To compromise an extension for a conservatory?

[StormsAreComing]

We have wanted an extension for 7 years.
I am talking a single storey rear extension measuring 18 feet width (the width of our house) by 6.5 feet depth.
The back of our house is made up of 1 set of patio doors, 1 normal door and 1 window. There is only a 2 foot width of actual brick wall.
I want to take out the patio doors and normal door and the window which will create 16 feet of open space. I will leave the 2 feet of brick wall. So NO WALLS will be knocked down.
All I want is for a rectangular extension to be built on the back of this, extending by 6.5 feet.
It is a ridiculously easy extension.
Literally, take out patio doors, single door and window from back wall of 18 foot wide house, leave the central 2 foot of existing wall, build 2 walls extending out at the side of the rear of the house by 6.5 feet, then put the French doors and window back in to the new rear.
I cannot, literally cannot, fathom how I am getting quotes for over £60,000 for this from over 8 local builders.
I am in the SE but we have a household income that falls in the average range, we are not well off, we do not live in a big house, in fact it is tiny, so we do not fall in to the 'SE everyone is well off' category.
We literally cannot afford to pay this.
So AIBU to reluctantly go for a conservatory instead?
Can modern conservatories be made to look like extensions? How much brick wall can you have? Can I get a solid roof?
There must be some way around this......

No, don’t go for a conservatory. I was quoted £1000 per square foot in the NW a year ago, for an extension, for a basic build.

If you want an extension, you won’t be happy with a conservatory OP. We had a conservatory it really wasn’t used, impossible to use it all year round, too hot in summer, freezing cold in winter. We didn’t need to extra space as it was a large house, the previous owners put it on they had 4 kids and needed the extra room, but sold the house to us, so it obviously didn’t work out for them. We rarely used the conservatory, wouldn’t ever consider getting another.

I have just been quoted 40k to replace the glass part (so no work on foundations or brickwork) of my existing conservatory and add a tiled roof with skylights. I don't think there are any cheap options now.

I would say if you want an extension then a conservatory won't fit the brief. They are nice to have if you have ample space elsewhere, but not a replacement for a solid extension.

Absolutely not, in no way are they comparable.
If you can't afford it you can't afford it, do t throw money at something else that won't fit the bill either.

We have a conservatory and it was too hot in the summer. Too cold in winter. It leaked and was used as a dumping room. A couple of years ago, we left the walls, replaced all the glass and upvc walls and put an insulated tiled roof on. We had the inside walls plastered. It is now a usable room, gets a bit warm when the sun's on it, but not unbearable and with a leccy radiator, warms up quickly in winter. It us a good usable room now and cost about £12k. The brick walls were already in place.

We had a sunroom built for the same reason. Brick walls and less glass so easier to keep warm/cold. It helps we have a north-ish facing garden so the room gets warm in the morning but isn't unpleasant even on really hot days

I've a large conservatory that we use as our dining room. I've had blinds fitted that absorb the heat in Summer and should keep it warmer this winter. We couldn't afford an extension.It's one of my favourite rooms in the house.

We replaced our conservatory roof for a warm roof.

It was 1/4 the cost of extending to do this.

It's more usable and made a big impact given we inherited the conservatory with the house.

BUT

It obviously isn't the same as extending as we still have a lot of glass, dwarf walls, and an external door between the conservatory and property.

I imagine the cost of installing a conservatory with an insulated roof would make it much less attractive than just altering an existing structure. I wouldn't even entertain a conservatory without an insulated roof. It was unusable 6 months of the year before.

I wouldn't have chosen to have a conservatory if I didn't inherit one. Despite being able to improve the space we have.

We had to do very similar 18mths ago. DH has a small property he rents to uni students, but the council changed he rules in term of common space m2, so essentially we had to make the floor space bigger. We ended up with a hybrid conservatory/orangery. I believe an orangery means less glass and more brick. We have 1, solid brick wall, and the others come up about 1m. Above that is glass.

1 thing to note though, is that a conservatory normally has a door left between the house and conservatory. I think we needed planning permission to remove the door. It didn't help that the conservatory company had never done this before, so have no clue about this clause or the legalities around it. It might be only local, but we are also South East also, but certainly check.

We also had a man hole in the garden, which the conservatory was built over. IF you don't have this, it will be much easier. Again- we were ill advised by the conservatory company, who said we only needed a build over agreement. This was not correct or legal, because the whole roads sewerage went through the pipe. IF it had just been from our house, then a build over is fine, but not in our case.

