Conservatory Cost in 2026: Lean-To, Victorian, Edwardian and Orangery Prices

The conservatory cost you'll see quoted for a typical uPVC build in 2026 runs from about £9,000 to £15,000. A small lean-to sits at the bottom of that. A Victorian, with its many-sided front, sits near the top, and an orangery with brick pillars costs about twice as much again.

This guide covers new conservatories first, then the cost of a new conservatory roof on the one you already have. The prices come from Checkatrade, Pricing Penguin, MyJobQuote, Expertsure and other UK price guides. They are national figures for a finished job, not a quote for your house.

Conservatory Cost by Style in 2026

Checkatrade prices a 3.5m x 3.5m uPVC conservatory, which is about 12 m². Pricing Penguin prices a 4m x 3m one, the same floor area. That makes the two guides easy to set side by side:

The two guides agree well on the lean-to and the Victorian. They split on the Edwardian. Checkatrade puts it below the Victorian, while Pricing Penguin puts it above. So expect Edwardian quotes to vary more than the others.

A lean-to is the cheapest because it has one simple slope against the house wall. A Victorian has a rounded, many-sided front, which means more frames and more joints. An Edwardian has a square front, so it gives you more usable floor for the money even when it costs a little more.

Pricing Penguin puts the whole market at £8,000 to £30,000+, with a typical mid-range build at about £15,000. MyJobQuote also gives about £15,000, for a full conservatory. Checkatrade's figures for timber frames run higher still, up to an average of £16,750 for a wooden Victorian.

Orangeries and Larger Shapes

An orangery mixes brick and glass. Pricing Penguin describes it as brick pillars with a glass lantern on top. That extra building work is why it costs so much more.

Checkatrade puts a 16 m² orangery at an average of about £32,500. Pricing Penguin gives £26,000–£29,500 (4m x 4m). So for an orangery of that size, the band to test a quote against is £26,000–£32,500.

Bigger plans with more corners climb fast. Pricing Penguin prices a P-shape or T-shape at £21,000–£23,500 (4m x 4m). A 4m x 4m Victorian, by contrast, is £16,000–£17,500, on its figures. The extra cost comes from the extra corners, each of which needs its own frames and its own join to the house.

What Moves the Conservatory Cost

Size and style do most of the work. Five other things move the price once those are fixed.

• The base and walls. A new conservatory needs footings, a concrete slab and usually a low brick wall round the bottom. Pricing Penguin's prices include all of that, plus the electrics and the plastering.
• The glass. Self-cleaning glass and solar-control glass cost more than standard units. On a south-facing plot, solar-control glass stops the room baking in summer.
• The conservatory roof. A glass roof costs more than polycarbonate, and a solid roof costs more than both. Pricing Penguin says a solid roof adds £5,000 or more.
• Frames. uPVC is the cheapest. Timber costs more, as Checkatrade's wooden prices show.
• The finish inside. Flooring and heating are often priced on their own, and so are lights and blinds. Checkatrade puts conservatory blinds at about £2,650 on average.

Size matters in a way that's easy to miss. Expertsure says a larger conservatory costs more in total but less per square metre. So a room twice the size won't cost twice as much.

What a New Conservatory Price Should Include

A finished price for a new conservatory should cover every stage, from digging the footings to plastering the inside. Pricing Penguin lists the parts as the dig, the concrete slab, the dwarf wall brickwork, the uPVC frames, the glass, the electrics and the internal plastering. If a quote leaves any of those out, add them back before you compare it.

Which? says an average-sized conservatory takes about three to four weeks to build, including snagging. Ask each firm for a start date and a rough timeline in writing.

VAT matters too. Ask whether each price includes VAT at the standard rate, so you're comparing like with like. A price without VAT still has 20% to add.

Conservatory Roof Replacement

If the frames and base are sound, a new conservatory roof is the cheapest way to fix a room that's too hot in summer and too cold in winter. The guides agree on the bands for the three main types:

Expertsure runs higher than the rest on every type. It gives £2,000–£6,500 (polycarbonate), £3,300–£9,500 (glass) and £6,100–£15,000 (a solid, tiled conservatory roof). Its average for a 3x3m to 4x4m conservatory is £4,000–£8,000. MyJobQuote's average is about £4,000.

Most firms price by area. Expertsure puts polycarbonate at about £200–£350 per square metre, and MyJobQuote at £175–£350. A small lean-to will sit at the bottom of each band. A large Victorian or a P-shape will sit at the top.

The work itself is quick. Checkatrade says a new conservatory roof takes 1–3 days. Expertsure gives 2–5 days, and Less 3 to 5 working days. Our conservatory roof replacement section covers what the job involves and what to ask before you choose.

Polycarbonate, Glass or Solid: Which Conservatory Roof to Choose

The right conservatory roof depends on how you use the room. A polycarbonate roof is the cheapest, but Expertsure says it tends to discolour after 10–15 years. It also names rain noise as the most common complaint about it.

A glass roof keeps the bright garden-room feel. Self-cleaning glass cuts the upkeep, and solar-control glass helps on a south-facing side. Expertsure says a glass roof lasts 25–30 years.

A solid roof makes the warmest room, and the one you're most likely to use in winter. Expertsure gives it 30–40 years, and the calculator site gives the same span. The trade-off is daylight, which is why most solid conservatory roofs come with downlights and often a few glazed panels.

