Cream conservatories become more popular

August 16, 2010

It got off to a slow start, but cream conservatories are gradually becoming a more popular choice for consumers.

In my own personal experience, the feedback that I have received on cream windows and conservatories has been one of two opinions. People either love it or hate it.

My own opinion is that cream looks nice in the right place. I’m not too keen on how it looks on red brick properties, however I think it can look very good for stone built properties and for certain rendered colours and finishes.

As far as I am aware, there are two systems companies that provide a fully extruded PVCu window system in cream, Eurocell and Spectus.

Eurocell I believe, is currently the only systems company that produces a fully extruded PVCu cream conservatory roof system, although some parts on non-standard roofs have to be painted, such as box gutter and valley covers, however, they are continuing to add more extruded cream parts as time goes by.

I think cream will continue to increase in popularity for both windows and conservatories but I wouldn’t expect it to become as popular as white, golden oak or rosewood.

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Posted by David Bingham

DIY Conservatories too cheap?

July 12, 2010

The biggest downside to selling DIY conservatories is the price that they are often sold at by your competitors.

Typically, DIY conservatories are sold at around 20% less than what is needed to sustain a profitable business model, particularly when sold to retail consumers.

The main problem here is marketing costs. Basically, there are two types of customer, trade and retail. Once you’ve marketed for, and obtained a trade customer, that’s the job done. With trade customers you receive repeat business as they will order DIY conservatories for each of their customers, therefore the marketing cost for that trade customer provides more business, albeit at a lower margin than the marketing cost for a retail customer which normally provides a one-off order. This means that with retail, you don’t only have the marketing cost of obtaining each customer, but the marketing cost of obtaining each and every conservatory order.

There is one golden rule. You cannot sell DIY conservatories to retail customers at trade prices and sustain a long term profitable business. It just doesn’t work.

The problem here is that many DIY conservatory suppliers do just that. Sure they don’t last but no sooner do they go under, another supplier pops up doing exactly the same thing. Therefore you have this never ending problem to face with suppliers quoting trade prices to the retail and forcing you to either try to compete with those prices or justify the reasons why your product is worth more.

Internet marketing is great for getting targeted and quality enquiries but it’s not without its downside. For example, consumers searching for the term DIY conservatories are presented with relevant results from many different suppliers and typically obtain quotations from three or four of them.

If you are quoting sensible prices, the chances are, your quote won’t be the lowest, in fact you will probable be several hundred pounds more expensive than some of your competitors.

The good news is that not everyone buys on price, in fact only a small minority do. The best solution is to manufacture and supply a superior product and provide a better service than your competitors. Invest in a good quality control system, provide professional sales advice and after sales service. This will give your customers the confidence they need to buy from you at a reasonable price.

Always remember, people don’t buy on price, they buy on confidence. This applies to any product you are selling, not just to DIY conservatories.

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Posted by David Bingham

Ideal conservatory specifications

June 16, 2010

The ideal specifications for a conservatory is really dependent on it’s location, intended use and of course personal preference, however in general, the following guide provides the most important factors to consider.

Style – Choose a conservatory style that most suits your home and try to avoid any over-the-top design that doesn’t fit in with your property.

Size – Make sure that your conservatory is large enough to serve it’s purpose but not so large that it looks out of proportion on your home.

Colour – Choose a colour that closely matches your existing or proposed new windows and doors.

Frame Glazing – There are now many different glazing types to choose from. For convenience, consider self cleaning glass and for comfort and energy conservation, consider thermally efficient and solar control glass. This will help keep your conservatory more comfortable all year round.

Roof Glazing – Again, consider thermally efficient, self cleaning and solar control glass or polycarbonate. Remember, a glass conservatory roof will normally allow more glare than most polycarbonate roofs.

Heating - Due to the proportion of glass in the typical conservatory, adequate heating during cold spells can often be more difficult than with other rooms in the house. Often, a single radiator or heater is not enough and should be aided by a secondary heating source such as electric underfloor heating for example.

Blinds - Fitting blinds provides privacy, helps reduce heat loss through the windows and guards against heat and light which can damage furniture.

Furniture - If your conservatory is to be used as an additional living area, then you’ll need to furnish it. Choose comfortable furniture for relaxing, socialising or watching TV, just as you would in your main living room.

