Latest Blog posts from PriorProducts.co.uk

ENERGY RATED WINDOWS FOR DIY CONSERVATORIES

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Since we introduced energy rated windows across our full range of DIY conservatories we have seen an upturn in demand and they have generated a great deal of interest. The fact that we can supply them at no extra cost has also not gone unnoticed. We did our research and asked potential customers what were the biggest disadvantages of owning a conservatory. Virtually everyone said that keeping it warm at this time of year was a costly process.

With the addition of our standard C rated windows in a conservatory they are over three times more efficient at retaining heat than a standard air filled double glazed window. Our glass units are 28mm Argon filled and we use Planitherm Total + on the outer pane. This is a soft coat glass with excellent thermal qualities and unlike the earlier K glass, there is no greenish tint.

Of course if you have a conservatory with an Argon filled double glazed low E glass roof, there is no reason why you cannot upgrade the side windows to an A rated specification. These have been fitted to quite a few of our DIY conservatories and have proved to be significantly better than we thought possible, especially with the glass roof! Heating is no longer an issue and it is the conservatory that is warm, not the atmosphere.

You can be sure also that the windows are what we say they are. As we manufacture them our selves, each is fitted with a label showing the rating, our name and our lisence number. These are all details that can be verified online at the BFRC website. Proper DIY conservatories from Prior Conservatories with no compromise on comfort or quality.

START THINKING DIY CONSERVATORIES

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Now that the exitement of Christmas is a distant memory, this is the ideal time to start planning for your new DIY conservatory. I know that the weather is munus 9 degrees at the moment, but it will not stay that way for long and before you know it, Spring wiil be upon us.

The planning of your new conservatory is best done now. Building work in these conditions is not ideal, so why not wander around the projected site and start measuring up. Also check for problems like manhole covers and waste pipes and the like. You do not want these in the way of the conservatory so see if it is possible to re-route the pipes. Moving a manhole is a job for a builder and should not be attempted!

Think of the ideal position for the French doors. If you have them in the front wall of the conservatory you will create a corridor that you cannot furnish. If possible it is better to have them off to one side. If the conservatory is going to be south facing remember it will get hot with the sun on it all day. Allow for adequate ventillation to dissipate this. Also consider the roofing. South facing may well need solar control polycarbonate in the roof to deflect the suns' rays. In the case of a glass roof, blue activ self cleaning will help to keep it cooler.

When you have worked out the details, give us a call and we will design and tweak the new DIY conservatory to exactly what you wanted!

DIY CONSERVATORY DOORS

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We have been asked in the past about what options we have when it comes to the doors that we supply with our DIY conservatory kits. Obviously most people go for the standard French door which opens out but this is by no means all that we can supply.

I have just quoted a conservatory with French doors in the front wall and two single doors one at each end. It makes no odds to us if they open in or out - we can provide both options. We were also asked if a standard single door could be adapted to fit. There is no point. The chances of the colour match of the door to one of our conservatories could be an issue and why would you want a second hand door on a brand new conservatory when we can manufacture it to suit?

Best to just let us know what you want and we will design and build a bespoke conservatory that suits your exact requirements. Give us a call or drop us an email and we will sort it out for you!

THE MEASUREMENTS WE NEED FOR A BESPOKE QUOTE

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Before even starting out on the design of your new conservatory there are a couple of things to bear in mind. When we design the DIY conservatory we obviously use a number of computers. These do not understand feet and inches so please use metric measurements throughout! We also require accurate measurements - a customer came in today and asked us if it would be ok if he was a couple of inches out here and there. We don't think so!! So in order to avoid any awkwardness, please measure things several times before asking for a quote or indeed a base plan. Be aware that when we manufacture our conservatories they are made to within 2 -3mm of the correct size, and usually are spot on. There are certain standards that we and the rest of our industry like to work to. For example, the height of a dwarf wall. We would normally suggest that this is 600mm from your damp proof course to the top of the brickwork. We then would make our window frames to a height of 1500mm thus giving the conservatory wall height of 2.1 metres. If you need another wall height then you must let us know in the planning stage. It may well be that you will be using an existing base and we need to know exactly how high the dwarf wall is from DPC to the top of this existing base. Then we can adjust the frames to suit. If your new conservatory is being fitted below the eaves of a bungalow there will be height restrictions. This one is very important! We would in this case need the exact measurement from the new base to the underside of the eaves including soffits. We normally reccommend a low pitch roof lean - to conservatory in this case for ease of construction, but can adapt other designs to fit by using a box gutter where the conservatory joins the house. If you cannot use a conservatory with a front wall height of 2.1mm do not dispair as we can tweak the frame heights to make it fit! This is the beauty of having our own manufacturing facility. If you are in any doubt as to what you want or wether it will fit, please call our free 'phone number 0800 001 5848 and ask for advise.

DIY CONSERVATORIES IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

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Just to let you all know out there, Prior DIY conservatories are the leading DIY conservatory company supplying the West Midlands. We have been manufacturing our self builds now for twenty five years and have seen a marked increase in sales recently since we started to incorporate energy rated windows in each of them.

There are very significant advantages in useing these windows in a conservatory and it seems that the public have realized this! For your chance to get the coservatory that you always wanted, check this website and ask us for a quote.

