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Everything you need to know about Planning Permission and Building Regulations for your bespoke Conservatory
For many, when planning your conservatory, Planning Permission and Building Regulations can be an unwanted concern. By choosing Planet South Lakes this is taken out of your hands so you are free to enjoy the exciting parts of choosing your dream conservatory – such as what style will you have, will the roof be glass or polycarbonate and how will you use your new conservatory or sunroom? Planet South Lakes are extremely knowledgeable about the Planning and Building Regulations process throughout Cumbria including Kendal, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Keswick and Lancaster, Morecambe parts of Lancashire and will take care of the research and the application if required.

What is the difference between Planning Permission and Building Regulations?
Planning Permission and Building Regulations are often confused. Both are the responsibility of the Local Authority and basically, Planning Permission takes into consideration the aesthetic effect of a new building/extension on the surrounding homes and neighbourhood, whilst Building Regulations define how the structure must be constructed in terms of thermal efficiency etc.

Do I need Planning Permission?
Planet South Lakes will take care of this for you, but for your information, here is a summary of the basic facts. In most cases you will not require planning permission for your conservatory under the present legislation, unless you are adding a conservatory to a house that has already been extended. You may also need to check if your house is a ‘new build’ as developers sometimes place restrictions on them.

Will my conservatory need to satisfy Building Regulations?
In general, a domestic conservatory will be exempt under UK building regulations, again, ask Planet South Lakes to check this out for you, they will take care of the process.

You may now be able to build quite a number of conservatories without planning permission that previously would have needed it. The following rules must be followed to remain exempt from them.

• They are built at ground level and are less than 30 square metres in floor area

• At least half of the new wall and three quarters of the roof is either glazed or translucent material.

• The conservatory is separated from the house by external quality door(s).

• Glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the applicable building regulations requirements.

So while permitted development rights now allow for the construction of many conservatories without planning permission items 1 and 2 above may still limit their size and material construction if you want to avoid building regulations. If a conservatory you are building does not meet any of the above four rules then it will have to adhere to building regulations in full.

For further details of Planning Permission for your Conservatory, contact Planet South Lakes on 0800 612 2255 or visit our showroom in Kendal.

Planet South Lakes offer a great range of Stylish PVC Front Doors. Provided in a range of styles, colours and fittings, you can be guaranteed a secure PVC door fitted with security locks, and made from a durable material to face the great British weather.

Features of PVC doors
PVC doors are available in many varieties, ranging from plain white ones to wood grain PVC doors. White PVC doors are the more preferred style over wood grain PVC doors, mainly because of their style and clean appearance. The main quality of PVC doors from Planet South Lakes is that they are built to meet quality standards and to last for a long time. The durable material used sustains the clean look and the stylish look of any PVC front door Even if you provide minimum maintenance to your PVC French doors or Patio doors, they would not fade or decay or require painting again, once out of factory.

Planet South Lakes offers PVC doors which have multi point locks. These locks also have hook bolts to prevent the frame being jammed off. All our stylish PVC doors are made of tough material with double glazing and they pass the quality standards. We use a wide variety of glasses for our PVC doors. All the same, you can also choose PVC doors with out glass fittings.

Another important feature of PVC doors is the hinges, which being the best quality allow the doors to adjust on all sorts of planes. The doors with our hinges need minimum adjustments.

Style and elegance
Select a PVC door as you like from www.PlanetSouthLakes.com – ranging from elegant to ornate. We have fabulous looking doors in a full range of colours. You can select the colour and the glazing option as per your taste and to match the overall style of your house. We have different ranges of the doors to match all budgets and requirements.

French and Patio doors
French and Patio doors have been a popular choice for a long time. The double opening French door is the latest style now available on the market. They are exquisite in style and elegance and add to the comfort when you open both the sides together. Providing access to your outdoor space or just giving the perception that your space is large than it actually is, patio doors are becoming a popular choice in home development.

Dear Jarrod, hope you are well?

I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for all of your help with my recent order.  I am more than happy with the product I have received including the quality of fitting and the excellent customer service you have been able to offer.  I appreciate that I had requested a tight timescale, and that my working commitments had made appointments and surveys difficult to arrange. However, you were still able to commit to my requested fitting date and to honour that commitment in full.

I addition to this, your level of service has been exemplary; you have been available to contact at all times, and have followed up on all of my queries promptly and thoroughly, even in aftercare.

It really has been a pleasure to deal with you, and I will be sure to provide recommendations based on my experience.

Many thanks again.

Very best regards,

Mr & Mrs T Denton

Dear Sir,

We would just like to add our appreciation to the many other letters you must receive from delighted customers.

