The first thing you will definitely need to ask yourself is ‘What will I use my conservatory for?’ Conservatories can be expensive, so there’s no point investing in one if you’re not going to use it very often. Also consider what will happen winter time, as it may be too cold to use it as a day to day room. While you might simply want to use your conservatory as a relaxation room, you may prefer to use it as something more practical, such as an office, dining area or television room.

While most conservatory builds don’t require planning permission, it’s best to check whether you do in advance, just in case. For instance, you’re likely to require planning permission if your conservatory will cover more than half the area of land around your house, or if the conservatory roof will be higher than the highest point of your property. What’s more, you must obtain planning permission before building on areas such as a veranda, raised platform or balcony.