Year on year, sales of conservatories in January have always been high but this year has been dramatically different due to the severe weather. Our conservatory sales literally halved in January in comparison to previous years and this continued well in to February. Consequently, turnover was also affected and we didn’t make up for the lost sales until the end of October, in fact by then we were 5% up on sales compared to the same period last year.

Then in November, we saw further heavy snow falls, even worse than that of January and again affecting the sales of conservatories. This has resulted in a further loss of sales and has taken us back to around the same sales figures as last year. Well it could have been a lot worse as last year was a good one and we’ve done very well to recover from the disruptions of 2010.

On top of all that, we’ve had further disruptions such as The World Cup and a General Election together with continued recession conditions and falling house prices. All in all, it has been an extremely difficult year for businesses in all industries, not just for conservatories.

In some ways, conservatories have benefited from the recession as consumers decide to extend their homes rather than move and opt for a conservatory rather than a traditional brick built extension with a view to saving money.

Next January sees the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% which is likely to have some affect on sales but I think this will be minimal as it adds around £250 to the cost of average conservatories.

The ConservaBase steel conservatory base system is the modern way to quickly and easily construct conservatory base foundations. Standing on just a few easily constructed concrete pads or foundation blocks, it simply bolts to any existing wall. Conservatory base construction can now be completed in just a day, greatly reducing the time taken to build the whole conservatory, enabling the construction to be completed in days instead of weeks.

ConservaBase steel bases are constructed from strong, made-to-measure steel box sections to the exact size and shape of any conservatory, ensuring a perfect fit every time. The steel, coated with anti-corrosion green oxide is delivered in fully welded sections, providing the ultimate steel conservatory base construction, to the highest specification.

There are too many benefits of this future-proof method of conservatory base construction to list here, but the benefits include: reduction in build time, exceeds all relevant building regulations, no skips needed to remove spoil as no major earthworks are required, no builders required, manholes and drains can be left undisturbed and remain accessible, can even be taken with you if you move and, comes with an industry beating 25 year guarantee.

Steel conservatory bases are the modern way of building conservatory base foundations. Steel bases enable you to build your conservatory base in just 1 day and furthermore, they eliminate the need for builders and bricklayers making them ideal for DIY construction.

Steel substructures have been used for many years to support bridges, skyscrapers and commercial buildings and are now the future of conservatory base foundations. This makes conservatory base construction extremely fast and easy without the need for concrete lorries, brick lorries or skips on your garden. It ensures minimum disruption to your garden meaning that your home won’t be turned in to a building site for weeks on end.

Steel conservatory bases are ideal for DIY conservatories and reduce a three week project to just three days saving you money on contracted labour.

For more information and prices on using steel bases for DIY conservatory base foundations and how they can save you thousands of pounds in conjunction with DIY conservatories, call free on 0800 952 8000.

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

Five years ago, the UK conservatory market was booming, and conservatories where the most popular and desired home improvement and it’s not hard to see why.

Adding a conservatory is the cheapest, easiest and quickest way of creating that much needed extra room and typically at around a third of the cost of a traditional brick built extension.

However around three years ago, the global recession really started to kick in and the market started steadily declining, but fortunately due to the growing popularity of glass roofs (as opposed to polycarbonate) and bigger conservatories, the average order values actually started increasing. Although this wasn’t enough to compensate for lower sales figures, it certainly helped.

In the last three months, interest seems to have risen which may have happened sooner if it wasn’t for the distractions we’ve had this year, i.e. the severe weather conditions in January, the general election and the world cup. All this takes the minds of consumers off purchasing certain products, particularly luxury items such as a conservatory.