DIY Conservatories And Steel Conservatory Bases

October 17, 2010

DIY conservatories have been around a while now and steel conservatory bases have been around even longer.

Although DIY conservatories have evolved over recent years, steel bases have evolved very little, until now.

There’s a new kid on the block who’s name is ConservaBase. ConservaBase is the new generation of steel conservatory bases that goes hand in hand perfectly with DIY conservatories.

DIY conservatories normally feature at least a few design features that sets them apart from regular conservatories with a view to making them more DIY friendly to aid self assembly without the need for calling in the professionals. But what about the conservatory base?

Well for a traditional build, this has always been a job for the builders and steel bases have been well, semi-DIY – until now, that is.

ConservaBase is a brand new fully welded steel conservatory base system that can be installed in just one day. Unlike other steel conservatory bases, ConservaBase is delivered in just two or three sections depending on size which simply bolt together and to the house wall. It is at least three times faster to install than other steel bases on the market that are supplied in bar lengths with hundreds of nuts and bolts needed to fix them together.

So now, COMPLETE DIY conservatories are available that are COMPLETELY DIY! There are no builders, bricklayers, skips or concrete lorries required as ConservaBase simply sits on a few strategically placed concrete pads or foundation blocks.

Steel bases normally save you cash too and unlike conventional base construction methods, your home won’t become a building site for weeks, even months on end.

For more information on DIY conservatories and steel conservatory bases, contact:

ConservatoryLand
Old Mill Lane Ind Est
Mansfield
Notts. NG19 9BG UK

Tel: 0800 952 8000
Fax: 0870 123 1670

1 Comment | diy conservatories, Steel Conservatory Bases | Tagged: , | Permalink
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.

Leave a Comment » | Conservatory prices, diy conservatories | Tagged: , , | Permalink
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.

Leave a Comment » | diy conservatories | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by David Bingham

DIY conservatories on the Increase

July 25, 2009

diy conservatories on increaseWith the current economic downturn in the UK, consumers are constantly looking for more ways to save money, particularly with their homes.

This is good news for manufacturers and suppliers of DIY conservatories as more homeowners are turning to doing more DIY to keep costs down.

Unlike electrical, gas and plumbing work, DIY conservatories can safely be fitted by unskilled and unqualified DIY’ers without fear of things going wrong and because a conservatory in a fairly large purchase, a lot of money can be saved  by doing the work yourself, even if you get a builder to do the base for you before installation.

Another great product is steel conservatory bases which have been developed for and are ideal for DIY conservatories.

Anyone can fit a steel base without any building knowledge or experience and they usually work out around the same cost of a traditional concrete base but are much easier, quicker and cleaner to install.

Leave a Comment » | diy conservatories | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Bingham

How to save money on conservatories

June 25, 2009

If your looking at adding a conservatory to create that extra space in your home, it can become a very expensive project if you use a company to do the job lot.

The company will supply building materials, a building service, electricians and conservatory fitters and then mark up all these costs and add VAT to the final price.

There is a way to get the same job done cheaper – a lot cheaper.

DIY Conservatories

DIY Conservatories

DIY conservatories. Yes, you heard right – and this is not as difficult as you may think.

All you need to do is order your conservatory from a company that specialises in self build conservatories and at that point they will provide you with a base/brickwork plan which you can follow to carry out your conservatory base.

Alternatively, you could go for a steel conservatory base to make the job even easier.

Also, be sure to use a company that specialises in bespoke conservatories so it won’t matter if you don’t stick to the base plan exactly – you can work to the nearest brick, it’s much easier; and then give the exact dimensions to the supplier for them to manufacturer. They shouldn’t charge you any extra for a couple of inches or so difference.

If you don’t feel like doing the base or brickwork yourself, you can use a local builder and at this point, you’ve already saved the profit and VAT on building works.

The next step is to take delivery of your conservatory and install it on your base, again, if you don’t feel like this is for you, get your builder to return and fit it for you – most builders can fit conservatories. You have now saved the profit and VAT on the installation costs.

On average, you could save around £4000 by going down this route, just by doing a little of the organising yourself.

DIY conservatories are becoming more and more popular in the UK, especially with the recent economic credit crunch climate.

I would be pleased to hear any comments or personal experiences from anyone that has undertaken this type of project – please use the comments box below.

Leave a Comment » | diy conservatories | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Bingham

« Previous Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.