Latest Blog posts from PriorProducts.co.uk

PATIO DOORS IN DIY CONSERVATORIES

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When designing your new DIY conservatory there is no reason why you have to stick with French doors as the only main entrance / exit to the conservatory. We have had a number of customers who did not want French doors at all but rather opted for single opening out doors at either end of their Lean - to. As we also manufacture the doors on site here at Prior Conservatories, this is never a problem.

Recently we have introduced a rane of bespoke in line sliding Patio doors to compliment our range of conservatories. These are proving very popular and in some cases we have been suppling one set of patio doors to lead out from the house to the conservatory and another set in the conservatory its' self. These are a perfect colour match for the PVCu profiles that we use to manufacture the conservatories ad fit perfectly.

They are also designed with high security in mind and are of exactly the same quality as patio doors that we supply as external house doors. With anti lift features and multi point locking plus the 28mm toughened glass units these doors are built to last. Again as we manufacture these here, we can make exactly the size that you require weather it be for a DIY conservatory or just for your house. For added security, all sashes run on stainless steel tracks on the inside of the door with the fixed part being the external section.

If you want to open up a large section of the front of your conservatory we will provide you with a four pane patio door, subject to the width being sufficient. These would have the two centre sections opening away from each other and two large fixed light to each side. A large opening can be achieved this way at a fraction of the cost of Bi-fold doors and they are much easier to fit. If you require back ground ventilation then trickle vents can be supplied for this purpose.

WHEN ARE TIE BARS REQUIRED IN THE ROOF?

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We are often asked the question when our customers are thinking of ordering Edwardian, Victorian or Gable fronted conservatories about the need for tie bars. Our conservatories are designed to be tie bar free wherever possible but this rather depends on the roof glazing material and the overall size of the conservatory.

A nice 3 x 3 Edwardian will not need them even with a glass roof. This is due to the strength of the ring beam that sits on top of the window frames and to which the roof is fitted. The ring beam is the key to the entire conservatory and we take great care to make certain that we only use the best quality beams and roof components.

When the conservatory gets much larger then we would supply a tie bar kit. If this is the case then it is essential that it is fitted correctly as without the support that the tie bars give, there is a real danger of collapse and personal injury. Rest assured though, we do supply very detailed fitting instructions to enable the tie bar kits to be correctly assembled and tensioned.

FRENCH DOORS AND TOPLIGHTS

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Just a quick thought... if you are thinking of having opening top lights to each side of opening out French doors on your new Prior DIY conservatory, make sure that you realize that we will restrict the opening of the French doors to around 90 degrees. This is to prevent the wind catching the door sashes and swinging them beyond 90 degrees and clobbering the open windows to each side. This will have a detrimental effect on both the doors and the window openers and can do some real damage to both.

We would advise that if you wanted the French opening out doors to go beyond 90 degrees and to fold back against the conservatory wall, have fixed lights to each side at least the same width as the door sashes. This way there is nothing for the doors to hit and they can easily be held in the fully open position with a hook and eye arrangement. It is also advisable to fit the frames with a rubber door stop to prevent the door handles hitting the frames or glass. Simple solutions that will save a lot of grief!

MAKE THE MOST OF THE COOL WEATHER

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I know that we are all moaning about how wet this latest drought is and the fact that we still need the central heating on most days. Well you should be making the most of it. This is the ideal number of centigrades for digging out footings, mixing and laying concrete and generally sorting out the base work. This is not something that you really want to do when it is hot.

Maybe it is for this reason that we have sold more DIY conservatories so far this month than any other this year. Not that we mind of course. There seems to be a new trend though. Most of the conservatories that we are selling are big ones with the Edwardian and Gable fronted designs being the favourites at the moment. Also we produce a lot of low pitch Lean - to conservatories. These are ideal where there are height limitations such as a bungalow.

So it seems to be hotting up again over here in the heart of South Warwickshire. Have a good look at this web site and if you do not find what you are looking for, then give us a call and we will design the conservatory especially for you - the one you always wanted.

FIXING KITS

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When you receive your new Prior DIY conservatory, you will be able to start building it straight away assuming that the base and or dwarf walls are finished. With our conservatory fixing kit you will find all that you need to crack on with the job. In our kits we will supply you with the full range of fixing anchors, screws, glazing packers and silicone to enable you to do the job. The only things that you will need would be a reasonable electric drill and masonary bits and a decent cordless drill / driver for the assembly process.

We design the conservatories to be in as few pieces as possible to enable swift assembly and a very strong finished product. All glass is supplied seperately to ease assembly and is easy to install when you are ready for it. All in all, the entire process is not that hard but do read the instructions first!

