Double Glazing On The Web

So Christmas is over and somehow you managed to shoehorn the entire family; pets, granny, uncles and aunts and the cousins into the one room again to open their presents and watch the Queen’s speech…  but wouldn’t it have been lovely to have had some extra space?  With the credit crunch still looming, the ‘improve or move’ question is larger than ever and a conservatory can often be the best solution.

If you decide to take the ‘improve’ route then read on!  A UPVC conservatory is always high up on people’s wish list and you can be almost certain that you will add instant value to your much loved property.  Virtually maintenance free, double glazing only needs a wipe clean every now and then to keep it looking nearly new. 

Imagine all that extra space!  With various conservatory styles to choose from, you could improve your home both inside and out.  Just think, this Christmas you could be enjoying a mince pie and sherry in the warm new conservatory.  Leaving the kids to play in the lounge if you like!

Did you know that the phrase daylight robbery originates from exactly that - a tax on windows? It sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? Nevertheless I heard it firsthand from a London taxi driver so it must be true. Apparently families would brick-up unnecessary windows to avoid paying raising taxes on windows. Eventually an enraged member of parliament spoke out and charged the government with Daylight Robbery!

Remarkable as it sounds, it seems that although progress has brought with it all the benefits of double glazing, we as a nation haven’t come so far.  It was only a few months ago that I was writing about a possible government initiative that would see the implementation of a tax on properties that would take into account views, conservatories and … you guessed it double glazing!

Finally!  After what seems like dozens of brochures, telephone calls and sales pitches, you have reached a decision on how your dream new conservatory will look and who will bring your vision to life.  But hang on….. have you organised for a surveyor to come in?  If you haven’t… make sure you read on!

 
Most double glazing orders are manufactured specifically to individual requirements; every millimetre matters!  Not only will the surveyor confirm precise measurements, there are essential safety checks to be carried out.  Your new conservatory will soon be the pride and joy of your home, but before work can get underway you need to be sure that the ground itself is suitable for the structure.   You must also identify whether your project is classified as exempt from Building Regulations.  Your conservatory may need to conform to the latest building regulations including provision for drainage and water run-off which often requires re-routing of existing pipe-work.

Planning permission may also be required for your installation to go ahead, be sure to check with your local council before giving the green light for any work to commence.  If your surveyor is local, they may be able to assist you with this. 

Now for the easy part: picking your surveyor couldn’t be easier – with various databases online to choose from, you are sure to get a price that’s right. Alternatively many double glazing firms and conservatory suppliers will have a reliable, specialist surveyor in-house, making the whole process even easier.

Ludicrous new plans have been unearthed regarding a new government stealth tax on everything from views, to parking spaces, patios and conservatories! The proposed taxation on would be imposed through the council tax system and has already come under serious scrutiny and heavy opposition .

Perhaps more controversial than the proposed tax itself is the investigative work, already undertaken by the Labour government, into over 100,000 individual homes. Aside from the strong moral objection to the nanny state, surely the money spent alone in employing tax collectors to carry out in-depth assessments on everything from the width of a balcony to the extent of the view, cannot possibly be justified?

The extent of the surveying is mind-boggling; even the difference in the type of conservatory would be considered a contributory factor when calculating the level of added tax. The Valuation Office Agency, which is compiling the massive database of every home, has divided the three-quarters of a million people with conservatories into groups, for example, double-glazed conservatories will be hit harder than those with single glazing or lean-to’s.

Malcolm Moss, MP for North East Cambridgeshire, has today been quoted as saying “Only Labour would think of taxing people for having double-glazed windows or a patio. I hope Gordon Brown will see sense and scrap these plans immediately.” – We can but hope!

The conservatory is a longstanding British tradition which really came into its own in the 1800’s and with the great British climate being what it is; it’s easy to see why.

When considering buying a conservatory you will quite often hear cynical advice such as ‘they get far too hot in the summer you know…’ Well yes, they do, I agree – a glass box which is in effect a green house, pegged onto the side of your property is bound to get a little heated in direct sunlight. In fact I don’t sit in mine at the moment (mid-August) partly because it’s really hot in there, but more importantly, because it is one of those rare moments in the British calendar when it is actually possible to sit in the garden!

However, at all other times of the year, my favourite place in the house is the conservatory. There I can soak up precious rays of sunshine whilst smugly sheltered from the ravages of the bitter wind, pouring rain, drizzle, sleet… whatever the great British weather chooses to throw at us. In answer to the question ‘is it too hot to sit in the conservatory in the summer?’ I would say ‘yes it is’ - but when the summer only lasts about 2 weeks, I consider it a terrific investment for the remaining 50 weeks of the year.

MP Claims for double glazing. This is not only old news by today’s standards, but it’s also rather dull. The news that MP’s have been claiming hand over fist for all sorts of weird and wonderful things that are not strictly in the tax payers interest or in line with them actually doing their jobs, has been done to death by the media over the past weeks.