Unfortunately that sounds about the right price for the extention. Save up for it, dont go for a conservatory unless you are absolutely desperate for the additional space right now.

We have an orangery, more brick in the walls and a proper roof but that's same price as an extension and harder to heat.

We currently have a conservatory (a very old fashioned one) and want to knock it down and build a substantial extension at some stage.

Our conservatory is used all the time through the summer though. It has enormous double doors that let a lovely breeze in, and we eat breakfast lunch and dinner in there from about March until September. It's worth noting that for us it's just "an extra room" and not essential for year round use.

One thing I will say is that a lot of these "building modifications" for conservatories don't always fit with building regs and planning etc. conservatories typically don't need planning, to my understand, but some extensions do.

I had a nightmare trying to buy a house a couple of years back that had a lovely conservatory but with a radiator in it. Due to the radiator, it was classed as an "extension done without planning" so the owners had to pay and get retrospective planning. Same with modifying the roof. Also for a conservatory to be compliant it needs "secure doors" like UPVC to enter the rest of the building, you can't just have any old door if that makes sense?

Don't do the conservatory!!!!

Try your utmost to make the extension plan work.

I had a quote 12 months ago almost for exactly the same options

Conservatory £40k
Extension £45k

I'd go with the extension every time

I feel so deflated.
Thank you all for your replies.
7 years ago we were quoted £30,000 for the extension we want. The exact same extension is now being quoted as over £60,000.
How can a 6.5 foot deep VERY BASIC extension cost £60,000? I want to cry.

@StormsAreComing it really is miserable out there. Tremendously expensive to do any major work. Then there's having to allow a contingency also for the "just in case" unforeseen circumstances.

No idea on your living arrangements, but we're making huge compromises here as we can't afford to do anything near what we wanted at the time of purchase. Everything pretty much doubled after COVID 😔

I can empathise OP, costs have gone up so much, materials are horrendously expensive. So I am not surprised at all.

Is there any hope, ever, of prices ever coming down again?
I mean, soooo many people won't be able to afford extensions if a 6.5 foot deep rectangle with a basic flat roof and re-used patio doors and window is costing over £60,000.
All I want to do is create enough space to put a dining table (our tiny, weeny kitchen is at the back of the house).
What is going to happen when people can't afford basic building work such as this?
Or are we going to just exist in this surreal, massively over inflated cost of living?
It's horrific.
£60,000 for 11 Square meters of space!!!

A lot of industry experts are claiming that there's evidence building materials have moved to a permanently higher price 😕 "The BCIS is forecasting build costs will increase by a more manageable 5.1% overall this year and by 10.6% between 2024-2027."

www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2023-06-29-what-is-happening-to-build-and-labour-costs#:~:text=That%2C%20in%20turn%2C%20will%20support,10.6%25%20between%202024%2D2027.

There are factors in addition to material costs that impact build costs too. With wages and cost of living rising (even for those builders) combined with high energy prices, I'm not holding my breath for a drop in building costs.

For all those that can't afford it, many can.

I suspect if and when borrowing becomes cheaper, any tail off in construction and domestic building will pick back up.

There will be structural elements that are expensive take the load once you remove the windows, doors etc. Can you get a modular extension? They can be a less expensive option.

Op - you absolutely need to look at UBuild.org. It’s a kit - ikea style, all you need is a screwdriver.

we were getting quoted 300k plus for an extension but a 3.5 m deep, 9m long 2 storey extension plus insulation using the ubuild system was 37k.

look at their instagram- I absolutely love our final space. It’s my favourite place in our refurbished house.

Wow, now THIS sounds interesting!!!
I read one that modular extensions are not fireproof and that the government know this but are trying to keep it secret. Is this right of am I totally barking up the wrong tree?
Did you build it yourself?
Does it meet building regs?
Can you still get building insurance?
Do you have any pictures you could post or DM me with? I would desperately love to see!

I would add more than 6.5 ft - double it. Seems like a Lot of funds for so little.

@StormsAreComing ill happily DM you pictures. I have no idea about other systems but there is no issue with ubuild on that front - we have building regs sign off and no issues with insurance.

we did, we then needed trades for wiring and plumbing. Plus windows are extra. The other added bonus is that it is super- insulated and keeps the back of the house warm. We used sheep’s wool which is v effective.