Conservatory FAQs
Let us take the hard work out of planning your conservatory or glass room extension
We know that sometimes planning a home extension project can be a little overwhelming. You may have lots of questions about things ranging from whether you need planning permission for a conservatory, through to which type of glass extension will suit your home and requirements. We have pulled together all of our frequently asked questions into one place to make it easy for you to find the answers. If your questions still haven’t been answered, or you have a more specific question, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area does Room Outside cover?
Our Frameless Glass Structures are available throughout most of the UK, and with our other products we can now cover the majority of the South and South East of England, including London and the Home Counties.
Room Outside can boast examples built the width and breadth of the Country including St. Andrews in Scotland and Royal Yacht Squadron on Isle of Wight.
Why choose Room Outside over another company?
We have the reputation, stability, and longevity that you can trust, having been in business for over 4 decades. We are a specialist luxury Glass Room Extension company; we are NOT a double glazing window and door company that has decided to sell conservatories!
Room Outside has built more Glass Rooms throughout the South East of England than any other company. Our reputation has grown over 40 years and really is second to none in the area. We are now continuing to extend our renowned reputation into London, Surrey, Essex and beyond in collaboration with our specialist builder partners. We have five decades of experience and our guarantee’s really show the pride and confidence we have in our products and workmanship.
What is a conservatory extension on a house?
A conservatory on a house is a popular property extension option. They are constructed mainly from glass, in some cases combined with dwarf brick walls, French double doors or bi-fold doors with a full glass roof.
Usually, they are offered with a choice of frame materials including hardwood timber, uPVC, aluminium, oak or even a frameless construction and can be designed in a variety of styles to suit your property and taste. A conservatory will typically be added onto the back or the side of your home to create an additional room or to extend an existing room where the external doors are removed to produce a larger open plan space. Often, they can be built without applying for Planning Permission under Permitted Development Rights.
What is an orangery extension?
An orangery is a type of room added to extend your home and can be used in the same way as a conservatory; to relax, dine and entertain.
Orangeries can be attached to your property or built stand alone. They often have very large windows, glass doors, as well as a solid roof with a large glass lantern in the centre, creating a light and airy space. An orangery is a stylish, yet functional way of creating more living space and is increasingly popular with homeowners across the UK. A conservatory or orangery allows you to spend more time closer to the outdoors and your garden throughout the year while still being under cover and in a comfortable environment, despite the changeable British weather.
What is a Four Seasons Sunroom or Solarium?
A Four Seasons Sunroom of Solarium is brand of conservatory or glass extension developed in the USA to be a luxurious extension to homes offering an additional room or glass extension to an existing room. The glass used has been specifically developed to be able to cope with the harsh extremes of weather that they experience across America.
Room Outside® is the ONLY appointed UK agent for international manufacturer, Four Seasons the world’s largest sunroom conservatory company with a range of products that have become household names in the USA and throughout the World. These exceptional lean-to or traditional conservatories and garden rooms create a truly ambient temperature all year round by efficiently regulating temperatures no matter what is happening outside with the weather. A particular favourite is the System 6 Curved lean-to which incorporates an internal structural curved laminated timber beam and looks amazing and totally unique to the British market.
How much does a Room Outside glass extension cost?
We offer a premium product and the Room Outside name really does stand as a hallmark of quality, distinction, and style.
Choosing a Room Outside conservatory, orangery, glass box extension or garden room means that you can be sure to receive the very highest standard glass extension. Our glass rooms are custom-built, luxury products that are unique to you and your home, so every project is completely individual. The material, style, size, configuration, and finish will determine your level of investment required to get your dream Room Outside, with our portfolio of projects starting around the £25,000 mark for a uPVC structure. Read out blog for more of an idea of the costs of your glass extension project and what design features impact the level of investment needed. For a more tailored estimate Contact us for a FREE no obligation quote.
What is the difference between a conservatory, orangery and garden room?
In simple terms a conservatory has a completely glass roof, while an orangery has a solid roof around the perimeter, and then uses the addition of one or several glazed lanterns to let in natural light. A garden room is traditionally built with a solid roof structure.
