Hazlemere’s step by step conservatory buyer’s guide (6)

(week six)

Purchasing a conservatory is a major investment and needs to be extensively researched and considered with care. Whatever it is you want to use your conservatory for, getting the right conservatory will change your home and ultimately add value to your property.

So, with this is mind we want to present our bespoke conservatory buyers guide so you can buy the conservatory of your dreams — with confidence and peace of mind. Our no-nonsense guide will enable you to evaluate, compare and hopefully find the right conservatory that compliments your home.

Although you can download our buyers guide in its entirety from the Hazlemere website, we’ve decided to break it down into more dissolvable chunks for you. Once a week we will provide you with the key advice and benefits of introducing a wonderful and practical conservatory to your property. Our aim is very simple: to turn what could be a potential headache into an altogether more pleasurable experience!

Last week we focused on Safety and Security. This week we’ll be looking at how to find the right supplier and what to ask before you make your final decision.

Finding the right supplier is often the hardest part of any home improvement project. Here is our advice for finding someone you can rely on and we also offer guidance on what you should be checking when you first start to talk to them.

One of the best places to start your hunt for the best company for you is with friends and family. Ask the people you know if they can make any recommendations either following work that they have had done themselves, or perhaps if they know someone that has had work done recently.

By working from local reputation and recommendations you will get a clearer idea about the company from the start. Companies with a good reputation are also likely to have been in business longer and this is a good indicator that you will probably be more secure with them.

The phone directory, direct mail leaflets that drop on your doormat and local newspaper advertising are also all good ways of establishing who is operating in your area. Unfortunately the phone directories, mailing companies and newspapers do not regulate who can advertise with them so you will need to be a little more careful when dealing with companies that you haven’t heard of before.

Once you have started to talk to companies then you should ask the following sort of questions:

How long have they been established in the area?
The longer the better but check that they have always traded under the same name as some companies will go bust and, like the proverbial ‘phoenix’, reappear with a very similar name and continue trading. Deposits are lost and guarantees become void in this process and it is invariably you, the customer, who sadly loses out.

Will they be able to take care of the planning & building regulation side of things?
It is possible that you will not need planning permission or to build to building regulations, depending on whether you have used up all your permitted development rights (if any?), however a reputable company will be able to competently take care of this for you. If your supplier does do this on your behalf then ensure you see the relevant paperwork yourself before any work commences. Ask to see references or testimonials. If possible ring references up and ask them if they were happy with the work that was done. Most importantly ask how problems were resolved. It is unrealistic to expect every installation to be trouble-free, but it is how a company deals with problems that are the most important issue.

Do you have to pay a deposit?
Companies will vary on what they expect you to pay ‘up front’. Some reputable companies do not ask for a deposit at all. On no account should the deposit be more than 10% unless the order is highly specialised.

What guarantee is offered?
Some companies sell insurance backed guarantees but these only cover you if the company goes out of business. What is really more important is how they handle their after sales support generally. Again, check with the reference to see if the company managed ‘under guarantee’ call backs efficiently and without trouble.

Does the company carry public liability insurance?
Building a conservatory is a major home improvement project so you need the peace of mind of knowing your supplier is fully insured should something go wrong on site. Smaller, one-man operations may offer you a cheaper conservatory but not have this valuable protection.

What are my finance options?
There are a number of ways you can pay for your new conservatory. Consider any finance options you are offered carefully as personal loan or mortgage charges may be lower. Taking independent advice may help you to find the best option.

Finally, and most importantly, read the details of any contract very carefully and ask for a fully itemised list of the proposed works. Ask for full detailed drawings and only when you are totally satisfied with everything should you sign off the work to be undertaken.

See our full conservatory buyer’s guide for advice on choosing a conservatory design, the many styles available, the pros and the cons of different materials and how planning law applies to glass conservatories.