The works
- Fire, storm and water
- Theft of materials
- Inherent defect and design fault
- Vandalism on the building site
Connection to the existing building · glass · foundations
Construction all risks (CAR) insurance for conservatories and extensions
A conservatory is a small works against a large building: the construction cost is modest, but you are cutting a hole in the facade of someone's home.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: CAR-verzekering voor serres en aanbouw.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
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The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out your own premium with the calculator.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
With a conservatory or extension the proportions are skewed. The contract sum is a fraction of the value of the home the structure is built against, while virtually every operation affects that home: the facade is broken through, the foundation is dug alongside it, the roof edge is connected and the existing finishes are opened up.
Two items determine the damage pattern. The first is glass: large panes supplied as bespoke items, which can break during transport and installation and for which a replacement pane has a lead time of weeks. The second is the connecting joint between new and existing, where settlement, leaks and cracking arise and where the argument about the cause begins.
So do not insure your construction cost but the risk. The existing property section should be set at the value of the home you are building against, and not at the price of the conservatory.
What does CAR insurance for conservatories and extensions cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Liability
Damage to property and persons of third parties on and around the works.
- Adjoining premises
- Injury to bystanders
- Cables and pipes
Extensions
What comes into play alongside the works themselves.
- Client's existing property
- Ancillary plant and site huts
- Maintenance period
What is covered
| Situation | Works section | Liability section |
|---|---|---|
| Storm or water damage to the works in progress | Yes | No |
| Theft of materials from the building site | Sometimes | No |
| Damage to an adjoining building | No | Yes |
| Injury to a bystander | No | Yes |
| The client's existing property | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Repair of your own defective work | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The day the facade is opened, the house lies open
Between removing the frontage and making the connection watertight, the home is no longer closed. Rain driven inside onto the parquet, or dust drawn through the whole house, is damage to existing property and not to your works. Plan the opening for a day with a favourable forecast, seal it with a proper temporary partition and photograph that screening before you take out the first brick.
Glass breaks on the way, not only at the site
A three-metre insulating pane is vulnerable on the lorry, on the crane at the drive and in the last metre before the rebate. Check whether transport to the site and temporary storage there are insured, because the works section covers the works on site, not the journey to it. Scratches only noticed after handover are almost always rejected: have the panes signed off on installation.
Differential settlement starts at the foundation
A new extension on its own foundation settles differently from a home that has stood in place for decades. The result is cracking at the connection and the question of whether the foundation was correctly calculated and built. Keep the foundation advice, the soil investigation and the structural calculation in the project file. If those documents are missing, settlement is treated as a workmanship error and that is not an insured event.
A leak caused by detailing is not an insured loss
Water coming in via a badly executed lead flashing or too tight a sealant joint is a defect in your work. You bear the cost of putting that right; only the consequential damage to the existing interior can fall under the cover. The same applies to condensation between the panes, to damage from choosing the wrong type of glass and to resetting a frame that was not fitted square.
Existing property is the most commonly missed section
If you work in or on an existing building, that building is not your works but the property of the client. Damage to it does not fall under section 1 and, on your AVB, falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. The section existing property fills that gap, and with conversions, renovations and installation work that is not an edge case but the core of the risk.
The maintenance period continues after handover
After handover there is often a maintenance period during which you remain liable for defects that arose during construction. Agree that period explicitly and have it stated on the policy. Under the Wet kwaliteitsborging (the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act) this carries more weight: Article 7:758(4) of the Dutch Civil Code places the burden of proof for hidden defects on the contractor.
What does your premium depend on?
- Value of the home you are building against — Decisive for the existing property section, which weighs more heavily here than the contract sum itself.
- Share of glass in the structure — Large bespoke panes are prone to breakage and have a long lead time for replacement.
- Transport and storage on site — Insuring the delivery and the temporary storage of elements is assessed separately.
- Size of the opening — Removing a load-bearing frontage calls for propping and affects the structure of the existing home.
- New foundation work alongside existing — Excavating along an existing foundation brings settlement and subsidence risk.
- Construction period and season — Working in the winter period extends the time the building is open and exposed to frost.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
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Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is a pane broken during installation covered?
Breakage during installation falls under the works section, provided the pane was already on site. If the glass breaks during delivery, that is transport and it is not included as standard. So ask expressly for transport and storage on site to be insured, particularly for bespoke items where a replacement takes weeks.
Cracks are appearing at the connection with the house. Who pays for that?
That depends on the cause. If the foundation was built in accordance with the advice and the calculation and settlement still occurs, damage to the existing part can fall under the existing property section. If the foundation turns out to be too light or wrongly laid, it is a workmanship defect and repairing your own work is at your expense.
Why is the existing property section so important here?
Because virtually all the damage on this work affects the existing house and not the conservatory. That house is not part of your works and on your liability insurance falls under the care, custody and control exclusion. So set the limit at the value of the home; a limit at the level of the construction cost of the conservatory leaves the greater part of the risk uninsured.
Do I have to consider the neighbours too on an extension?
Yes, certainly with terraced houses and where excavation runs along a boundary. Cracking next door is almost always attributed to the building work. Record the state of the adjoining facade in advance with a date and inform the occupants of the work. Damage to their home falls under the liability section, provided you are liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code.
Read more
Similar pages
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About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.