Interested in adding extra space and natural light to your home? This 5-step guide provides a detailed plan for a DIY conservatory build, covering everything from the initial groundwork to the final framing.
Step 1: Preparation and Groundwork
So this is day one of the DIY budget conservatory build where the plan is to do it all as affordably as possible. It’s a rather large conservatory. As much as possible is sourced affordably. The budget for the entire job is two thousand pounds or two and a half thousand dollars. First things first, that down pipe for the gutter needs to be moved. While it’s being moved, the wooden faces and soffits might be replaced with UPVC and new guttering installed. Okay so that’s the top third of the house looking better all new plastic and all new gutters. It now drains to the right which will be outside the conservatory.
Step 2: Removing Obstacles
The next major obstacle was the back doorstep. After spending an hour breaking this much out by hand, it was decided that a machine was needed.
Step 3: Laying the Foundation
The patio area beneath has about eight tons of concrete, providing a solid base for the new conservatory. It was decided to lower the left wall to match the height of the other two walls, using its bricks to fill in gaps. Repairing the mortar where cracks existed is beneficial, and the support received during this build has been fantastic.
Step 4: Preparing for Framing
Here’s the far end row of bricks ready with the second hand windows behind it ready to go in when the frame’s built. Here are the rubber bricks that will be the front of the conservatory, and here you can get a good idea of the internal size. So it gets the ultra thick 1200 grade membrane damp proof membrane there.
Step 5: Framing and Concreting
This is the first bay right over to the far left finished and moving on to the other side finished, and at this point running out of concrete, so a day must be skipped because of work commitments. More ballast will be acquired and the concrete mixed. This is done by 11am, and now there’s some ballast over so it’s mixed up. A step outside the shed is laid. Another step outside the white shed, and a base over the back for the bike shed which is nine foot long. All that excess is used up. A lot got done. All this got done before it was time to pick the kids up from school, and when the kids did come home from school, they were set to work cleaning up. That’s it for the first bit. Next bit will be the framing.
