Building A Conservatory Conservatories are expensive additions to a property and the cost can be considerable, with even the smallest and most basic costing upwards of £10,000 - depending on the company who fits it and the style built. The main thing to remember when planning a conservatory is that the measurements are taken from the outside walls. This means that a 10ft by 10ft conservatory will be more like 9x9 on the inside. This page shows the various stages of construction of an Edwardian style conservatory with a "box-gutter" roof. These roofs are installed when the roof of the conservatory is taller than the wall of the house that the conservatory is fitted to and offer additional protection against rain leakage.   The first stage is to dig out the footings for the foundations of the dwarf wall. The footings need to be deep enough to support a dwarf wall. This usually means digging to a depth of 18-24 inches, or as in this case, until the clay level was reached. Once the footings are dug out, ready-mixed concrete & gravel is poured in, which provides the footing for the dwarf wall to be built upon. Once the concrete is dry, the wall can be built. The materials for constructing the wall are delivered. In this case, a cavity wall wall will be built to allow for extra insulation. The wall is completed and the old patio slabs are removed and replaced with a layer of hard-core. Spaces have been in left in the brickwork for the connection to existing air bricks in the main body of the house. A damp proof membrane will be installed at this level. Notice that the cill on the original French door to the house has been removed. This is to allow for base of the conservatory to be built up to a level that eliminates having to step down from the house into the conservatory and over a cill. In preparation for a central heating radiator, the pipe work is positioned onto the rear wall, with the new central heating drain pipe diverting to the external wall of the conservatory. Many people choose not to install central heating in their conservatories, as to do so means that heat reflective glass has to be installed - which can add considerably to the cost. The hard-core. is flattened down with a mechanical whacker plate and a layer of sand is placed on top, levelled off and flattened. The damp proof course is laid on top of the sand and in this case, a two-inch thick layer of polystyrene insulation is placed on top, prior to the concrete floor being laid. The concrete floor of the conservatory begins to take place as concrete is poured into the wall and is levelled off with a large batten. The concrete is fully levelled and left to dry. Once the base is dry, the top course of bricks or blocks are laid that form he dwarf wall. In this case, the finish will be rendered and painted, so finishing bricks were not used. The cills and frames are fitted on top of the dwarf wall and anchored to the original external wall of the property. Front view of the conservatory showing the doors. A ring beam is then fixed to the top of the frames which will support the roof structure and add stability to the conservatory..   The roof frame is constructed in-situ and secured to the ring beam affixed to the top of the frames.   This is the inside of the roof showing the box gutter. A box gutter is used when the wall behind the conservatory doesn't provide enough height to allow for the pitch of the roof. It is usually constructed of a single aluminium channel that is cut into the wall, sealed with lead and cladded with PVC. The conservatory is now complete and ready for external decoration and internal tiling. The electrics and the central heating radiator have been connected. The conservatory has been glazed and the dwarf wall rendered and the patio slabs replaced. A step is added.   Tiling is commenced. Although many conservatory suppliers will supply and fit tiles, these tiles were supplied separately. Once the tiling is complete, the skirting board is fitted. Installing the skirting board after the tiling provides a much cleaner finish to the floor. The final and most satisfying part is furnishing and dressing the conservatory. Measurements: 4.5m x 3.8m 12 opening lights Pilkington K Glass Price saving against average of 3 company quotations exceeded £5,000

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