Wooden conservatories; DIY?

[Four Cofffee]

A few years ago now I got a quote from Amdega to put a 3.1m x 3.1m conservatory in the gap between my kitchen and an outbuiling. No base work, no electrics, just an outside door and glass side panel and a glass roof, no fancy lanterns or electric: £15K. I see Vale's National Trust branded conservatories start at £25K.

I had a joiner here earlier this year who specialises in making bespoke windows for older properties. He seemed to think he could make the conservatory by hand. I thought I could thn get a local builder (or conservatory company?) to fit it. It requires the removal of the existing pitched roof and skylight, which runs over the adjoining kitchen so the joint between the new glass and old roof would neee to be made.

Is it something I should be doing or will it be destined to end in tears?

Pitfalls appreciated.

[TonyHetherington]

My brother, my dad and I built a conservatory at the back of our parent's house at the beginning of summer. It's not a wooden one - it's the typical UPVC one, but the cost all in was ridiculously good (£4.5k I seem to reacll) and it took us just one full weekend to build. Came in kit form with ok(ish) instructions, but we managed to build it fine! We even put a video camera in the corner of the garden and put it on intermittent record, so somewhere is the video of us doing it

If you want the details of the company, I'll ask my dad and get back to you

Here's a before and after;

[Four Cofffee]

Looks good but I don't think this will be in prefab form, it may need the joiner to build on site from sections he has made.

[freecar]

Four Cofffee said:

Looks good but I don't think this will be in prefab form, it may need the joiner to build on site from sections he has made.

I expect it will, he'll probably make it out of a number of sections, numbered and assembled, then he strips it and ships it. I've seen that before on bespoke projects, they build it in the workshop, sort all problems then ship it off for general contractors to assemble again.

[m3jappa]

Sounds like a sensible enough idea to me and if he is a decent joiner then it could look really nice, although i would have a dwarf brick wall just to break it all up a bit.

[Four Cofffee]

My main concern is the join to the existing roof with the new, and the guttering which runs across the front of the new and the old (getting them to look right) I guess it is just about decent flashing at the joint and runing new gutter right across the pair. Would any general builder do the install?