Choosing a Supplier
WHERE DO I LOOK FOR MY NEW CONSERVATORY AND HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT COMPANY?
Have a look around you. What kind of conservatories do your neighbours and
friends have? And most importantly, what have they got to say about the company
that supplied it.
To get a good overall view of the market place - you could do worse than try
the internet. It will give you a good idea of the styles available and prices,
and the enormous range of suppliers from local to national companies.
The choice of who to buy from is enormous, from the one-man band to national
companies who are household names.
SOME GOOD IDEAS
Choose a company that can show you full-size examples of their conservatories. That might be in a showroom, at a garden centre for example, or a customer’s
home. The latter choice also means you can talk to someone who has lived in
the conservatory and knows the pros and cons.
Look at the choice of materials and styles available. Don’t visit a
company with your heart set on wanting one kind of thing and then settling
for another just because they don’t supply it. There are a lot of companies
that will have exactly what you want, no matter how large or small.
Look at the quality of the frames. A frame has to be sturdy enough to bear
the weight of the glass. In the case of PVCu that means that the profile (the
frame) should have internal metal reinforcement.
Ask what British Standards the company manufactures to; it will be a good
indication of the quality of the product.
Study the quality of the glass. Conservatory walls should be manufactured
from toughened glass case someone falls against it.
Again, see if the glass used conforms to a BSU standard.
Ask questions. If a salesman can’t answer or tries to fob you off -
walk away. This is a large investment and you need a high quality product,
made and sold by experts.
Taking advantage of a computerised design. It isn’t essential, but if
it is offered as part of the service, it does make a great deal of difference
to being able to chose the right style for your home.
Ask how good is the supplier’s roofing system? It is all too easy to
get carried away with the look of the conservatory, but if the roofing system
isn’t sound - the conservatory will leak on your nice new furniture -
and you! Ask about the types of gaskets used and if the material they are constructed
from allows the frame to expand and contract as the temperature changes.
Also the roof will let in a lot of sunshine, which will heat the conservatory
and damage the content. Is a special coating provided to help reduce this?
Ask if the company will gain any necessary planning permission for
you. This
should be a standard part of the service.
Does the company offer a complete service? A specialist company should handle
everything from the initial design to laying the foundations and erecting the
conservatory. Don’t get involved with having to find bricklayers, electricians
or any other tradesmen yourself.
Look for a good guarantee. Look for a guarantee that is good for at least
10 years. Also read carefully what it covers you for.
Trade bodies. It is a good idea to ensure the company is part of a trade body
such as the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF). If the company you are dealing
with ceases trading before the contract is completed, another GGF company will
take it on.
SOME PITFALLS
Don’t go to a company that isn’t a specialist in conservatory
design, manufacture and building. One of the biggest pitfalls is a company
that doesn’t provide strengthened frames, but just uses window frames,
which are bolted together. Without good reinforcement on purpose built sections,
there is a danger these frames will not hold the weight of the glass.
Deposits. Deposits are normally 10 to 20 per cent of the overall cost. Don’t
pay more. If the salesman insists, it could be time to worry about their financial
security, and if they are not part of a body such as GGF (see above) then you
may lose your deposit if the company ceases to trade.
NATIONAL STANDARDS TO LOOK FOR
A good test of the quality of the product and the company is the number of
British Standards it has been awarded.
To gain a British Standard a company has to regularly test the quality of its
own products. It also has to undergo testing by the body that awards the
standards.
Take this basic list with you when you go out shopping:
BSEN 12608 (this was previously known as BS 7413). It is for PVCu profiles
(in other words, frames windows and doors). To gain the standard, materials
must be of high quality, and have properties such as being colourfast, impact
resistant and corner strengths have to be considerable.
BS7412 This looks at the tolerance of materials under construction. It also
covers safety, security and weather-tightness.
BS 6206 Class A is for toughened glass. Should the glass break there would
be no jagged lengths of glass, as it will crumble into small rounded pieces.
A FEW LAST TIPS
Feel comfortable with the salesman and the company. Don’t feel you are
being pressurised into a sale. This is a big investment - get exactly what
you want to match the style of your home and your pocket.
Look at the company’s reputation:
• How long has it been trading?
•
Is it comfortable to take you to meet its customers
•
Has it had bad press on service, or quality of products?
•
What does it offer in the way of guarantees and after sales service, and
•
Is it offering exactly what you want?
Finance. There’s no getting away from it the conservatory has to be
paid for, so how are you planning to meet the bill?
Some companies offer their own finance - which can be a good deal, but it
is worth looking at other options. Seek the advice of two or three different
specialist financial companies.
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