Right from the outset, we have been delighted with the very high standard of workmanship and quality of our new conservatory, as you promised your team of workmen arrived on time, did exactly what was required and with no disruption whatsoever.

We did look at other conservatory installers, but for quality and value for money Planet South Lakes could not be beaten, we are both so glad that we chose Planet.

Your after sales team do exactly what they say they will do (which makes a pleasant change these days), please thank them enormously.

We would like to say a few things on how to improve your company, but we can’t!  We don’t see how things can be improved, you run an excellent quality company, one which we will highly recommend to all our friends.

Mr & Mrs Riddick, Kendal

Planet Conservatories – Roof options
The roof is an integral part of the conservatory – not a separate component. That’s why Planet South Lakes offer the Complete Conservatory. It’s not a roof system screwed to someone else’s window system, but the two halves are designed to work in harmony. In fact, it’s the only complete conservatory system on the market where the roof matches perfectly with the windows.

One vision
Planet South Lakes doesn’t compromise. Unlike conservatories made in two halves, where the roof comes from a different source to the windows, every part of a Planet South Lakes Complete Conservatory has been designed as a complete room. For example the edge design of all windows, doors, and roofing bars is the same. Conservatories made in two halves don’t have matching edge designs, but with a Planet Complete Conservatory every window, door, roofing bar and ridge detail is designed to match perfectly, from roof to sill. The simplicity and elegance from having one design throughout makes the finished room simply stunning.

One colour
If you buy a suit you expect the jacket to be made from the same fabric as the trousers, it makes sense. You’d probably expect the roof and the windows of a conservatory to be made from the same material too. But many conservatories are made from different components; the roof comes from one company and the windows from another. With Planet’s Complete Conservatory you can choose to have the windows and roof matching perfectly.

A perfect fit everytime
When a conservatory is fastened to the wall of your home the weatherseal is formed using lead flashing trim. This lead flashing detail is cemented into the brickwork, and on all other roof systems is then just laid on top of the conservatory roof. After time this can lead to a stain on the conservatory roof where the water has run off the lead and onto the polycarbonate or uPVC cappings. Every part of a Planet Conservatory has been considered, even down to the detail of where to put the lead flashing. The Planet wall rafter has been designed with a soak tray to tuck the lead seal into. Not only does this protect from the risk of future stains but also gives a perfectly straight lead trim line.

Conventional roof and window systems are simply screwed together, by drilling holes through the top of the windows! Our unique, turnbuckle mechanism means the windows and roof are designed to fit together perfectly, without creating potential leak points. The turnbuckle system is also quicker to install, it simply clicks into place for a perfect fit.

Neater finish
To make your Complete Conservatory watertight a gasket seal is used between the glass and the frames of the windows and the roof. But whether you want a white conservatory or one of the many woodgrain options available, you won’t want to spoil the appearance by thick black gasket lines splaying out around the edge of every window or roof section. Planet South Lakes has the option of specially engineered internal gaskets designed to seal under the frame. This reduces the visible part of the gasket so you get a neater finish around the glass both inside and outside of your Planet Complete Conservatory.

Safe and secure
Glass in windows can be fitted from the inside or the outside. For added security it’s better to have internally glazed windows so the bead holding the glass in place is on the inside. The only way to remove the glass from an internally glazed window is from the inside. Externally glazed windows have the bead on the outside and a burglar could remove the bead and then glazed unit from the outside. All Planet South Lakes windows are designed to be internally glazed giving you extra security.

With a Planet South Lakes Complete Conservatory the roof is internally fixed. The glazing bar has a unique bolt which enables the rafters to be securely bolted from inside the conservatory. Conventional ‘roof-only’ products have to be fixed through the drainage channels of the glazing bar. With a Planet conservatory there is no need to drill through these important drainage channels. Not only are you assured of added security, but extra weatherproofing too!

Aluminium options
A Planet South Lakes Complete Conservatory is available in a variety of woodgrain effect finishes as well as white. If you choose one of the woodgrain finishes your conservatory roof will have aluminium top caps not uPVC. Because darker colours absorb more heat, the woodgrain effect finishes are applied to aluminium rather than uPVC so they can withstand higher temperatures and remain perfect for years to come. Aluminium comes as standard for woodgrain effect top caps, but we also offer a high gloss powder coated aluminium top cap in white as an option.

For details on the Complete Conservatory from Planet South Lakes freephone 0800 612 2255 or visit our fabulous indoor showroom in Kendal – click here for directions

Conservatories are a great way to improve the value of your property and to enhance the best use of your living space. One can easily install them and there is no need to change or move the home. It provides relief from all unnecessary distribution of an old block built system. They are available along with attractive window frames, and in great styles that can compliment your living space.

