is a genuine usable room for our customers in all year round, this can be achieved by the right glazing, ventilation, insulation. When we have been talking to potential customers in the we have found that most conservatories are designed without enough thought towards making them a usable room all year round. All our conservatories have been installed with adequate ventilation; we try and incorporate large ventilation in the conservatory side frames as well as top ventilation which seems to be the most popular type of conservatory ventilation. These large opening vents allow almost three times the conservatory ventilation as a top opening vent with negligible difference in the price of the conservatory. In conservatory roof vents don’t seem to be used as much as they should be, conservatory roof ventilation is an effective way of allowing heat to escape from the conservatory. For people choosing the right glazing for the conservatory roof and the conservatory side walls can make a massive difference in both keeping out the sun in summer and keeping the heat inside the room in winter to make it as usable as possible.

After the hottest July on record this summer, the air conditioning industry is enjoying an upturn that continued hype in the media about global warming may help it sustain. Meanwhile, the most environmentally sound solution for conservatories to keep cool during the summer months and reducing energy consumption during the winter may actually lie within advances in the conservatory glazing sector.

After taking the conservatory market by storm with its blue-tinted Celsius Glass for conservatory roofs, K2 Glass has extended its range to offer Celsius Clear in these regions, a colourless thermal performance conservatory glass. Designed specifically for use in conservatory glazing panels, the innovative glass will ensure a temperate environment all year round, regardless of the weather outside, another edge to Lifestyle’s range of conservatory products.

Explains Sharon Owen, Sales Manager from K2 Glass: "Celsius Glass has been extraordinarily successful, with the glass range having consistently exceeded its sales targets since the company first started marketing the product in 2003 and turnover has doubled year on year throughout the past 4 years, as year and more and more end users realizing the temperature control, energy efficiency and aesthetic benefits of thermal performance glass. We were finding that an increasing number of enquiries were coming through for Celsius to be used throughout a conservatory, but the blue tint could make some installations too dark. With Celsius Clear, we can provide the appearance of normal glass while offering the temperature control and thermal efficiency benefits of advanced glass technology."

Sharon continues: "While many have enjoyed the hot spell over the summer, it has fuelled the debate about global warming and many homeowners are looking for the most environmentally sound means of modifying their home to cope with future fluctuations in weather patterns and reduce its carbon footprint. Celsius Clear gives homeowners the perfect combination of being able to enjoy the sunshine during a heat wave, safe in the knowledge that their energy consumption will be lower thanks to better thermal retention in the winter and a reduced need for artificial ventilation in the summer."

Offering 58% more solar reflection than standard glass with a 50% improvement in thermal efficiency, Celsius Clear helps to keep the room cooler during warm weather and to reduce energy consumption and heating bills during the winter.

Conservatories DIY conservatory upvc pvcu windows doors fascias
Lifestyle Windows, Doors and Conservatories offer an extensive range of styles and designs on conservatories for installation as well as DIY conservatory construction, bespoke design, UPVC/PVCU windows, doors and fascias.

Choosing the right Conservatory for you.

So how do you know what sort of conservatory you want?

First consider what sort of conservatory you require? A conservatory for summer, a conservatory for winter or a conservatory for use all year round. We have found in the last ten years the biggest change in the conservatory market is that people want a conservatory to be a really addition to the home, a room that can be used all year round. In recent times the biggest change for conservatory design has been the roof glazing; by incorporating solar control roof glazing the conservatory can take on a very different fell as well as being quieter the roof glazing will also have a much longer life expectancy. It is quite hard to describe to people the difference in the feel of the conservatory when the conservatory roof is glazed with glass rather than the conventional conservatory roof glazing of polycarbonate. This is why it’s a great idea to visit to some existing conservatories we have built to see the difference in the conservatory roof glazing and get a better feel for the conservatory.

The key questions I ask people in when they are looking at a new conservatory are:

What do you want to use the conservatory for?

What conservatory roof glazing do you want?

What conservatory flooring is suitable?

What internal finish do you want?

What external finish do you want?

How can we insulate the conservatory to its potential?

Have you considered our latest range of unique features that other companies in the may not be offering?

What do you plan to furnish the conservatory with?

By asking these simple questions we can help potential customers narrow down the options to achieve a conservatory design and specification that is the best for them, and at a more competitive rate that other conservatory installers.

The importance of conservatory guarantee’s cannot be over looked when we see so many companies come and go, if you get a problem with your conservatory you need to know that your contractor is still trading to sort these problems out for you. Lifestyle conservatories are proud to say that we have outlasted our first guarantees and we are still going strong. A good conservatory guarantee is about more than the 10 insurance backed conservatory guarantee we offer, you want your conservatory to be installed using conservatory components that have good solid independent guarantees so you know the company installing for you can be confident in the conservatory guarantee. We are about to launch our conservatory lock for life guarantee, we will be one of the first companies in Nottingham and Derby to offer this, all our conservatory window and conservatory doors will be covered by an independent manufactures ten year guarantee.

Conservatories DIY conservatory upvc pvcu windows doors fascias
Lifestyle Windows, Doors and Conservatories offer an extensive range of styles and designs on conservatories for installation as well as DIY conservatory construction, bespoke design, UPVC/PVCU windows, doors and fascias.