Background
A previous customer recently moved house into a bungalow in Selsey. There was an existing conservatory in a poor state of disrepair. The customer wanted to remove the original and replace it.
The project brief and progress
The customer currently had a conservatory 2.2m deep and half the width of the bungalow at 4m. He wanted to replace it with a conservatory big enough to use as a lounge/diner and was aiming for 3m deep at full width of the building 8m.
He had made no enquiries with local Building Control.
Chilltime Developments carried out a site survey and spent considerable time with the customer finding out exactly what he wanted and discussing some of the constraints of the site.
At 3m deep from the single storey building an obvious issue was to create a roof pitch sufficient for water run off. Another issue was that the ground sloped away from the building, such that a standard 7-course dwarf wall would be around 14 courses. The extra brickwork and groundwork, as well as a large step to the garden, would add to the cost.
Chilltime Developments buy all of their windows, doors and conservatories direct from the manufacturer, rather than via a third party. This reduces the cost to us, which we can then pass on to the customer and allow them to save money or upgrade the specification of their investment.
We contacted Building Control, completed the forms and created the plans for submission. On this occasion the conservatory was allowed as ‘Permitted Development’. Here at Chilltime Developments we are very experienced dealing with Building Control and can manage all of the communications and site meetings for customers.
The existing conservatory was removed. The existing deck was dismantled and set aside ready to be reused later. It was not possible to use a mini digger and the footings were dug by hand. Skips were sourced locally from a trusted supplier at discounted rates.
The height and pitch of the bungalow roof, the depth of the soffit and the required 3m depth of the new conservatory meant that a box gutter system would be used to raise the conservatory roof high enough to give us the necessary pitch across the 3m span.
After discussing a number of options for the roof based on features and cost, our customer decided upon a Pilkington Activ Blue roof system. This blocked harmful UV rays and provided thermal insulation in excess of standard roof systems, also keeping heat out and self-cleaning.
What our clients say
Chilltime developments led me through the whole process from dealing with the council to decorating the inside and laying the floor.
The communication was very good and we talked a lot at the planning stage about how it would look at the end. They were able to show me 3d colour pictures of how it would look.
The brickwork matches perfectly with the rest of the house. The roof really works too. Sitting inside is like wearing some light blue sunglasses. I have a double French door with a big step down onto the lawn. I also have side door out onto the deck.
When the old conservatory was removed there was a patio and rockery underneath which we didn’t know and had to be removed.
The box gutter system wasn’t part of the original quote. It was only when the guys went to order the conservatory that the manufacturers decided the roof pitch wasn’t quite steep enough. Despite this Chilltime Developments sourced a box gutter at a better price than ones I had seen and it didn’t delay us too much.
The finished conservatory looks fantastic. They fitted ceramic floor tiles and decorated it for me. The job from start to finish was right on time, even though the weather was pretty awful at times.
My friends and family think it’s great and it has added a new huge chunk of living space for me. I love my garden and it’s like outdoor living inside.
Would you recommend us?
I would definitely recommend Chilltime Developments and I’ve just asked them to start thinking about another job for me at the bungalow.
Why would you recommend us?
Chilltime Developments are really professional. You trust that they know what they are doing and you trust what they tell you. They want to do what’s right for the project rather than just rush to finish it.
What small thing impressed you?
I am really tidy and proud of my garden. The site was cleared and tidied and I could use my garden after they’d gone in the afternoons. They also used the timber from the old deck to build a new one which wraps round one end of the new conservatory and painted it for me. It all looks great.
It’s the little things…
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