One can go for stained glass conservatories as they give the modified touch. They are durable, well furnished; double glazed and one can easily get them build according to their choice. They are suitable for all the season as in winters they provide warmth and cool in summers. They give greater ventilation and catchy look to the visitors. In case of bad weather they can be adjusted in such a way that they provide essential ventilation and if you open it in 90 degree then you can enjoy the clear view of outside.

A PVC conservatory is available in other various designs and styles. Some of the general designs are Victorian conservatory, Edwardian conservatory, Mediterranean conservatory and Bespoke conservatories. There is a wide range of styles to chose from to enhance the look of your home.

Mediterranean arrow is also known as sun lounge. They are best option where space is limited. They are best suited where a smallest angle of roof pitch is essential. Victorian arrows are very well known because of their bay front and inclined roof. They are beautiful and attractive and best suited for all types of house styles. Bay front can be of 3 or 5 facets in size.

Edwardian conservatories can be identify easily because of its rectangular foot and pitched top. The four-sided figure form utilises the interior space efficiently. It allows the furniture to fit in corners easily. Dwarf walls give lot of space to shelf to keep different type of stuff. Bespoke arrow offers unlimited styles. A wide range of designs are available in them, such as B-shaped, T-shaped, L-shaped or P-shaped style. They become unique because of their sun burst gable features and twofold French doors.

For any difficulty one can talk to designers, manufacturer and installers online or they can personally visit them. So for the next time you want to enhance the use of space of your living room then trust Conservatories of Planet. As they bring these conservatories as gift of glory and luxury right into your interiors.

If you are interested in more information and updates on conservatories, energy efficient double glazing and PVC conservatory styles freephone 0800 612 2255.

The addition of French doors to your home has numerous benefits in both practical and aesthetic ways. The home improvement market is flooded with stylish French doors that are elegant and open up your home. Not only do French doors provide access to your garden or patio area but they also allow plenty of natural light to flood into your home. Typically, French doors are constructed out of a frame and two full-length panes of glass allowing for maximum light.

There are wide varieties of double pane glass French doors with different styles and finishes available to meet every consumer’s individual tastes. Over recent years, it has become popular to buy custom-made French doors to meet your personal specifications. Custom-built French doors provide you with the opportunity to be creative and design a door of your choice. The most popular material used in the construction of French doors today is PVC. This PVC material is strong and durable and is very easy to keep clean and maintain. Apart from bringing light into a room and making indoor space feel more open French PVC doors are also safe, durable and elegant and can help to give your home a whole new look.

The French doors from Planet South Lakes, a leading installer of French doors in Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal, Lancaster, Morecambe and throughout Cumbria and parts of Lancashire, are superb quality and are made to meet the highest standards. All French doors from Planet have multiple hinges on each single door to ensure that the distribution of weight is even. They also come as standard with hinge protectors to make the doors more secure against anybody trying to gain illegal access to the house. Planet South Lakes specialises in the production of bespoke French doors and their team of experts are available to help guide you through the whole installation from initial design to final fitting.

Planet South Lakes is the ultimate destination for budget conscious people looking for high quality French doors for reasonable prices. We have been providing high quality windows and doors to customers for many years and have developed an exclusive range of PVC products. One of our main attractions is our dedication to security and all our doors are fitted with a special multi locking system to increase the security our customer’s homes. In addition to this, our range has twin crow bar hinge protectors and two anti-lift pins to ensure that the door does not get levered upwards. There is also an eight point high security locking system comprising of four roller cams, two hook locks, a latch, and a deadbolt.

We offer comprehensive guarantees on all our products and provide excellent services to all our UK customers. For more information about our range of French doors, please visit our Showroom in Kendal, Cumbria or freephone 0800 612 2255 today!

Personalising your Planet South Lakes conservatory is a great idea, especially when your aim is to keep the surrounding environment comfortable yet attractive. Today, conservatories are available in different designs and materials such as PVC. Planet South Lakes provides a great range of stylish conservatories, in a wide range of styles to suit your needs.

How to Personalise your conservatory?
There are lots of designs available on the market, and at Planet Conservatories we have something to suit your current home and budget. You can choose the layout and features as per your requirements, choose from the great range of windows and doors, all designed in keeping with your current features. The designs can range from rather basic to extremely elegant and exotic. You are creating an extra room by adding a conservatory, increasing the appeal and possibly the value of your home, so ensure the conservatory you chose is in keeping with your home, and of a high specification.

With a wide range of colours to chose from you can customise your conservatory to fit in nicely with your home, Planet South Lakes can provide you just the right colour that you want. Our colour contrasts are both for the traditional and the modern look, ranging from widely acclaimed white frames to rich and dark wood and golden oak wood.

