What's the crack with conservatories? What am I doing wrong?

[HowFurloughCanYouGo]

All my adult life I've wanted a conservatory, and at the grand old age of nearly 40 I finally have one.

But it's either freezing cold (can't open it when it's cold because it freezes the living room as though we have opened the door to the garden). And in when it's sunny (like right now) it's so hot I feel like I might die in there (but my god my washing dries quickly).

What am I doing wrong?
In the summer it's going to be an oven.

Change the roof. You can get ones that look like tiles in the outside.
Ours is made out of some sun/light deflecting material - it's also in the shade until 1pm. Then it's oven like but has a huge door and lots of windows.
In the winter you need a heater on 'frost' setting ALL the time!

Some friends of ours bought a house with an older style conservatory. They were going to knock it down and build an extension but instead had a cosy roof put on and a log burner fitted.

We had our polycarbonate roof changed for sun reflecting self cleaning glass and it’s been amazing since

So much quieter in the rain too

The most surprising thing about your OP is that you said you’ve always wanted one.

They always put me off prospective houses

We’ve accepted that for a lot of the year they can’t be used, but it’s lovely to sit in when you can. I enjoy rain and storms from inside.

It's currently 45.7 C and it's no where near the stifling heat it usually gets to because we have had the windows and doors open.

We can leave the doors open this much usually because of the toddler.

The most surprising thing about your OP is that you said you’ve always wanted one.

Yes but I clearly didn't know much about them!

😂 nor do I but I know I don’t like them and they are useless much of the year!

I think it’s also because a lot of houses I’ve seen they’ve been stuck on the end of a living room where a window or French doors would have been and therefore make the living room dark.

@HowFurloughCanYouGo

Sorry, probably should’ve said. Ours is brick built up to about waist height and then has anti glare/ heat resistant windows with then like a dark liner under (Or maybe it’s over) the roof panels? If you ring a local conservatory company they’d be able to tell you what it is.

Ours is more like an extension on the bottom half as it’s brick and then a conservatory on the top half. But I think it’s the windows and roof lining that makes the difference. Plus the radiator for the winter.

If you look on BBC I player there's an episode of Your Home Made Perfect where they remodel a conservatory.

OP, I wouldn't lose hop. I would definitely go back to the conservatory company and see what your options are.

The aspect is huge. If yours is south facing then it is getting the full heat all day.

Mine gets it in the afternoon and evening which makes a difference obviously.

I would have the doors open on hot days but I love the heat.

Good luck.

Ours is a Godsend with the lockdown, it means one DD sets herself up working there while the other has the living room and I have the kitchen table (we bought 2 fold down tables high enough to use as desks). In normal times I love nothing better than to sit in there with the door open and bask in the warmth from the sun (or with the door shut doing the same in winter!).

Yes, an extension would be useful but it costs more and it wouldn't be worth the planning and cost for the size of our conservatory (and any larger would take too much garden).