Conservatory Base - what are the options

Conservatory bases and foundation techniques have evolved into many solutions over the years usually invented as a way of saving money on the construction and installation process. However, conservatory bases and foundations can be split into two distinct groups - Those that work and those that do not and have failed. It is as simple as that.

As conservatories are exempt from the prying eye of the Building Inspector, this has lead to all manner of new ideas, techniques for installing a conservatory base. The traditional way would have been to install a ground bearing concrete floor slab. Many failed due to poor workmanship or being made up on high levels of fill way beyond what the Building regulations would have accepted for a properly built house extension.

Conservatory installers were reluctant to use a suspended floor base for the conservatory due to the added costs but they soon realised that if they wanted to be in a sustainable business they had to reduce the number of complaints on failures which were normally foundations an bases.

Therefore new suspended floor bases for conservatory designs are now available that use all sorts of materials from the more traditional concrete block and beam to galvanised steel coated metal joists. Timber joists are also used but mainly by local conservatory installers rather than the national operators.

Your conservatory supplier / installer can still use a ground bearing concrete floors as a base for the conservatory for when the ground conditions are suitable and many sill do in preference to any of the newer metal systems. Suspended bases will add extra loadings onto the conservatory footings and foundations but provided these have been engineered and sized correctly there should be no problem of the conservatory foundations or footings taking the extra weight of the conservatory base or floor.