It depends on individual circumstances. For a listed property or specially designated area (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Park etc) planning permission will be required.
If not, various factors need to be considered. Typically if the conservatory will lead to more than 50% of the plot being covered by buildings, planning permission will be required.
Listed consent will also be needed if the conservatory is to be attached to a listed dwelling. It is not necessarily required if the conservatory is to be a free-standing garden room within the grounds of a listed dwelling. Click here to find a more detailed explanation of conservatory planning.
If the dwelling is listed and will have direct access into the conservatory, the conservatory will be exempt from VAT. Proof of listed consent and planning permission will be needed.
Only if the conservatory is over 30m2 and/or open to the house (i.e. there are no doors between the house and the conservatory). If the conservatory is on the first floor or over 4.0m to the eaves it will also need building regulations.
Initially, we will require architect’s drawings, photographs or even a hand drawn sketch showing the approximate size of the conservatory and a dimension of an existing feature on the house wall. This information will enable us to generate some initial concepts and a guide costing to form the basis of further discussion.
Should our proposals be of interest, we will visit the site to develop your vision with you. We can also quote for the building works, or you may prefer to use a local contractor.
Once an order is placed, we can handle the planning application for you. This typically takes around 8-12 weeks.
Once planning is approved, you will be assigned a Project Manager to oversee your project.
Building regulations usually run concurrently with the building of the base and are signed off by the building inspector at each stage.
Yes. We have the entire international RAL palette available to us and can even create special mixes to match existing paintwork. We can also provide metallic and textured finishes like wood grain. We also offer two-tone, a different colour inside and outside.
Pretty much! Our system is very flexible with a large range of configurations available, e.g. facetted ends, hips, roof angles standard doors and bi-fold doors.
This very much depends on the nature of the design. However, as a very rough guide £2,500 inc VAT per m2 should be allowed for the aluminium and glass framework. This includes delivery and installation, but not the preparation of the walls and floor.
Around 4-5 months from confirmation of order and receipt of planning permission (whichever is the later).
We are primarily conservatory designers, manufacturers and installers so would not normally consider this unless they were in addition to a conservatory order, with the windows and doors to be replaced at the same time as the conservatory is built.
NB: We cannot replace only the double glazed unit (i.e. the sealed glass panes) into existing frames. We can only supply and fit replacement windows and doors in their entirety, including the frames.
We are starting to supply them to Europe. However, we would request that we see drawings and photographs before any site visit is arranged. In this instance a site visit prior to the order would be at the customer’s expense.
Of course. Our only proviso is that we can see drawings and/or photographs before a date is arranged. This enables us to prepare a concept design in advance so the initial meeting is as productive as possible.
We have a conservatory at our premises in Hampshire and have also built a number in Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex, as well as the Channel Isles. We have customers nationwide so may well have a structure nearer to you. Please get in touch and we will let you know.
Aluminium doors and windows have weather test ratings that timber products do not. (Our windows and doors meet BS6375:pt1 severe exposure category 2000.) You can see all the British Standards that we build to here.
Aluminium is very low maintenance. A regular wash down is all that is needed.
Aluminium provides reduced expansion and contraction. With timber this can lead to warping, which will effect weather tightness in the long term.
Our system is fully thermally broken (i.e. the inside face of the aluminium is separated from the outside face of the aluminium with a polymide, plastic thermal break). It is not 100% condensation free (the correct balance between heating and ventilation will be needed to keep condensation at bay), but the system reduces condensation.
In most conditions aluminium will be as condensation free as timber, however in very humid conditions (with cold conditions outside) aluminium is more likely to condensate than timber (as will the glass). What is more important is that if you do get condensation, an Alitex conservatory will not rot, whereas timber will.
As a heat insulator timber is definately better than thermally broken aluminium, but the frame is only a small percentage of the overall structure. The glass has the biggest effect on the heat loss so selecting a good double glazed unit is most important, which we do.
Integration of traditional looking window, door and roof products in aluminium which we believe is unique.
We can also turn our hand to more angular, contemporary type designs.
Fully profiled sections to roof, gutter, doors and windows throughout.
We can manufacture large spans of up to 5.0m with decorative portals (not box portals)
We offer an exceptional range of high quality and elegant door furniture.
Top or side (i.e casement) hung options.
Trickle ventilators.
Window locks enable partial “open-but locked” position (with optional limiters)
We fit high security concealed shoot bolts on all doors and opening windows.
Designed-in security on glazing frames with interlocking beads and internal wedge gaskets (windows and doors comply with BS7950).
Automatic roof vents (if fitted with rain sensor and/or temperature controlled). These should be fitted with a manual over-ride so they can be left closed when the house is unattended.
We use Saint Gobain glass for quality and excellent insulation performance.
We use “low-e” (short for “low-emissivity”) glass. Our double glazed units have a 4.0 mm toughened outer pane, a 14.0mm air gap and a 4.0mm inner pane. In the roof the inner pane is 6.4mm laminated glass. This will remain in situ should the outer pane be broken. The air gap can also be argon filled to increase the thermal efficiency of the double glazed unit.
All glazing is to Part N of building regulations, which is a compulsory safety standard. Toughened glass inside and out on all doors and windows, with a laminated inner pane in the roof for ultimate safety. If broken, the outer pane will shatter and the inner pane will potentially crack, but will still hold the pieces of the broken outer pane so glass does not fall to the floor.
Yes. The standard solar control glass we offer (Saint Cobain Coolite with low e glass to inside) cuts out around 60% of solar radiant energy that strikes the glass (the normal glass units we use only cut out 35%).
NB: It is also worth mentioning that solar control glass reduces light transmission by 55% as well (the normal glass units with low-e glass only cut out 20%). Although normally there is plenty of light from the sides of the conservatory, this can be problematic in winter. For those considering growing a specialist plant collection, we would advise blinds that can be rolled up in winter to increase light levels rather than solar control glass which may inhibit plant growth.
We do not recommend this currently. To work effectively, self-cleaning glass needs optimum weather conditions ie. correct balance of sun and rain, which is rarely possible to achieve.
The u-value on our windows is 1.6 W/m2K and on our double glazed doors it is 1.8 W/m2K. The lower the value, the better the insulation. Current building regs state windows must have a u-rating of 1.6 W/m2K or less and doors, 1.8 W/m2K or less.
Our windows have an energy rating of A and B - depending on the model. Rating A is the highest and G the lowest.
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