Lean to metal frame conservatory

boardsdotie44

Hi,

Looking for some advise please, want to get a metal frame lean to sunroom / conservatory built onto an existing patio, nothing fancy, approx 3m X 3m, no plumbing / electrics required, budget max 10k.. here is the site:

Wont allow me to post links, but Google 'canopia-sanremo-conservatory-grey' and will give you an idea of what I am thinking of..

I know Homebase used to have conservatories packs you could buy to erect..

Have contacted a few places about getting it built and they advise the patio needs to come up and foundations and all that lark costing the best part of 40k!

Their has to be a better (cheaper) way, would something like that be very damp in winter - bearing in mind would most likely get stove for it, would also have electric heater / heat from the house going in, keep window open for air etc…

Any advice from anyone who has done something like this, or ideas weher / who does this kinda thing :)

Thank you..

mrslancaster

Are you planning to build/erect it yourself? That company you mentioned will also ship to NI, maybe they have an agent there. Also Wickes have different types of conservatories under £8k but only list UK mainland outlets. Maybe worth a call to see how they provide a service for consumers in NI.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/featured/grey-frame?q=%3A ,

Conservatories and windows seem to be far less expensive in the uk than here. One of our neighbours had their conservatory roof replaced by a NI based company, it was 40% cheaper than any quotes received locally.

boardsdotie44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557366#Comment_122557366

Thanks for the reply, yeah thats what I found as well, any search I did and found something that I was looking for was all UK sites..

I would love to DIY it, but I just dont think I would have the confidence in doing something like that, so would be looking at getting someone to do it for me?

boardsdotie44

This is pretty much exactly what I would be looking for:

https://www.wickes.co.uk/SOLid-roof-Full-height-Lean-to-Conservatory-Grey-Frames-with-Titanium-Grey-Tiles/p/9000286515

GreeBo

a cheapo conservatory will like be freezing in winter and boiling in summer.

Do you want an actual room or would you consider a pergola with a weatherproof roof?

Lumen

If you mean this, the weight is listed as 220kg, which (obviously) doesn't require special foundations.

Bear in mind that the walls are acrylic, which means they will scratch, but I guess are replaceable. Can't say much about the polycarbonate roof as it's impossible to tell from the photos how well the edges are sealed (which is critical with multiwall polycarbonate or else you get stuff growing in the cavity and it looks awful).

As far as dampness is concerned, also bit of an unknown. I can't see any downpipes or guttering as such, and it's impossible to tell how well sealed the roof is. The main way to counter dampness is with ventilation.

You're rolling the dice with this kind of online purchase. My local garden centre sells stuff like this and although that will be pricier due to retail margins at least you get to inspect it properly.

I'd definitely want proper guttering and downpipes in the Irish climate.

boardsdotie44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557399#Comment_122557399

Even an expensive conservatory has both extremes :) My parents have one! with proper ventilation and heating should be fine. Would be more the damp I would be worried about, but again ventilation / heating sh / would sort that..

Would be looking for a room..

boardsdotie44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122557413#Comment_122557413

Yeah I wudnt be too confident in buying online, that link was just provided to give idea of what I was looking for..

Would like to find a place that does this, has to be places in Ireland ( i.e. some cafes, restaurants etc have something similar), so then take a look, get an idea of what they provide..

Its a pity cause what Im looking for exists in other countries (supply and fit), seems like Ireland just provide the expensive options for some reason..

mrslancaster

Maybe contact some conservatory companies in NI for comparison prices. Many offer a service for the Dublin area. Just read on the wickes site that they have 'No deliveries' to certain uk postcodes but only 'restricted deliveries' to other uk postcodes including Eire - maybe they would deliver here. Very difficult finding a builder these days though, they are all mad busy.

boardsdotie44

Think it might be this Im looking for, and within my budget:

https://www.apexverandas.ie/?_gl=144dgp4_up*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjw28W2BhC7ARIsAPerrcKA3srvQp9R-2OHt8g9ed8mRGM4xN-gQ9niNmTD_TvAXRi3pjgmvjAaAnyPEALw_wcB

Not sure how well they would do during the winter tho…

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561350#Comment_122561350

That looks nice, you just need to be comfortable that it will meet your expectations.