Some tips…
You can personalise the roof of the conservatory with either manual or automatic roof vents to allow for better air circulation. There are mainly two types of conservatory roofs available in the market – glass and polycarbonate. The glass roof designs offer a striking blend of style and quality that is durable. You can also choose Pilkington Activ self cleaning glass, which is available in tinted coloured finishes for better solar control, looks, comfort and shelter.

On the other hand, the polycarbonate roofs are the traditional option, having been produced for a long time. Most people also prefer double glazed polycarbonate units, which are light in weight, have heat insulation properties.

To personalise the glass of your PVC conservatory, you can give it a final finishing touch in your own style. Planet South Lakes provides you a wide range of double glazed units, available in attractive colours and designs. You can choose bevelled glass for lights, which gives it stylish and elegant look. Coloured glass is also available in a variety of attractive shades to add a border or attractive patterns.

For personalising your conservatory, getting all your requirements in one place is very important. No matter how detailed and particular you are the designers at Planet South Lakes can provide you a conservatory to the look you want.

For more information on Planet Conservatories freephone 0800 612 2255 or click here contact us online.

New permitted development rules introduced by the Government on October 1 mean many homeowners will no longer need to apply for planning permission to extend their homes.

Under these new regulations adding an extension or a conservatory to a home is considered to be permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions outlined on the Planning Portal website. There’s also a nifty interactive house which can be used as a visual guide for people unsure whether they need planning or not.

Housing minister Caroline Flint said she was axing red tape to help families who cannot afford a bigger house or get a mortgage for one.

The changes will increase the maximum size for building projects that do not require planning permission, which can cost up to £1,000 to acquire. Miss Flint predicted the overhaul will remove around 80,000 planning applications – a quarter of the total – from the system, saving £40million.

From now on extensions of up to two storeys can be built without planning permission as long as they extend no more than ten feet from the back of a property.

Loft conversions will also be allowed without planning consent, as long as they extend no more than 8in from the eaves of a property and are no more than 50 cubic metres in size – roughly equivalent to a room 18ft by 12ft.

Large and more intrusive home improvements, such as extensions going back over three metres from the original property line, or loft conversions of more than 50 cubic metres, will still require planning permission and statutory consultation with neighbours. The same applies to extensions of listed homes and those in many conservation areas. Even so, most homes will find it easier to extend from now on.

Before this year’s housing market crash some 11 per cent of owner-occupiers moved house annually. But many are now unable to find a mortgage at an affordable cost or are reluctant to sell when prices are falling. As a result, more people are considering extensions.

Around nine in ten applications are accepted and ministers believe they are wasting the time of councils, which should be concentrating on more difficult decisions and larger projects.

According to Cherry Maslen at the Telegraph:
The news that planning permission won’t be needed for small extensions from October 1 is having a galvanising effect on those hesitating over home improvements because of falling property prices. Added to this, recent forecasts that it could be a few years before the market picks up is encouraging more householders to give up any idea of moving and start improving.

Sainsbury’s Finance are now predicting that a Fifth of UK homeowners are now planning to make structural changes. The findings show that in the 12 months from May this year up to 5.3 million homeowners intend to undertake some sort of major structural work, with 1.3 million saying they are planning on converting their loft or roof and 950,000 planning a rear extension to their property.

Alasdair Dunne, of Strutt & Parker in Market Harborough, says extenders must consider a home’s resale appeal. “Plot size is critical – you must be able to offer a suitable garden,” he says. He warns that a loft extension may make a house disproportionately large for its garden.

“The smart money probably goes on a conservatory.”

After the resounding success of GM Fundraising’s Ride 4 Hope, it’s now time to start publicising the charity bike ride ‘Cycle India 2010 – for Heal Charity‘ organised by Matthew Glover, Managing Director of Conservatory Outlet.

Cycle India 2010 – for Heal Charity.

If you fancy a challenge, and would like to join Matthew, then the main bullet points are:

Charity Bike Ride in India
January 2nd – January 11th 2010
Cycling 200 miles through Karnataka countryside
There’ll be a bit of sightseeing
A great reason to get yourself fit
We’re looking for 50 cyclists from the UK to take part
Cyclists must raise £2500 for Heal
Fundraising goes to helping orphaned and destitute children
You’ll get to meet the children you have helped

The bike ride organised for January 2008 was a real success, and raised over £100,000 which is now being used for developing new projects in India and helping fund the flagship Heal Childrens Village in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.

For more information about Cycle India, please visit: http://www.cycleindia.org
For more information about Heal, please visit: http://www.heal.co.uk