The purchase of a new glazed extension such as conservatory, orangery or garden room is a substantial investment. If you are considering a new conservatory for your home, one of the things you may be thinking about is where you can buy one and get the help and advice you need.
The best place to buy a conservatory. Your options.
At Newlite, we know there is a substantial amount of choice in conservatory products as well as a considerable number of companies wanting your business. Your choice in where to buy a new conservatory also extends to larger names specialising in DIY, many of which supply conservatories.
As well as your local home improvement companies, like Newlite, you can also buy a new conservatory from places such as:
- Wickes
- B&Q
- Jewson
- Trade Counters and Builders Merchants
- Argos
- eBay
You can usually expect good service when dealing with any professional company, large or small. However, when it comes to conservatories, we think there are reasons to consider a local supplier as well as conservatories from Wickes, B&Q, Argos or Jewsons.
As you start your journey into researching where is the best place to buy a conservatory, local companies can give you a better product, help you plan for the project better, and improved service. Here is what you should consider.
Local conservatory companies can offer better products.
One thing about some of the conservatories available from the larger DIY stores is that they are modular. Modular conservatories are set sizes and usually, you cannot deviate from the set sizes to accommodate your particular property.
Modular conservatories do not take into account the location of your existing windows, drain pipes, external doors and other factors.
Another disadvantage to modular conservatories is that they come in single item frames. A good example is the side of your conservatory. If the side of your conservatory has a large window, this should be possible as one large window unit with slim mullions and no connection and coupling pieces. On a modular conservatory, you may be given three separate windows to make one large unit with thicker mullions, joiners, coupling pieces and more trims to cover up the joints.
A modular conservatory you find in DIY stores is not made to measure.
Local conservatory companies offer you greater choice.
Study the websites of the big DIY stores such as Argos and Wickes and you may find an insufficient choice of styles and designs. More importantly, there is little clarity or transparency as to what conservatory product or ‘system’ you are about to buy.
Unless you know the brand or system of the product you are buying, it is virtually impossible for you to compare the features one conservatory will give you with another. By features, we do not mean the look, but the technical benefits of the construction, the frame profiles, the insulation you can expect or how it is designed and put together.
Many of the bigger DIY stores only offer non-brand specific traditional styles that are easy for them to purchase and easy to supply to you. Examples include Edwardian, Victorian and Lean-to styles of a conservatory. At Newlite we can offer all the standard styles of conservatory should you want it, but we are better placed to help you design the ideal conservatory for your home because we have been doing it for over 25 years.
Local conservatory companies give you a one-stop-shop.
Every home and customer is different, and we believe there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing where is the best place to buy a conservatory. By selecting a local company for your new conservatory, you also benefit from a single supplier to deal with making the process more straightforward and less stressful all round.
A conservatory also needs finishing touches such as integral blinds, bifolding doors or sliding doors. Perhaps you want more sophisticated glass in your conservatories such as self-cleaning or laminated security glass. You may even want electric opening roof vents or those that open and close using solar or rain sensors. A local company can provide virtually any type of personalisation option to your new conservatory where the larger companies may not give you a choice.
In buying a conservatory from the large names, you may benefit from a lower price because these companies buy their conservatory products based on volume. However, we do not believe an investment such as a new conservatory or orangery should be a volume, off-the-shelf product. It should be personal to you and your home.
Local conservatory companies offer a complete range of products.
If you are carrying out a complete home improvement project with new windows and doors throughout your house, it is worth comparing the choices available as well as the expertise on hand. If you want a custom design such as fitting bifolding or sliding doors, a non-standard window design or other feature you will often find local companies can offer you a wider choice as well as a more customised conservatory. At Newlite we can help you understand the benefits of the different materials, considerations such as an aluminium roof combined with PVCu windows and doors and many other things to think about that the larger companies frequently can’t advise you on.
At Newlite we provide conservatory products in aluminium, PVCu or timber as well as the latest modular conservatories such as Ultraframe’s Skyroom and a full choice of lantern roofs, skylights and rooflights. All our products are chosen for their flexibility, quality, engineering and reliability. Larger companies can frequently change suppliers or be unable to help if you need replacement parts or new products in the future to match.
Local conservatory companies can demonstrate their work.
In deciding where is the best place to buy a conservatory, and given the financial outlay, it makes sense to see examples of the product installed in people’s homes. A trade or DIY showroom can give you products to look at, but they are temporarily fixed, often not sealed (as they are inside) and are demonstration models. At Newlite we a large number of local installations where we have carried out simple and highly complex conservatory installations.
Help with planning and Building Control.
Planning Permission or building control approval may be required with your conservatory project. When it comes to planning, you may find less help available from the larger companies when you need help and advice the most. Often you are left to do all the research and legwork yourself. Many of the larger companies will only direct you to the Government’s Planning Portal website and leave you to do your own research and planning application.
At Newlite we can help you simplify the planning process with a new conservatory because we do it often, knowing local properties and what is required. We can make any planning and application process easier all round.
Our service also extends to ensuring your conservatory is fit for purpose and is correctly designed. We take into consideration your property location, how exposed the conservatory elevation could be as well as consider weights and snow loadings on the conservatory roof. All this help and expertise ensures a trouble-free process for you and a new conservatory that will stand the test of time.
If you are thinking about having a new conservatory and want some free, impartial and helpful advice, contact us today.