So for a room you use mainly in spring and summer, a glass roof is usually enough. For a room you want to use all year, the solid roof costs more but does the job better.

Solid Conservatory Roof Extras

A solid conservatory roof turns the room into one you can use all year, but it brings extra costs that a like-for-like swap doesn't.

• Building regulations. Less says approval is needed for any solid conservatory roof, and puts the cost at £300–£700. MyJobQuote gives £200–£400 for the application fees. Ask whether the quote includes it.
• A plastered ceiling. Less prices a plastered ceiling at £800–£1,500, including the paint. MyJobQuote gives £500–£2,000, and says this is often left out of the quote.
• Lights. A solid conservatory roof blocks the daylight, so most people add downlights. Less and Expertsure both put these at £300–£600.
• The frame. If the old frame is rotten or weak, it may need work before a heavier conservatory roof can go on. Less puts this at £500–£2,000.

So the gap between a glass roof and a solid roof is bigger than the headline prices suggest. On a 4m x 4m conservatory, MyJobQuote says a conversion costs an extra £1,500–£3,000.

Refurbish or Rebuild

If the base and frames are sound, refurbishing costs far less than starting again. Checkatrade puts a new conservatory roof plus new windows and doors at £4,000–£8,000. Its figure for a full rebuild is £15,000–£30,000.

Checkatrade also says a well-kept conservatory lasts 20–30 years. If yours is near that age and the frames have warped, a rebuild may be the better spend. If only the conservatory roof leaks or the room is cold, a new solid roof or glass roof fixes the main problem.

Turning the space into a proper extension costs much more. The trade body's guide puts a single-storey extension at £1,000–£2,500 per square metre, and Expertsure at £1,500–£3,000.

Worked Examples Using 2026 Guide Prices

These are sums to test a quote against. They aren't quotes.

Example 1: a uPVC lean-to of about 12 m². Checkatrade gives £9,000–£11,500, and Pricing Penguin £10,500–£12,000. A quote of £10,500–£11,500, then, fits both guides.

Example 2: a uPVC Victorian of about 12 m². Checkatrade gives £12,000–£13,500, and Pricing Penguin £13,000–£14,500. Add solar-control glass and expect the upper end.

Example 3: an orangery of about 16 m². Pricing Penguin gives £26,000–£29,500, and Checkatrade an average of £32,500. Brick pillars and a lantern are what push it above a conservatory.

Example 4: swapping an old polycarbonate roof for a glass roof. The guides agree on £3,000–£5,000. A solid roof instead would cost £5,000–£7,000 on Checkatrade's figures, plus the ceiling and downlights.

How to Compare Conservatory Quotes

Get at least three written quotes, and make sure each covers the same job. Then check each one for:

• the base, from the footings and slab to the dwarf wall
• the frame material and the glass, including any self-cleaning or solar-control units
• the type of conservatory roof, and its finish inside
• electrics and heating, plus flooring, or a clear note that they're extra
• building regulations, and who handles the application
• VAT at the standard rate
• a start date and how long the build will take

For a new conservatory roof, add two more checks. Ask what happens if the frame turns out to be weak. And ask whether the plastered ceiling and lights are in the price. Get each answer in writing, so there's no argument later about what the price covered.

Verdict on Conservatory and Orangery Prices

For a uPVC conservatory of about 12 m² in 2026, plan on £9,000–£15,000. The conservatory cost rises with a Victorian or Edwardian design, with timber frames and with a solid roof. An orangery of about 16 m² sits at £26,000–£32,500.

If you already have a conservatory with a sound base, a new conservatory roof, at £2,000–£7,000, may give you most of what a rebuild would. Check what each quote includes before you compare totals.

Building Regulations and Planning for a Conservatory

A new conservatory is usually exempt from building regulations if it's at ground level and has a floor area that does not exceed 30 m². The exemption also depends on the glazing meeting the safety-glass rules, the conservatory staying separated from the house, and the home's heating not being extended into it. A new structural opening in the house wall needs approval whatever the size. A solid replacement conservatory roof that cuts the glazing a lot can end the exemption, which is why the guides above put building regulations on the list for a solid roof.

Planning is a separate question. Many conservatories on houses fall under permitted development, within limits on depth, height and how close they come to a boundary, but flats and maisonettes have no permitted development rights. Our conservatory planning rules section sets out the limits. This is general information, not advice, so check with the council before you commit.

Conservatory Prices in Birmingham

Every price here is a national guide figure rather than a Birmingham quote. About a quarter of Birmingham's homes were built between the wars, nearly twice the English share (Valuation Office Agency, 2026). If yours is one of them and already has an older conservatory at the back, price a new conservatory roof before you price a rebuild. If your home is on the Calthorpe or Bournville estates, read estate schemes before you order anything: the estate's consent comes first, and a made-to-measure conservatory usually can't be cancelled once it's on order.

For a price on your own conservatory or conservatory roof, call or send the form. A local installer arranges a free survey and a written quote, and there's no obligation to go ahead. Read how to choose an installer before you agree a price. The conservatories page covers styles, conservatory roof choices and orangeries. For the windows and doors around the rest of the house, see double glazing costs and door costs.