This is the first part of a three part series of articles on finding the right company to provide and/or install your dream conservatory.

So you want a Conservatory for your home and you live in or around Oxford. Do you want it installed or do you want to install it yourself? Doing a DIY job is not to the taste of everyone but it can save you thousands of pounds. Even if you do want to construct the conservatory yourself you still want a good

conservatory company to deliver the materials which precisely meet your specifications.

Do you want a conservatory with UPVC frames or wooden frames (which are a lot more expensive)? You want a good product and a reliable company. It’s a big investment and you want your conservatory to last for years. Whatever the work you want done there are many things to consider when making this important decision.

How to Hire a Conservatory provider/installer.

Get some ideas on the type of conservatory you want. There are lots of different styles of conservatory – Victorian, Edwardian, Lean To, Gable Front, P Shape, B Shape or T Shape. Look on Google for ‘Oxford Conservatories’ and have a look at the websites of some of the leading companies. Some of the conservatory companies have very good websites and you can get a lot of factual information about styles of conservatories which will prompt you with ideas

about what you want.

You can also learn whether you are likely to need planning permission for your conservatory. Under regulations which came into force on 1st October 2008 adding a conservatory to your home is considered to be a permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to certain limits and conditions. This is one of the key things to check with any conservatory company.

So now you take the following steps.

Ask Around

The best place to start asking about Conservatory companies is your family, friends and work colleagues. Friends, neighbours, and work colleagues will know of the company’s work first hand, or will know the quality of work the company did for someone they know. Other good sources of referrals include building contractors and your local DIY shops. When asking for referrals, be sure to check the type of job the company was called in to accomplish. Was it full installation or was it supplying Conservatory materials for a DIY job? Also, determine if the company specializes in residential or commercial work.

Once you have found somebody you trust with a recommendation for a conservatory company ask the following questions.

Were you happy with the quality provided by the conservatory company?

Everybody has their own ideas of quality, so you should take a look at the referee's house and judge for yourself. Ask how long ago the job was done. Pay attention as best you can to areas where the conservatory is connected to the house as these are the most likely areas where problems could start to arise. Have there been any leaks in the roof of the conservatory? What signs of wear and tear are there?.

Did the conservatory company complete the job in the time specified when the estimate was given, and was the disruption during the job at an acceptable level?

Erecting a conservatory with the creation of the conservatory base, the connection of the conservatory to the house and the fitting of a connecting door and so on can be a big disruption to you and your family. While delays can exceptionally occur if the weather is really bad the job should normally have been completed on schedule. If not, why not? Good quality conservatory companies are very skilled at getting the job done even if there is rain and they should be able to complete the job in the time scheduled and keep everything in the house dry. Was the company’s construction team careful not to cause any damage while doing the job? Were they efficient in removing rubbish from the job from your property? Were all the construction team there when they were supposed to be there, or were they distracted by other jobs? Was everything cleaned up when the job was completed and the construction team had gone?.

The key question: Would you use them again?

Once you have got a shortlist have a look at the websites of the companies concerned. Although not all companies have websites some of them have extremely detailed websites which provide a great deal of information about conservatories and the company.

Part 2 of this series will look at the key questions you need to ask the conservatory company and the information you need.