VALUE FOR MONEY WITH PRIOR DIY CONSERVATORIES

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We have never said that we are the cheapest at Prior DIY conservatories. Rather we are mid range when it comes to pricing. However what you get for paying that little, and it is only a little, extra is a superb conservatory of your style and choice of size which has been specially manufactured just for you here in South Warwickshire.

It is down to this bespoke aspect that we are so successful. We will not provide a 3 x 3 Edwardian and tell you to like it or lump it just because you actually wanted one at 3048 x 3056mm. That is the size that we will build it for you. Also because all of our conservatories are made in as few frames as possible, we can get very accurate with the finished sizes. Also it makes them easier for our customers to assemble them as there are less bits to fit together.

We also do not skimp on the PVCu profile that we use. Rehau S706 is about the best PVCu profile that you can get in the industry. Couple that with the fact that we have manufactured and had our windows tested by the BFRC ( see www.bfrc.org ) and as a result we are able to offer energy rated windows in all of our DIY conservatories. Very few other companies will be prepared to offer this because of the cost of these windows.

As mentioned before, we aim to offer the best value conservatories on the market but without any compromise on quality. All hardware is leading edge equipment, our windows speak for them selves and we only use the best roof systems available. The reason is simple. We not only supply DIY conservatories but also supply and fit the same in our area. The last thing we want is service call after service call because the quality is not there. It is, so we do not get them!

We also give the customer extremely comprehensive fitting instructions for the base work, the dwarf wall where fitted and of course the conservatory its self. All that we ask in return is that the base and dwarf wall are built exactly to our plans. Simplez!!

WHY BUY FROM PRIOR DIY CONSERVATORIES LTD?

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We occasionally have quite a laugh here at Prior Conservatories! I have been quoting a conservatory for a very discerning customer over the past few days who quite rightly went and got other quotes from the major national double glazing companies.

My aim is to keep the price as low as possible whilst giving the customer the very best DIY conservatory possible. After all we use energy rated windows in all of ours and very high quality PVCu profiles from Rehau Ltd. We use the best available roof systems and pride ourselves on manufacturing a top quality product designed to last for ages.

So when this customer was quoted £20000.00 for their conservatory by one of the nationals, they were laughed out of the house! After all, this was to be a replacement conservatory on an existing brick built base so half of it already existed. I was asked how they could justify such a crazy price but as I work here and not there, I could not give a reply. We fortunately do not work in this way. We will always give our best prices for the appropriate conservatory and trust me, it will be a price that you can live with. Otherwise we would never sell anything and I would not be writing this post.

WHAT IS INCLUDED ON A PRIOR DIY CONSERVATORY?

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When you receive the specification sheet for your new Prior DIY conservatory it will list the roof glazing, window frame glazing, handle colours and any extras like roof vents. Which parts of the conservatory do we supply or not?

If your conservatory is a full height variety with or without panels, obviously you will get everything from the cill upwards. This would typically include all of the frames for the sides, the entire roof and roof glazing, all rain water goods, hinges, handles for windows and doors. Also you will have the full fixing kit comprising frame anchors, all screws, glass packers, silicone etc, and full frame and roof assembly guides.

If your conservatory is on a dwarf wall you would get the cill and everything above it. as before. The base work is down to you to complete using all of the plans that we will have provided. If you were not sure how to build the base, we will have provided detailed instructions for this as well. In short we supply almost everything that you will need.

However there are a couple of things that we do not supply. Flashing for the roof and the internal window boards. The reasons for this are as follows. When it comes to flashing, there are many alternatives to the traditional lead. This obviously does the job brilliantly, is easy to work and costs a lot! Conservaflash is an alternative that does the same job but cheaper, and there are quite a number of other alternatives that can be used and all at varying prices.

The same applies to internal window boards. Many of our customers want hard or softwood boards, some like PVCu to stay in keeping with the rest of the conservatory and a large number of people opt for ceramic tiles of their choice to match the flooring that they have in mind. Good reasons for not supplying these parts!

THE CHEAP WAY TO EXTEND YOUR LIVING SPACE WITH A DIY CONSERVATORY

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DIY conservatories are finding favour more and more these days with people who want to extend their living space. Compared to a brick built extension, they are cheap, lighter inside, more versatile in their design and can truly bring your garden into the house. With general DIY skills, they can be easily erected and if you already have an existing base, most of the hard work has already been done.

Prior DIY conservatories are available in a wide range of styles and there is bound to be one that will suit your house. As all of our conservatories are bespoke, if you need something a little out of the ordinary, the chances are that we can manufacture it for you. Prior DIY conservatories all come with energy rated windows as a standard feature. We did this not only to offer more with our conservatories but also to make them truly useable all year round. With the reduced heating costs afforded by fitting these windows you continue to save money.

Our DIY conservatories are not clip together,they are fully welded 70mm Rehau PVCu frames, all fully steel reinforced and made in large sections where possible for strength and accuracy of size. You know that when you purchase a Prior conservatory you have made an investment for the future and have increased the value of your home. For further information, visit the website www.priorconservatories.co.uk

OUR DICOUNTED CONSERVATORIES

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If you are looking for a DIY conservatory but are on a tight budget, please take a look at our heavily discounted ones on this site.These modular conservatories are dicounted to trade prices with up to 65% off!

All we would add to the prices shown is the delivery charge, which works on a post code system. Give us a call and see how much conservatory you can buy for how little outlay!