Decent price for a conservatory?

[kjacko]

Hi all,

had a quote for this:
Dig footings for 4.2m x 3m base
install Concrete base
1 x almost full height brick/block wall (9m long) with windows across the top (2 openers)
2 x dwarf walls (4.2m and 3m) with windows on top and top openers.
French doors in the middle of the 4.2m
Polycarbonate roof pitched up to an appropriate level (within regs) onto existing.
Window board
Guttering etc.

So basically everything except finished floor and internal plastering/electrics.

£7k (includes 1 week labour for 3 men)
To have a glass self-cleaning roof would be an extra £800.

Its more than what we expected and more than the guy quoting expected it to be too.

Your thoughts please?

 

[noseall]

Sounds like a bargain and a miracle if they can do it all in 1 week.

Dig footings for 4.2m x 3m base
install Concrete base

Surely this should read "dig 1m deep strip foundations, lay minimum 250mm concrete, build up to dpc, then lay concrete sub floor...."?

...because this....

1 x almost full height brick/block wall (9m long)

....will require a decent footing.

Why 9m long?

 

[Karis]

Conservatories are Building Regs exempt so they don’t need to comply with any of the B regs apart from electrics & safety glazing. This can lead to problems unless you know what your getting. You need to either specify the build spec. yourself or ask them to be more specific on what it includes; decent footings (as already mentioned), insulation in the slab, cavity insulation, DG to house BR spec etc.

I had a fully specified Edwardian conservatory built in 2004 with 800mm strip foundations, fibre reinforced slab with 200mm Celotex insulation, 100mm cavities with insulation, all guttering feeding into a new soak away, a 50mm 5 wall poly roof, Argon filled Rahau DG, 2 sets of French doors & 1 side door, electrics, UFH, tiling, window boads & some plastering; they wouldn’t do the gable so I had to do it.

Its 22 sq/m so a fair bit larger than your but cost just over £16k. It wasn’t the cheapest or most expensive of the many quotes I had (£12K - £22K) but after deliberation & looking at their previous work, I considered it good value. Remember you will only get what you pay for &, 8 years on, I've had absolutely not probs at all.

I also doubt if they will do it in a week so you could well be looking at additional labour charges, I insisted on fixed labour cost.

 

[kjacko]

Thanks fellas.
I deliberatley missed out that fact that he is one of my best friends just to try and get your unbiased opinion on price.
He helped me build a 22sqm extension 3 years ago and gave me his labour for free.

noseall, yes they will be digging down 600-1000mm for the footings. The 2 guys he uses can do that and have it filled with concrete in a morning. They are like flippin machines when they go at it.
From my phone call with him regarding the quote he said "i quoted you for a weeks labour for 3 people". Now it may take them more than a week, but i 'think' he's only charging me for a weeks labour.

He oriignally reckoned the materials would be £4-4.5k, but even he admits the costs were higher than he expected.

He absolutely would NOT rip us off, EVER. I only asked in here as i have no idea how much these things cost and was surprised at how 'wrong' his initial guestimate was.

Sorry, i meant 3m long (was thinking 9ft and typed the wrong thing).

Clear as mud now?

 

[clubb699]

Add another £6000 to the budget and extend instead i wish i would of conserves are a waste of money its your decision and good luck

 

[kjacko]

Add another £6000 to the budget and extend instead i wish i would of conserves are a waste of money its your decision and good luck

That was our first thought; to extend the house sideways 7ft, but it would have cost around £20k (full storey extension).
We want to move in about 4-5 years and don't think we'd get the money back.
The conservatory will act as a summer room/bedroom for my son when he stays at the weekends.