Shock horror – MP’s are corrupt, who would have thought it? Surely this is a new phenomenon because they have developed such gleaming credentials for integrity and morality over the centuries, something terrible must have happened to throw them all off course … yarda, yarda, yarda. 

Double glazing on the other hand, sadly for those of us not above the law, is a necessary cost for every savvy homeowner. The reduction of noise levels, heat loss and environmental damage alone, make it the only sensible option for glazing your home, be it replacing old windows or installing glazing into an extension or conservatory, it is the only way to go.

On a more positive note, even though we have to pay for it ourselves, using Double Glazing On The Web means that double glazing our homes will cost an awful lot less than the average MP’s expenses!

It’s been six months since new planning regulations introduced by Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint, have been in effect. Designed to cut red-tape surrounding home improvements these new regulations have meant that since October 2008 the majority of homeowners, looking to make standard improvements to their homes, have not needed planning permission.

It was estimated that this legislation would save the nation up to £50m by removing approximately 80,000 householder applications from the planning system each year. Also, many people extending their homes will no longer be expected to pay additional council tax as a result.

The changes were introduced with the aim of reducing the stress and the cost associated with extending your home and relieving the pressure on the housing market. Minister Caroline Flint said at the time: “Often people grow out of the family home, but now those who don’t really want to move will find it easier to improve instead.”

Before embarking on any improvement project it is always advisable to check whether you will require planning permission. Click here   to find out more and to see which improvements you can make to your home, without the need for planning permission.
Alternatively you can visit the governments Planning Portal for more info

When my husband and I remortgaged last year, had we had a crystal ball, we would never have fixed for five years. Nonetheless, the decision to add a bit to the mortgage and build a conservatory was one of the best we ever made – you win some and you lose some, but when extending your home or making any form of home improvement, you can’t go wrong with doubleglazingontheweb. 

Extending your living space is an investment, not just in the value it adds to your home, but in benefits to your lifestyle; more space, extra facilities, storage etc…

If the decision to extend is a no-brainer then the decisions which follow certainly aren’t – conservatory or extension? One room or two? Open-plan and minimal verse functional and traditional? Windows, doors, fascias, building materials, plumping, gas, electric, flooring, heating, paint, upholstery…. the list goes on, but have you ever spoken to anyone whose improved their home and can fault the double glazing? I haven’t. It’s simple, adaptable, energy efficient, kind on your purse and the environment, looks good, is easy to clean and best of all you can see through it – if only mortgages were so transparent!

Home Improvements Bring Tricky Decisions

If you’re thinking about investing in a conservatory now that, for most of us anyway, moving home is out of the question, you might be wondering what sort of plants you can grow there.  Even if you are using the conservatory mainly as an extra room in the house, you will still be able to grow plants that wouldn’t survive a British winter.  Here are some ideas:

1. Tropical and subtropical plants, as big as you have room for, along with climbers can be trained onto wires that will eventually cover walls and ceilings.
2. Think about perfume as well as looks, with the door open something like jasmine will scent the whole ground floor of your home.
3. In winter months, when the conservatory has cooled down a little, consider growing spring bulbs such as narcissi and hyacinths. Some hyacinths are wonderfully scented so you’d be killling two birds with one stone.
4. If you have room for just one plant, what about a small peach tree? Grow it in a pot and then, in the summer, you can move it out onto the patio.
5. As the weather cools bring patio plants in and they will continue to flower.

More next time.

Considering that we British are hailed as being a nation of gardeners, its extraordinary that we seem to have forgotten the original reason for building a conservatory - to grow exotic plants.  Nowadays, we tend to buy conservatories to provide an extra room so if you intend to keep plants in your conservatory, you need to let the supplier know.

The first thing that must be considered is ventilation.  Conservatories can get hot; very hot.  The best advice is to have ventilation vents in the apex of your conservatory, however, leaving the connecting door between the conservatory and the house open during the summertime will allow for air circulation.  If you choose to do this, ensure that your conservatory door is securely locked.

The ideal temperature for a plant-conservatory is a winter minimum of between  7C and 10C, so slightly cooler than for a conservatory used as an extra room.

Temperatures in this range will allow you to overwinter summer garden plants, such as pelargonium, and grow flowering winter plants - cyclamen and azalea spring to mind.  A conservatory is far more stylish than a window sill!

Ensure that your conservatory plants receive enough water by checking them daily; if the top soil feels dry, water the plant. And remember that just wetting the surface is not good enough, the soil should be moist right down to the bottom of the pot.

In the spring and summer months, your conservatory plants should be fed weekly, reducing to once or twice a month in the winter months.  Make sure that you use the correct feed too - for instance, citrus trees do best if they are given a specific fruit and citrus food.

As winter comes to an end, check all your plants to see if they need repotting - which is best done in spring or summer.  And if your plants are taking over or are not growing straight - prune them!  The best time to prune is after flowering or in later winter/early spring.

Finally - think about pests.  Winter fungal diseases can be a major problem in cool conservatories but can be kept at bay by using a small dehumidifying unit.

Next time, we’ll take a look at specific conservatory plants and how to get the best out of them.