SELLING LIKE HOT CAKES!

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It must be the glorious weather that we are all stuck with these past few weeks but our DIY conservatory sales have gone ballistic to put it mildly. I would normally quote three or four a day and have a few telephone enquiries about conservatory design, but something has changed! This could well have to do with the beloved government doing yet another U turn on the proposed 'green tax' on new conservatories. We here at Prior Towers sat and laughed out loud when this proposal first hit the mat. We know all about energy rated PVCu windows - we should do as we manufacture them. For more information on our BFRC energy rated windows, visit our other website www.priorproducts.co.uk . However when the illustrious leaders of the country came up with this new idea we could not believe it. We use energy rated windows in all of our DIY conservatories but you cannot rate the roof. So what were they planning? Nine inch loft insulation over your polycarbonate? At least someone has seen seen sense and therefore there is no longer a threat to people wanting a new conservatory which is good for them and us. It would seem that we are now free to enjoy our new conservatories without someone trying to slap a tax on it so our sales are well up. Have no fear that they will find something else to tax next. Should it be rain water as this is the wettest drought that I can remember since 1976!

OUR BESPOKE CONSERVATORY KITS

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We are often asked about the difference between our standard and bespoke conservatories. People seem to be under the impression that we have a few 'standard' conservatory kits wrapped up and stored in the factory ready for rapid despatch. Given the number of different conservatories that we specify on our web page, this would mean storing them in a vast warehouse.

The reality of the matter is that whatever conservatory you order, it will be bespoke and made entirely to order. Although we show stock sizes on the website for things like Edwardian, Victorian and Lean - to for example, we can make any size at all including those shown on the instant quote page. This is the beauty of having our own factory and being able to manufacture everything.

So when you think of ordering your new DIY conservatory from Prior Conservatories you will know that a, it is built to order, b, it will be brand spanking new and wont have been in storage for years, and c, that because we take great care manufacturing them, it will fit within two millimetres. Good reasons to get your DIY conservatory from us.

OUR FULL RANGE OF PRODUCTS

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Whilst we are best known for supplying a fantastic range of DIY conservatories, this is by no means all that we can provide. We also manufacture a full range of energy rated windows for the retail sector and also for trade. Add to this a complete range of residential doors both in PVCu and composite, French doors and a new range of patio doors in many colours. We also supply door canopies, a large range of ornamental shutters, garden rooms and shelters and a full range of patio covers and car ports in both supported and unsupported cantilever styles. For full details on the latter, please visit our other website www.priorcanopies.co.uk . For full information about our windows and residential doors, please visit our site www.priorproducts.co.uk

DIY CONSERVATORY BASES

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We are quite often asked about building bases for our DIY conservatories. As you would expect from a long established company, we can provide very detailed base building instructions. These detail the mixture of concrete for the slab, the dimensions of the dwarf wall where appliccable and we can even show you how to calculate the number of bricks that you will need.

When the conservatory is ordered we will post or email you a full set of very detailed base plans. As long as you or your builder make the base to these plans, we know that the rest of the conservatory when it is deliveded will fit perfectly as planned. A little extra care at this stage can save a lot of frustration later if the brickwork is out.

We are also asked about prefabricated bases. We do not use these and never have done. Yes they are cheaper than bricks and mortar but with the weight of a decent sized conservatory, there is no substitute for a proper base. The last thing that you will want is for the conservatory to move. The only solution here would be to dissasemble the whole conservatory and build a new base and / or dwarf wall if required. This would be a very expensive and time consuming operation and entirely preventable had the correct base been used in the first place.

DIY CONSERVATORIES AND THEIR USES

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Historically conservatories were described as greenhouses - in which plants are arranged aesthetically for display, as at a botanical garden. Today however, conservatories are quite different. Modern manufacturing methods ensure that we now have more choice and more reliable alternatives. Your conservatory need not be a cold damp space when it's winter or an unbearable hot house in the summer. With additions such as Planitherm total + glass (Low e glass) and "Anti Sun" glass you truly can have an all year round room.

Likewise there are many ways to heat your conservatory from underfloor heating, similar to that used by the Romans, but without the fire! Extending your domestic central heating system is another popular choice as are electric convector heaters which help to keep the air dry.

Our modern and traditional range of DIY conservatories can be used for a multitude of purposes. These can and have been anything from growing exotic tropical plants, an office away from the main congested areas of the house, a garden room, party room or even a safe place for the kids to play all year round. Whatever you are going to use yours for, you can be sure of a top range of DIY conservatories from Prior DIY conservatories.