Holmans Farm

Review of David Salisbury Conservatories

Spoilt by some poor Craftsmanship

Spoilt by some poor Craftsmanship

We bought an oak framed orangery some 10 x 5 metres to replace a Victorian style PVC conservatory, so the base was already in place. Our vision for the orangery was well translated into the design and construction commenced on time. We had visited the factory at Highbridge and had read all the literature given to us and on their website.

The frame is essentially made up of 20 oak columns, 14 of which were solid oak and the remaining 6 corner and door columns made from 2 pieces. The columns were supported within oak beams, top and bottom, forming 18 window frames and a French Door. With oak braces and an oak framed lantern the overall look is exactly what we wanted.

However, we were extremely disappointed to find the interior face of the 14 solid oak columns all contained 8 to 10 screw holes that were plugged with wood. Our initial thought was that the oak had been reclaimed as plugged screw holes are the hallmark of second-hand wood. However, David Salisbury confirmed that during manufacture screws are used to secure the oak firmly onto the milling machine and following the milling the screw holes are 'repaired' with wooden plugs. We were also disappointed that some of the 2 piece columns were made from oaks with entirely different hue and grain, resulting in a harsh finished appearance. David Salisbury admitted that the oak is selected solely for structural strength and no attempt is made to blend adjoining oaks.

We are disappointed that the general look of the orangery has been undermined by the poor wood craftsmanship. Wood craftsmen do not deface the wood surface with screws - there are other means of securing wood to the milling machine - and wood craftsmen blend adjoining timbers to soften transitions.

Their highly flattering promotion: "the quality and finish is the envy of the industry"; "never forgetting the heritage of one of the oldest building materials used in construction we erect buildings that are technically perfect"; "finest selected air dried, seasoned oak" convinced us that the product was the best money could buy. David Salisbury's response to our complaint is that the orangery is fit for purpose, a rather less eloquent description than that given in their sales literature.

We received a small discount for our disappointment. However, had we known about these shortcomings in craftsmanship we would not have bought the orangery from David Salisbury.