A veranda is not an inside space/room. They are just sheltered outside spaces, like a covered beer garden. They will be baltic in winter and I would expect many draughts. The doors are to keep the rain out, they wont do much for the cold/wind.
They will likely be loved on a summer or even an early autumn/late spring day when you can decide to have the doors open if its hot.

A good indication of what to expect is that in all the images, they are using outdoor furniture.

I would also wonder about snow on a polycarbonate roof, might not be much of an issue, but we do and can get a couple of inches of snow in Ireland.

boardsdotie44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561676#Comment_122561676

Thanks, and yes I did note 'most' of them have garden furniture, but some had normal furniture with soft furnishings as well..

Will go visit showroom and ask the questions, have been looking into the glass verandas and if they are done right they can be used in winter.. could be lovely with a stove.

Concerned that winter proofing them will bring the price up too much tho..

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561703#Comment_122561703

If you want to use a veranda (or any outdoor room thing) in winter then you're best to shop in winter. I doubt they can be "winter proofed" any more than stopping water ingress (which is equally an issue in summer).

Conventional wisdom is that conservatories are too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122561703#Comment_122561703

The soft cushions etc get taken out in summer and put away in winter I would wager.

Anything non-outdoors will go moudly during winter (or the place will be freezing)

Also note that a stove, depending on the model could make matters worse as they can give off lots of water vapour and need a lot of ventilation. Probably better off with a dry electric type of heater, but it might struggle to keep the space warm with draughts etc. Really a "patio" style heater is just to keep the people immediately beside it warm. They wont warm the space at all.

boardsdotie44

Cheers, will have to ask them.

Also messaged a guy on here from another thread where he got one, so will see what he has to say

boardsdotie44

Well got it installed :)

boardsdotie44

So far great, can use it all the time.. in fairness has been mild.. Have heaters that will heat the place up if needed :)

The 2 side doors open up completely, no draughts - completely sealed..

Interesting to see how it does over winter.. probably no use during the very cold days (Not that we have many of these..)

Lumen

That looks great! What's the roof made of?

boardsdotie44

Opaque polycarbonate

Drainage is built into the pillars, you can see the exit hole / pipe in the left column

As we havent had much rain in the past while, tested the roof with the hose, no leaks :)

wait4me

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122815447#Comment_122815447

Very nice. Can I ask how much did that cost you and did you erect it yourself?

JIdontknow

How is it tied into the wall, is there flashing to stop rain ingress, and also where it meets the floor / patio slabs? Looks great in fairness!

mrslancaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122815469#Comment_122815469

Thanks for the photo OP, the conservatory looks great. Can I ask how long did the installation take?

boardsdotie44

Just over 13k including installation. Way less than conservatory at approx 40k

Yes tied to wall very securely, and sealed, same with floor posts and rail.

Will have to see how it goes over winter.. I suspect their will be condensation and possible a little water ingress at the rails (might have to put more sealant there) but if you use heater and open doors to let air in will help with that. Probably wont be usable in the depth of winter on really cold days, but at the moment very usable with the mild weather..

The tiles sits on a bed of mortar, I wonder would water soak up through the bed and tiles, I dont think so..

kaizer13

I built a lean to conservatory at the back of my parents terraced house in the angle formed by two of the house walls. About forty years ago and using commercially available aluminum extrusion and a corrugated pvc roof. The aluminium framing was prone to surface condensation so twenty years later I covered the aluminium with pvc trim extrusions and replaced the roof with twin wall polycarbonate sheeting on proper upvc glazing bars. Beware of condensation on the metal frames.

boardsdotie44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122816645#Comment_122816645

It took em a week, but thats cause they broke one of the panes and had to wait days for new one. Totally installation time on site would be a little over 2 days..