There is much more to the contemporary conservatory extension than is commonly thought.
Conservatories have bloomed in recent years to rival their flashier and expensive cousins, the single-storey extensions. Advances in design and technology mean that more adventurous spaces are possible with any of the contemporary features people look for in extensions, such as wide expanses of glass and bi-fold doors. Yet the relative simplicity of construction, lower cost and less likelihood to need planning permission together mean it’s a good time to look again at the possibilities.
‘We have a garden that we don’t use much and my wife has always wanted a conservatory,‘ says Mike Mooney whose house was recently transformed by SEH BAC. ‘We looked at an extension, with a lot of glass, quite open, but it would have been cheaper to move house,”‘he says.
‘The conservatory gave us exactly what we wanted at a more realistic price.‘
It’s a common enough thing to find your ideal comes in at too high a price, but it’s a good time to valuate what it is you really want from the improvement project you’re planning. SEH BAC makes that process somewhat easier through its showrooms, where you can explore room sets that are identical to actual builds of both extensions and conservatories.
‘When we went to the showroom we saw the glass, the structures and how they’re built now has completely changed,’ says Mike. ‘I never knew about the different roof systems and how you stop the UV light coming through. And it totally changed my perspective—it turned out that the conservatory gave us exactly what we wanted at a more realistic price.‘
There was more to the project than the extended space on the back of the house, as the Mooney’s wanted to make more of the kitchen. Plans for the kitchen were a constraint on the budget but the conservatory design options they chose meant both could be achieved
‘We discovered we could afford to do the kitchen and get the garden done at the same time. Neighbours have come in and had a look and and literally gone, wow! It is a complete transformation. And we absolutely love it. We’re having our meals outside now, in the good weather. It has completely changed our house and our lives for the better.‘
Mike and his wife were equally delighted with the way the project progressed.
‘It just went so straightforwardly. It also happened a lot quicker than I thought it was going to.’ SEH BAC works to a typical build time of four weeks on site, and project management updates are available through a ‘dashboard’, so everyone knows what’s happening all the time.
‘After the survey, which showed us exactly what the project was going to look like, a project manager came round. He gave us a list of every date that things would be started, who would be there. I was astonished by how good the builders were,’ says Mike, ‘always coming when they said, doing what was expected, not making a mess, never loud or intrusive. The neighbours couldn’t believe it.’
‘The people who built the conservatory and laid the foundations and did the wall did some other work for us. We needed a door bricked up to enable us to complete the kitchen project and we were being let down by builders again and again. And in the end, we got them to do it, because they’re reliable, and they did a good job. They even did the garden afterwards for us as well.’
The transformation of their home is complete and the Mooneys find they have got all the benefits they hoped for without the worry of raiding their savings.
‘In the evening, instead of just sitting and watching TV, we’ve got a dining room back. And in the morning, I get a coffee and then sit in the conservatory. It’s made me more relaxed. Sitting here and just looking out at the garden and how it’s changed. It’s given me a pride back in the house as well, which I haven’t had for many years.’
*Trust Pilot Rating correct at time of Publishing, June 2025
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