Home Magazine Home ProjectsBuilding a Conservatory- Photo Diary

Building a Conservatory- Photo Diary

Having a conservatory built is probably less disruptive than getting an extension, but it can be much more messy and difficult to live with than you might think. Unless you understand the process, you will have trouble visualising exactly what will happen and in what order.

This series of pictures will explain the process and help you to prepare for a few weeks of mess and inconvenience before you get the final result you were hoping for.

Digging the footings

Depending on the type of soil your home is on, you may need to have very deep footings, as occurred here. These are dug with a small digger, but can be dug by hand.

Pouring the concrete

The footing trenches are then filled with concrete ready for the walls of your conservatory. The bricks are used to create a level area for the conservatory to stand on.

Digging a soakaway

In this case, a soakaway was needed to direct water away from the house. This involved digging another trench and large hole from the house to the back fence. Clearly this is not a time to think about keeping your garden tidy.

Laying the slab

Finally the slab has been laid and will need a few days to dry out completely. It is bordered by bricks and has a damp-proof course to prevent water getting under it and seeping into the conservatory.

Building the conservatory

Here you can see the first pieces of the conservatory have been put into place. From here the process is very straightforward. Each piece which has been manufactured offsite is linked to the previous one. The roof is added and then the glass is fitted into the frames. Lead flashing is used to seal the structure where it meets the outside wall of the house.

Knocking down the wall

In this case, the wall between the house and the now built conservatory was removed. This involved installing a beam across the window and door opening to hold the upper floors. You can see where this has been put into place. This needed building control to check it before it was completed. Then the block-work was removed ready for the doors which would be used to close the opening.

The final result

A number of weeks later you can see the final result. Underfloor heating and an oak floor has been laid and the doors are now in place. The perfect place for a game of pool!