Measuring and setting out the slab is extremely important. It must be square to the house with accurate dimensions to accept the DIY conservatory frames. Once we accept your order and give a delivery date you can set to and start on the ground works.

If you are using a builder or ground works contractor to perform this task then they will probably bring along state of the art measuring tools such as laser levels and theodolites. However you should still peg out the site during the planning stage to give yourself an idea of how big it is going to be and how it relates to your house. All you need is a ball of builder’s cord - not stretchy garden twine - some pegs, a long level and a straight piece of timber at least 10ft long.

Please bear in mind from the start that your Self-build conservatory is designed and built to great precision and will fit together accurately with no on-site sawing or planing required providing that you have built a correctly dimensioned and level base. It is not difficult if you take care; measure at least twice before proceeding further.

Priorities... Before you start work on the slab you need to profile the house wall by assessing how upright and level it is, particularly with older properties where the wall could be falling towards or away from you. If it is falling away then it is a simple matter to pack and seal the gap when the conservatory is offered up. Should it be falling towards you then the slab needs to be bigger to take account of the discrepancy at wall plate level. Knock in masonry nails at the requisite height and test how vertical it is by either using a six-foot level or a plumb line.

To find any obtrusive hard points, as frequently happens in, for example, stone or cob cottages, place a plank at wall plate height to see how true the wall is. Set your base line from these wall reference points and measure out the slab from that as shown on the right.