Here at the Conservatory Craftsmen headquarters we love to spend time going through and answering all of your questions from Houzz, ConservatoryCraftsmen.com and our Facebook and Twitter pages. We know choosing the right builder for your dream space can be a difficult decision and we want to help in any way we can to help make it a good experience.
So, we have decided to do a mini series of blogs over the next couple of weeks, with some of our most frequently asked questions. We hope this will help in answering some of your questions.
Q. Are the sunrooms storm proof and how do you get air ventilation in them? I live in Oklahoma City and it gets very hot and we have lots of wind and hail. 
A. Over a dozen of our projects just went through Hurricane Sandy without a scratch or leak. On one project the new windows on the house blew in, the 40-foot tall conservatory took the brunt of 100 mph winds and stood tall and firm.
Safety-treated glass on the roof will not break from hail.
See more on glass options for your conservatory here.
Mechanical designing, as part of our service, will show you how to move air through the conservatory and overcome those hot days in OKC. Adding automation to your room will enable you to control the heating and cooling system to make sure temps are adequate for your room any time or any day. From your laptop or I-Pad, you can see the current temperature of the room and set it to any desired temperature. If temps in the room go too high or too low, hi-lo temp sensors can be installed to warn you of the condition.
A soffit is part of a heat convection system that gathers the warm air as it rises to the highest point and, then, evacuates it.
Q. The garden beds are so cool! How did you build them? How much did they cost, and how long did it take for you to build them? Did Conservatory Craftsmen do them or did you hire somebody? Where did you get the product? Thank you!
A. These raised beds are constructed with 4×4 posts at corners and mid spans. The posts and midspans are on the inside of the beds and the outer 2×6 boards are carriage bolted to them. They were all custom built by the landscape contractor on the project. Depending on where you live, you could build yours from redwood, cedar or pressure-treated wood (make sure you put a barrier between pressure treated wood and the soil). The cost will vary depending upon the choice of wood and availability. Don’t forget to put wire mesh on the bottom to protect from gophers (if you have them in your area)!
Q. How much would it cost to build a conservatory on our 100-year-old stone house in CT?
A. “What does a conservatory cost?” is easily our most frequently asked question, and quite fairly so. However, the question is not easy to answer. Each conservatory is totally custom; no two are the same. One should expect to pay about the same range as a luxury car for a conservatory. Some cars are more basic, others more elaborate. When designing a conservatory, we try to start with the basics and then provide you with the options (again, like the luxury car!).
100-year-old stone homes in CT are very exciting for us! We will help guide each and every inquiry we receive down the path to a new conservatory for your home. We are budget conscious. Though others may feel that a conservatory needs to be a very expensive addition, we do not. We feel that at some level, everyone should be able to afford the luxury of adding more light and pleasure to their home.