Will my glass building complement the existing design of my house?
Yes, whether a conservatory, orangery, garden room or frameless glass extension, each is tailor-made and individually designed.
We have in-house designers who oversee all designs and ensure they fit your requirements and the style of your home perfectly.
Will a conservatory or orangery add value to my home?
Yes, providing it’s done properly, it most certainly will. Property expert Phil Spencer states that you could add up to 7% to your property value.
A survey by the National Association of Estate Agents, regarding the top home improvements that could add the best value to your property revealed that a glass room extension featured highly at the top of the list. There are some key considerations to make when contemplating a glass room extension to ensure that you make the best investment, including ensuring your glass room is sympathetic to your current property and integrates well into your home. We have the experience and expertise to guide you on creating a glass extension that will be perfectly suited to your home and your lifestyle, adding value, and enhancing your lifestyle. Read more about adding value to your home with the right conservatory or orangery extension.
What materials do you use?
Our glass room extensions and garden rooms can be built in environmentally friendly, sustainable traditional hardwood timber, beautiful hand crafted oak, British engineered aluminium and low maintenance uPVC or our striking contemporary structural frameless glass.
Our conservatories and orangeries are built from only the best quality products, which we have spent years sourcing, developing, and improving to ensure your glass room is durable, long lasting as well as stylish. We are so confident in our product that we offer a 30-year guarantee against all structural product defects.
Can I knock down an external wall to open my home up to the glass room?
Yes, in most cases you can, but we will need to consider the impact on your current property, how that wall supports your home and any planning permissions required.
With a major structural alteration and opening to the house, the works will also require Building Regulations, which we have specialist technicians that can deal with this on your behalf. Find out more here about creating an open plan glass extension.
Will a conservatory be cold in winter and hot in summer?
No, Room Outside can offer our revolutionary ‘New Generation Glass’, a specialist double glazing that utilises state of the art technology to control the temperature of your glass room and is designed specifically for the British climate.
We were the very first company to exclusively introduce the revolutionary solar controlled Wonderglass™ into the UK market from Four Seasons Sunrooms in the USA in 1999. This has now been developed further and we believe that our New Generation Glass leads the field today, with its far superior specification, reflecting heat and light back to its source to keep your glass room at the optimum temperature throughout the seasons. NGG offers unsurpassed solar control alongside outstanding thermal performance, making this the best product in its class. These temperature control properties combined with self-cleaning technology make our glass perfect for the extreme demands of a room built entirely of glass. Read more about keeping glass room warm and cool throughout the seasons.
What type of double glazing do you use?
Our exclusive ‘New Generation Glass’ is a specialist temperature controlled double glazing that utilises warm edge technology with a spacer bar that is up to 950 times less conductive than aluminium.
This technology increases internal temperatures around the edges, and vastly improves insulation, combined with an exceptionally low U-Value, also ensures your room stays warmer in the winter. Our glass has a specially developed Low-E coating within the glass make up, and the double-glazed units are filled with Argon gas to maximise efficiency.
Will having a glass roof let in too much light, heat and UV rays?
No, our specialist glass allows the right amount of light and heat through to provide optimum comfort in your glass room all year round.
With unsurpassed solar control alongside outstanding thermal performance, our New Generation Glass is the best product in its class. Our NGG roof units will reflect up to 86% of the sun’s rays, meaning that the sun’s heat is reflected or absorbed by the glass, reducing heat build-up as well as glare in the summer months. No other conservatory roof glass can compete with this level of performance. Using warm edge technology that vastly improves insulation, combined with an exceptionally low U-Value, ensures your room stays warmer in the winter. Our roof glass blocks virtually all harmful UV rays to help reduce not just the risk to you and your family, but also by helping to prevent damage to soft furnishings.
Are your glass extensions secure?
Yes, all our products are designed and accredited to provide the very best security as well as being energy efficient and weatherproof, and to meet and exceed enhanced security performance.
Can Room Outside do everything from the initial design to the final coat of paint?
Yes, Room Outside offers a bespoke design service and a “one stop shop” approach to its buildings.
