Windows Advice

Selecting the right style and ensuring product quality
Design is largely a matter of taste but quality should be standard. Make sure that your windows come with a good guarantee, 10 years is standard for window frames. Read the guarantee carefully to make sure that it is fair and reasonable. It should cover the locking system and handle, hinges, the sealed glass units, colourfastness of the window frames and workmanship of the installation. Sealed unit failure and hardware faults are the biggest problems post installation, you should get a minimum 5-year guarantee on these.

General Advice
You will expect a first class job with the minimum of disruption to your home. Tell the supplier that you have discussed your plans with neighbours and that you will be delighted to recommend their company when the installation is complete in return for, you guessed it, a discount.

Make sure that before you sign anything you have been supplied with all the information you need, especially telephone numbers for customer services and service centres.

If you have agreed to a home inspection then remember, you can never be too careful with personal security. You should be able to obtain the name of the visitor in advance. Don't be too embarrassed to ask for a personal ID when they arrive.

Fitting information
Before your installation commences, ensure that you have removed everything from the room/s that will be affected by your installation including all valuables.

Conservatories Advice

Selecting the right style and ensuring product quality
Design is largely a matter of taste but quality should be standard. Make sure that your conservatory comes with a good guarantee. Read the guarantee carefully to make sure that it is fair and reasonable. It should cover the roof, locking systems and handles, hinges on doors and windows, the sealed glass units, colourfastness of the frames and workmanship of the installation including building and ground works. Sealed unit failure in windows and hardware faults are the biggest problems post installation; you should get a minimum 5-year guarantee on these.

Most conservatories are made to measure for a specific customer
The many variations can make it difficult for a manufacturer to keep the factory running smoothly and efficiently. Remember that by law you still have a 7-day cooling off period if you have signed a sales contract/order at home. Conservatory companies have teams of installers and builders, life is a lot easier if the installation date can be arranged to fit with their workload and not your personal convenience. So ask them what it is worth for you to fit around their schedules.

Your conservatory may be custom made to fit your home and your design choices, so expect the supplier to ask for a deposit to confirm your commitment. The deposit should be reasonable and 10% is usual.

Ask for a volume discount if you are having windows and/or doors changed at the same time. The supplier's costs for administration and business overheads are the same whether you have two or ten products so ask them to share the benefits with you.

You will expect a first class job with the minimum of disruption to your home. Tell the supplier that you have discussed your plans with neighbours and that you will be delighted to recommend their company when the installation is complete in return for, you guessed it, a discount. Make sure that before you sign anything you have been supplied with all the information you need, especially telephone numbers for customer services and service centres.

If you have agreed to a home inspection then remember, you can never be too careful with personal security. You should be able to obtain the name of the visitor in advance. Don't be too embarrassed to ask for a personal ID when they arrive.

Site surveys have to be undertaken. Bear in mind that a company's surveyor will have to discuss and take into account items like manhole covers, plumbing requirements, electrics, the type of ground and the type of base required, in order to quote you for ground and building works. These items can add considerable cost if a job is particularly complex or requires extensive ground and building works.

Fitting information
Check the quality of workmanship at each stage of installation. Make sure that you are happy with the building work, the frame and roof installation and any "finishing off" such as tiling or plastering. Do not wait until final completion to raise any concerns. Before your installation commences, ensure that you have removed everything from the room/s that will be affected by your installation.

Will I need local authority planning approval for my conservatory?
Planning ahead is important as it can take up to 4 months to get planning approval. We advise that as soon as you think you would like a conservatory, select your local or chosen conservatory company to come and meet you so that they can advise the planning guidelines in your area and discuss in detail your needs and the options available to you. Onestop4upvc has a network of preferred local suppliers whose quality and guarantees are known to be very good, contact us if you would like to be put in touch with one of our known local companies.

Planning applications are taken on a case-by-case basis, and guidelines can vary by authority - but there are some general rules.

A new conservatory will need planning approval if;

1. It is deemed to be close to a public right of way.
2. The view from your conservatory will affect your neighbours privacy.
3. The floor area of the conservatory is more than 15% of the existing ground floor area of your home
4. Your home is in an area which does not have Permitted Development Rights.
5. The conservatory is greater than 70 cubic metres volume.
6. You live in a Conservation area.

Some authorities may prefer to limit the extent to which a conservatory extends from the house; so you may be asked to change your plans - your local supplier will know the authorities preferences and accommodate these in design discussions with you. If the conservatory internal floor area is greater than 30 m2 Building Regulations will apply and a local authority inspector will visit the site to ensure that building work is carried in compliance with regulations.

A planning application will typically need to be supported by multiple copies of Drawings, large scale local plans showing the location of your house and small scale plans with details of the conservatory.

Scottish Building warranty Regulations are a little more complex.

1. Your conservatory and any previous extensions must not exceed 20% (10% in a terrace) of the original ground floor area of your home.
2. Your conservatory and any previous extensions must not exceed 30% of the garden area.
3. The conservatory must not be higher than your house.
4. The Conservatory must not exceed 4 metres in height within 2 metres of a boundary.
5. Unless your conservatory is at least 20 metres from a public right of way it must not be closer than the existing house to the public right of way

Remember Planning Approval must be gained before any works are commenced, allow time for this and start the process of information gathering as soon as you can.