Getting A Quotation

Now for the difficult part, getting a quotation. Where do you start? What am I looking for? Please give me a clearer view.

Provided you know what you want to use your conservatory for, and have some vague idea of sizes, then it is time to start approaching companies and getting some prices.

However, first of all I would like to make two points.

1. This section is not about "beating" the sales people at their own games or negotiating. I'll cover that it a bit more detail on our "Getting What You Want" page.

2. As with everything in life it is a good idea to make a few notes on what you really would like your conservatory to do before approaching a supplier. Where possible do try and decide the following: What will I use it for? Do I need to use it all year round, or will occasional use be required? What Material? What style? What location, and finally, what size?

SELECTING A POTENTIAL SUPPLIER

The number of companies you need to approach depends to a great extent on your specific requirements. For instance if you require a highly bespoke hardwood conservatory to blend in with a listed building then you will quickly find that there are fewer companies who will be able to fulfil your requirements. Likewise it is much the same situation if you have a "difficult" site.

However if you are looking for a "basic" PVCu design then you will hardly be able to visit any shopping centre, garden centre or DIY store with out "tripping" over potential suppliers.

As a generalisation I would recommend you obtain a minimum of three quotations for a basic design. (You can now use a Quotation Request Service from within this site) With more complicated designs and in particular for listed buildings you may find the choice of companies is slightly more limited - you may for instance find it more difficult to locate a local company and may have to widen your search geographically.

Starting the search. These suggestions are just a few of the places you can start looking.

1. If it's a simple PVCu or hardwood design then my first port of call would be to ask friends and neighbours for recommendations.

2. Use the QUOTATION REQUEST SERVICE now available from this site. Submit your details here and up to three different suppliers will contact you to provide a price.

3. Local "free newspapers" and press advertising.

3. Yellow Pages.

4. The World Wide Web - enter conservatories or sunrooms into any search engine and see what you find. For more specific results enter "hardwood conservatories" or PVCu conservatories. You could start your search at either our "Find a Supplier - UK" or "Find a Supplier (USA)" page.

5. National newspapers and magazines. Magazines such as "Homes and Gardens" are particularly good, especially if you are looking for the more unique and complicated designs.