If you follow this guide, you’ll not go far wrong and it will enable you to get the very most out of your conservatory.

Leave a Comment » | Conservatory Accessories, Conservatory Glazing, Conservatory Heating, Energy Efficiency, conservatory blinds, conservatory furniture | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Bingham

Conservatory base evolution

May 12, 2010

The modern conservatory has continued to evolve over the years in terms of materials in manufacture such as the latest fully sculptured PVCu frames and corner posts, frame glazing such as Pilkington K Glass and self-cleaning glass, roof glazing such as solar control polycarbonate and glass, again with self-cleaning options and of course the modern roof system comprising of aluminium profiles with PVCu cappings.

But what about the conservatory base? The materials and method used for the foundations, base and walls have remained exactly the same since time began – until now!

Steel conservatory bases are the future of how conservatories will be built. Many modern commercial buildings, bridges and skyscrapers are now built on steel sub-structures and these bespoke steel base units are ideal for building conservatories.

Modern steel subframe technology means less work and less mess – a lot less.

Lets take a look at the benefits of the ConservaBase steel conservatory base system.

The ConservaBase factory finished system was designed with the aim of streamlining the installation process by minimising the amount of work necessary on site and reducing reliance on outside trades to zero. This even enables an average DIY enthusiast to carry out a complete conservatory installation project from base to roof.

The main advantages of this steel conservatory base system are as follows.

  • Total conservatory solution from “the waist down” cutting down three week projects to just three days
  • Highest possible build quality using tried and tested zero maintenance modern construction methods
  • Standard base and walls can be completed in under two days
  • Meets and exceeds all relevant building regulations where necessary
  • Highly engineered finish indistinguishable from a conventional build complete with independent structural warranty
  • Can be carried through house when no rear access available
  • No skips needed to remove spoil, as no major earthworks are required
  • No builders or bricklayers required
  • Fully finished and highly insulated with no need to add insulation on site
  • Manufactured to exact sizes, so conservatory will always fit perfectly
  • Can be fitted over existing patios (no need to dig up tonnes of concrete)
  • Manholes and drains can be left in place
  • Moisture resistant floor means no waiting for concrete to cure
  • Huge range of real brick tile finishes, plus render and pebbledash options
  • Alternative foundation options for difficult sites, ground conditions and complex design of conservatory.

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Posted by David Bingham

Conservatory frame connectors

May 1, 2010

Here’s a video I found from Direct Conservatories 4U showing their conservatory frame connector system on which I have commented below.

Well I can see how this would look attractive to would-be DIY conservatory customers and I must admit that it is a nice idea… BUT, we are living in the real world and from my own experience in manufacturing and supplying thousands of DIY conservatories, I can see a very real problem here.

Due to the fact that the internal frame dimensions have to exactly match those of the internal roof ringbeam for the roof to fit correctly, this system would cause a problem when any tolerance is needed as there is no adjustment on frame spacing, as far as I can see.

This means that all the conservatory frames would have to be manufactured to the exact millimeter in width which can never be guaranteed due to weld burn-off tolerances which vary and are dependant on temperature.

The standard acceptable industry weld burn-off tolerance is +/- 2mm.

So lets say over a 5-frame conservatory elevation, the overall combined width of the frames is for example 6mm greater than that of the internal roof ringbeam – you’ve definately got a problem there, with no possible adjustment available and I’m afraid that the aluminium ringbeam won’t stretch even 1mm. Your only option would be to bodge the job with unsightly trims, otherwise re-make frames.

I also notice that their video show a Victorian conservatory section with 135 degree angles – what happens there? and what about fixing the frames to the corner posts? These have to be screwed together I would think, so that would mean you’re using one fixing system on some frames and another on others! What is the point of that?

I think that like ourselves, most conservatory suppliers prefer the use of PVCu H-connetor or aluminium butt joints between the frames and fixed securely with the correct screws. This then gives up to a 3mm adjustment per frame, so for example over 5 frames, you’ve got a 15mm overall width tolerance by loosening or tightening the screws that secure the frames together.

This makes any tolerances much easier to overcome for DIY conservatory customers and far less customer support requests for us.

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Posted by David Bingham

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