You can have total peace of mind that once you have placed an order with us, our experienced specialist partner builders will run the whole project from start to finish. You will have a dedicated Builder who will Project Manage and ensure the smooth running of your development with the minimum of disruption to you.
Do I need Planning Permission?
It really depends on the size and style of the extension, your property, and the area that you live in.
Planning permission is a complicated area that is best left to the experts. Our planning agents can obtain this approval on your behalf. Our applications are rarely rejected as we take care to consult with the planning officer before submitting our application. If your house is listed or in a conservation area, our excellent longstanding relationship with Local Authorities and Planning Offices in the South East greatly assists us in obtaining the best solutions in the many delicate areas of planning including Listed Building Consent. You can gain further insight into Planning and Building regulations by reading our blog ‘Do I need Planning Permission?’ Another helpful site is the Planning Portal.
How big can a conservatory be without getting planning permission?
A conservatory, orangery, glass or traditional extension can be up to 6 metres length wise for a terraced or semi-detached house without most homeowners needing to gain planning permission. For detached houses you are allowed to build up to 8 metres from your home under Permitted Development.
The amount you can extend your home by is a total for your property rather than per extension, so if your home has been extended before, this area will reduce the size you can use for your glass extension.
Do I need sign off from building regulations for a conservatory?
No, you usually don’t need Building Regulations sign off for a conservatory, as long as they meet the below requirements:
- Single storey extension
- the area is less than 30 square metres internally
- the extension is separated from the property via doors/windows glazed to external quality
- must not restrict emergency escape exits
- heating should be installed separately or with a separate on/off function to the main home heating
- at least 50 percent of its external wall area must be glazed
- have a glass or translucent roof
- glazing in doors, adjacent windows and windows within 800mm of floor level must be safety glazing
If you wish to remove the external doors between the new conservatory extension and your home, and possibly also widen the gap to make your new extension open plan, it is likely you will require the ok from Building Regulations, especially as there is more structural work involved.
How long will the build take?
The length of a project really depends on the glass extension design and size, but on average the build will take between 6-12 weeks.
Once you have approved the designs and your build is booked in, we will be able to give you a schedule detailing our working hours and an expected completion date.
Do you project manage the job?
Yes, we do. Our specialist builder partners project manage the day to day site activities, whilst the overall project is carefully overseen and managed by our experienced office team to ensure all runs smoothly and according to schedule.
Who do I contact if something goes wrong during the build or even some time afterwards?
From the very beginning you will have a direct mobile contact with the project manager running your job, who will quickly arrange whatever is necessary to correct any problem.
How often will I need to maintain and clean my Room Outside?
A conservatory, orangery or glass extension is a substantial investment, but if done well, the value it adds to your lifestyle and your property will far outweigh the monetary cost in the long term. To keep your new glass extension looking like new it is essential that you clean and maintain the frames, glass, and mechanisms annually to stop the structure degrading over time.
We would recommend having your structure valeted inside and out every 3-6 months to ensure that your glass room always looks at its best. If your Conservatory is regularly maintained it will last you for decades and can still look as good as the day it was built. We offer professional specialist conservatory and orangery cleaning, repair and maintenance services from our Groom Outside division. Also these blogs on maintaining your glass room may be helpful. 5 things to do now to maintain your conservatory throughout the winter. Protecting your investment: Tips to keep your conservatory looking like new
Will my Room Outside come with any guarantee?
Yes, you will be covered by our standard warranty on workmanship as well as our 30 year guarantee against failure of structural products.
Every structure is designed and built with the very highest of care and attention, using only the best in products and materials, so we are confident that with continued care and regular maintenance your structure will be around for many decades to come. To give you peace of mind and assurance in your investment we offer our customers a structural products guarantee, protecting you for a period of 30 years. Our guarantee is independently recognised as one of the best in the industry and totally unique to Room Outside. For full terms of our guarantee please contact us.
How long has Room Outside been in business?
The first Room Outside was built in 1973. We are a well-established company that has built its reputation on fine bespoke design and the highest quality service. There are more Room Outside structures throughout the South of England than any other manufacturer. Find out more about Room Outside here.