Is my conservatory quote fair? A UK price-sense check

The hardest thing about a conservatory quote is that the headline can be the kit or the finished room. A £12,000 quote for the frames, the glass, and the roof is one product. A £16,000 quote for the same kit plus the base, the heating, the electrics, the flooring, and the making-good where it meets the house is a different product. Both can be labelled "conservatory" and neither is wrong. They are pricing different jobs.

This guide is a checklist to read a conservatory quote line by line. For the price bands by style, start with the conservatory cost guide. For the general method, see how to compare builder quotes.

Typical price, so you have a benchmark#

In 2026, a lean-to or sunroom is £10,000 to £15,250. A Victorian style is £13,000 to £16,500. An Edwardian is £13,250 to £16,500. A gable-end or orangery starts at £15,000 and runs past £20,000. These bands assume a standard base and glazing. The roof type and groundwork can move the figure significantly within and beyond them.

If your quote sits well outside these bands, that is your first thing to ask about. The answer is often "ours includes the base" or "ours is a solid roof", which is a useful answer.

The kit-vs-finished-room trap#

This is the single biggest source of confusion in conservatory quotes. A conservatory "kit" is the frames, the sealed glass units, the roof, and the handles and seals. A finished conservatory is a room you can use. The gaps, in approximate order of how often they are missing:

• Base and groundwork: the concrete or beam-and-block foundation, drainage, levelling for a sloping site.
• Dwarf wall vs full-height glazing: the brick course up to about 600mm if that is the style. Sometimes priced separately, sometimes swapped silently for full glass.
• Heating: a habitable room needs heat. Either central heating extends in or an electric alternative is named.
• Electrics: sockets, lighting, switches. New circuit if the existing consumer unit is full.
• Flooring: the frame is fitted on the base; the floor finish is a separate trade.
• Making good where the conservatory meets the house: weatherproofing, flashing, internal redecoration.
• Removal of the existing structure if you have an old conservatory or patio to clear.

A quote that does not address those is the kit, not the finished room. The difference is often £3,000 to £6,000 on a £15,000 job.

What a fair conservatory quote should itemise#

A reasonable conservatory quote breaks the price into at least these lines, with a number against each:

• Style and footprint (lean-to, Victorian, Edwardian, gable, orangery; external dimensions).
• Frame system, named: Rehau, Veka, Liniar, Deceuninck for uPVC.
• Glazing spec: 28mm sealed unit, low-E coating, argon-filled, whole-window U-value (1.2 to 1.4 W/m²K is current standard), safety glass to Part Q where required.
• Roof type, named: polycarbonate, glass (and self-cleaning if specified), or solid/tiled. The roof is too big a line to leave at "tbc".
• Base and groundwork: foundation type, dimensions, drainage, preparation for a sloping site.
• Dwarf wall if that is the style, with the brick course specified.
• Heating: central heating extension or a named electric alternative.
• Electrics: socket count, lighting, switches.
• Building Control path if a solid roof or knock-through is in scope.
• Removal and disposal of any existing structure.

A single lump sum that says "conservatory fitted, £14,000" tells you none of these. See how to read a builder's quote for the general format you should expect.

What is typically excluded#

Items that often quietly fall outside the headline price:

• Flooring finish (carpet, tile, vinyl) on top of the base.
• Internal redecoration of the wall where the conservatory meets the house.
• Boiler capacity upgrade if the existing one cannot handle the extra load.
• Patio or garden clearance beyond the immediate footprint.
• Planning application if the property is listed, in a conservation area, or under an Article 4 direction.

For the broader pattern across trades, see hidden costs in builder quotes.

Red flags specific to conservatories#

• Kit headline, finished-room expectation. No base, no heating, no electrics, no flooring on the page. The number is for half the job.
• No roof spec named. The roof is the single biggest cost choice.
• Solid-roof quote silent on Building Regs. Notifiable in most cases.
• Base quoted "separately" without a number. The number arrives after you have signed the conservatory contract.
• "Today only" discount. A genuine quote is valid for at least 14 days.
• Deposit above 25%. Not market practice. Pay by credit card if the value is between £100 and £30,000.
• Vague "energy-efficient glass" with no U-value. A real quote names the spec.

For the general red-flag pattern, see signs of a rogue builder.

Before you sign#

1. Is the style and footprint on the page?
2. Is the roof spec named (polycarbonate, glass, solid)?
3. Is the base in or out, with a number?
4. Is heating included as a central heating extension or named electric alternative?
5. Are the electrics and flooring in or out, in writing?
6. Is the Building Control path addressed if a solid roof is in scope?
7. Is the deposit at 25% or less?
8. Is the total in the typical band for your style?

If three or more of these are unclear, the quote is not ready to be compared against another. Get the missing items in writing before you decide.

The shortcut#

Running this comparison by hand means knowing roof costs, base costs, glazing U-values, and the Building Regs exemption rules. Check the Quote does that part for you: paste or upload your conservatory quote and we check every line against current UK rates, flag the kit-vs-finished-room gaps, and run a Companies House check on the installer. Your first check is free.