You're bright spangly new conservatory is finished and the builder is looking at you as you heap (hopefully) praise upon them about what a wondeful job they've done. But wait a second. Before you sign that document and possibly cheque to say your happy with the job have a closer look at the finish on the job. Are you really pleased with it. Is it up to scratch? Are there any snags with it?
The following is a list of potential issues you may find with your conservatory along with some advice in how to spot them.
Does it generally look neat and tidy. Anybody who is really good at their job should be proud of the work they produce live by the addage 'if a job is worth doing it's worth doing well'. Maybe I'm too old fashioned?Has all the rubbish and building material been removed.Are the seals around the windows clean without smears of adhesive sealant. This is a sign that the mastic hasn't been applied correctly and perhaps by someone rushing the job. Also look for consistent size bead of sealant with no gaps.Are there any significant scratches on the windows, doors or roof panes of glass or polycarbonate?If you are having any glass fitted to block out some UV do any of them look different from the rest. It may be that the unit has been installed the wrong way round.If the UV or heat protection has been applied as a film or spray coating does it look neat (if visible) and if its a film is it smoothly applied to the glass without ripples or tears?Do the doors and windows undo and close easily. Do you feel like you have to pull the door upwards to close it?Are all the windows and doors level with each other and the rest of the conservatory?Has the correct safety glass been fitted? You can tell by the positioning of a British standard kitemark in the corner of each pane. If they haven't seriously question whether it is safety glass. If a window is less than 800mmm above the ground or glass in doors up to 1500mm above the floor then they probably need safety glassIn the corners of the windows frames you will probably see faint diagonal lines which are part of the manufacturing process. Are they faint or have large cracks started to appear. This is a sign of a badly manufactured window frame and should never have been installed.Are the trims, the plastic joins between sections of the conservatory securely fixed in place? Ours fell out all the way round the side and the kids hid them round the garden...Do the double glazed units have any mist in-between the frames? If so it may be sign that the seal that keeps the inert gas or air inside has failed.Does the lead work the waterproofs the join between the house and the conservatory look tidy. It should extend at least 150mm over the conservatory from the house wall and be neatly staggered up the side of the house along the slope of the conservatory roof.Is the guttering continuous around the conservatory without gaps or badly misaligned joints. Does it look like its been forced into position at any point? This is a sign of someone installing it wrongly and then not being bothered to correct the mistake.Where is the water drainoff from the conservatory going to go to? It shouldn't just go on to the floor. At the very least it will go to a soak-away which should be at least 5m away from the conservatory. If its like ours it will be a sink hole visible in the lawn!Do you feel happy with the job? Any nagging doubts or questions, this is the last chance you may get to have someone quickly address themConservatory Snagging: Fault finding your new conservatory
