Conservatory cost calculator
A conservatory costs £5,000 to £10,000 for Lean-to / small; £10,000 to £20,000 for Victorian / Edwardian and £20,000 to £35,000 for Orangery / large. Set the options below to price your own, adjusted for where you live.
Work out what a conservatory costs. Pick the style, tick a solid roof if you want a room usable all year, and this calculator gives you a price range for your region. Our own guide prices rather than quotes.
Conservatory cost calculator
Set it up to match your job. Everything updates as you change it, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Built from the same figures as our conservatory guide: £5,000 to £10,000 for a lean-to or small conservatory, £10,000 to £20,000 for a Victorian or Edwardian style and £20,000 to £35,000 for an orangery or large build, with a solid or tiled roof instead of glass adding £5,000 to £9,000. Regional figures use the same multipliers as every other page here. What sits outside these figures: groundwork on a sloping or made-up site, moving a drain or manhole that happens to be where the conservatory goes, heating the new space, and the flooring inside it. A solid roof usually needs building regulations approval because it makes the room permanent, which is roughly another £400 to £800.
Conservatory cost by region
| Style and size | UK average | London | North / Scotland / Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean-to / small | £5,000 to £10,000 | £6,500 to £13,000 | £4,600 to £9,200 |
| Victorian / Edwardian | £10,000 to £20,000 | £13,000 to £26,000 | £9,200 to £18,500 |
| Orangery / large | £20,000 to £35,000 | £26,000 to £45,500 | £18,500 to £32,000 |
Guide prices for conservatory, before any extras. UK guide prices reviewed June 2026, not quotes. Set the calculator above to your own job to add the extras.
The question to settle before the style
Most disappointment with conservatories is not about the build, it is about the roof. A glass or polycarbonate roof makes a room that is too hot in July and too cold in January, which is why so many conservatories end up as storage rather than living space.
So decide first whether you want a garden room you use in spring and autumn, or a genuine extra room you use every day. The first is a conservatory as normally built. The second needs a solid insulated roof from the outset, at £5,000 to £9,000 more, and it is far cheaper to do then than to replace a glass roof five years later.
Lean-to, Victorian, orangery
A lean-to is the simplest and cheapest shape at £5,000 to £10,000: a single slope off the back wall, no complicated roof geometry, and the most floor area per pound. Victorian and Edwardian styles at £10,000 to £20,000 add a faceted or square-fronted shape and a more involved roof, which is where much of the extra cost sits.
An orangery at £20,000 to £35,000 is a different animal: brick piers, a flat perimeter roof with a glazed lantern, and something closer to an extension in feel and in build quality. If you are at the top of the conservatory range, it is worth pricing a small extension alongside it, because the numbers get close and an extension is unambiguously part of the house.
Planning, building regulations and the exemption you can lose
A conservatory is normally exempt from building regulations if it is under 30 square metres, at ground level, separated from the house by external-quality doors, and has its own heating controls. That exemption is why a conservatory is cheaper and quicker than an extension.
Fit a solid roof, or knock through and remove the doors, and you have generally lost the exemption: the room becomes part of the house and needs approval, insulation to current standards, and sign-off. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to have the conversation before the order rather than after.
Common questions
How much does a conservatory cost in the UK?
About £5,000 to £10,000 for a lean-to or small conservatory, £10,000 to £20,000 for a Victorian or Edwardian style and £20,000 to £35,000 for an orangery or large build, with £14,000 the typical figure. A solid or tiled roof instead of glass adds £5,000 to £9,000. London runs about 30% above the UK average and the North, Scotland and Wales about 8% below.
Is a conservatory or an extension better value?
A conservatory is cheaper per square metre and quicker, because it is normally exempt from building regulations. An extension costs more, around £2,000 to £3,000 per square metre, but it is fully part of the house, usable all year without qualification, and generally adds more to the value. If you are pricing an orangery at the top of the conservatory range, get an extension quote alongside it, because the two figures often end up closer than people expect.
Should I get a solid roof or a glass roof?
If you want a room you use every day, a solid insulated roof, and specify it from the start. Glass and polycarbonate roofs are why conservatories get too hot in summer and too cold in winter. A solid roof adds £5,000 to £9,000 and usually needs building regulations approval, another £400 to £800, because it makes the room permanent. Replacing a glass roof later costs considerably more than choosing correctly at the outset.
Do I need planning permission for a conservatory?
Usually not. Most conservatories fall under permitted development within the size and height limits, and they are normally exempt from building regulations too if they are under 30 square metres, at ground level, separated from the house by external-quality doors, and independently heated. Conservation areas, listed buildings and larger builds are the exceptions, and fitting a solid roof or removing the separating doors generally brings building regulations back into play.
How long does a conservatory take to build?
Around two to four weeks on site for a straightforward lean-to or Victorian style, longer for an orangery with brickwork. The base and groundwork take the first week, the frame and glazing go up quickly after that. Add several weeks beforehand for survey, manufacture and any drain diversion, so from order to finished room is typically two to three months.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing. These are independent Costwise guide prices, reviewed June 2026, not quotes and not a survey of real quotes. A real price depends on access, condition and what the job actually involves, so use this to sanity-check what you are told and always get three written quotes.