To ask your advice re conservatory upgrade

[snapdragongirl]

Our house has a large brick built conservatory, it’s a great space but is so cold in winter and hot in summer, it isn’t a very usable room. It is off our living room and could offer an additional reception space if it weren’t so cold/hot, although it’s questionable how much we’d actually use it as it doesn’t have privacy from the living room (double glass doors) and I suspect we would still mainly use the living room to sit in, watch telly etc.

We are currently looking to replace our windows so asked the company for a quote to upgrade the conservatory as well - all new windows, doors and a proper tiled roof. It would be classed as an extension once done. The quote for the conservatory was over £60k! This seems a huge amount of money to spend on a room we might not actually use that much, just to make it a bit nicer and to match with the new windows.

So I’m thinking of other options, eg could we just put a new roof on? Would this make a significant difference to the temperature? I think most heat is lost through the roof rather than the windows (roof is nasty corrugated plastic type material, windows are double glazed although at least 20-25 years old and probably not the best). Could this be a cheaper but still effective solution?

Much as the upgraded conservatory looks so much better in the pictures we’ve seen, I’m just not sure we can justify spending £60k on what feels like an “extra” room. We plan to stay here a good few years yet, so we would have the benefit of the work and I suspect it would make the house more saleable in the long term, but would it be better to do something cheaper with the roof and save the money for something that we would feel more benefit from (eg new bathrooms)?

Has anyone done a conservatory roof upgrade and felt it was worthwhile?

https://conservatoryroofinsulation.com/

I bought a house with a conservatory and longer term plan is to knock it down. This has made it usable in the meantime and looks great! I was sceptical at first (under £5k) but it really is wonderful. A few friends have used this company too. Keeps the conservatory cool in summer and warm in winter. I also had exposed brick walls which I had plastered which also helps. DM me if you have questions.

Get a few more quotes. The ones we got kept the brickwork and only updated the frame and roof.

Also, we have an air conditioning unit in our conservatory that also does heating in the winter. It was already there when we bought the house, we didn't use the first year as we thought it would cost a fortune. The conservatory was an absolute waste of space!

We actually started using on our second summer and it's actually amazing! It's the perfect playroom for the kids now. It's surprisingly cheap to cool down in the summer. It cost a bit more in the winter to heat up, so we only turn it on for a few hours when then kids want to use the room.

I think conservatory/window companies take the piss. Ask a general builder to quote, maybe in the process adding a bit more brick and reducing the window sizes. Also check if the current brickwork is a double wall, not built with a single layer of bricks, like a garage, as you'd lose a lot of heat through the walls if they're not up to standard.

Travelmore, how big is your conservatory, what does it look like on the outside? How many years ago did you have it done? Assuming it's some type of insulation fitted inside the glass..

Hi, it's 13"2 x 11"6. I had it done in 2021. A friend used the same company last year, his was almost double the size and looks great. It's a really good solution that looks great and doesn't cost a fortune (longer term I'm knocking down to extend so this has made it very usable in the meantime). Looks good from outside too, not much different to how it was before. Insulation under panelling is silver. The company who did it (link in previous post cam send you example pics).

@snapdragongirl

So I’m thinking of other options, eg could we just put a new roof on? Would this make a significant difference to the temperature? I think most heat is lost through the roof rather than the windows (roof is nasty corrugated plastic type material, windows are double glazed although at least 20-25 years old and probably not the best). Could this be a cheaper but still effective solution?

YES! We had one of those old conservatories with the corrugated plastic roof. Same here, too hot in Summer, too cold in Winter. We kept the conservatory (again, brick walls etc) and replaced the glass windows and the plastic roof with glass. We got the best quality glass they could provide - it had a special name which I can't remember, and we had the glass panels coated with something too, which reflected the sun. I think it's all triple glazed or maybe just the roof is triple glazed. Cost was around £10k for the conservatory which is roughly 10 ft by 10 ft. It made a massive difference and now it's a useable room all year round. It's hot in Summer sun, but not unreasonably so and is fine with a few open windows - it's fine in Winter too, even on cold/windy/icy days, it never feels particularly cold in there - all we have is a single relatively small (3 feet long) radiator which seems to keep it warm enough to use.

We'd also got silly quotes for turning it into a proper room with solid roof etc and we're very glad we took the leap of faith simply to update the windows/roof panels with modern thermal efficient glass. Those plastic corrugated panels are neither use nor ornament!!

Thanks Travelmore,ours is 21 x11, I know costs have rocketed since Covid..
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We've always had a glass, blue tinted roof (previous owners did it) and ours is still freezing in winter and too hot in summer (south facing garden).

So I wouldn't bother personally, ours is still just a large garden storage area.

I have a conservatory approx 20-25 years old (it was here when i bought the house)
I had the plastic roof replaced with a solid roof with roof windows and also insulated the floor. Its made a huge difference and its now my favourite room in the house. Mine comes off the kitchen (I still have double glazed doors in between) and i use it as a separate living space.

The work was done by a local builder who I know so he gave me "mates rates" so I wont say price but just saying it's worth renovating what you have rather than replacing entirely.

We did a diy job, so insulated and boarded the roof on the inside. Then insulated and boarded half the glass walls on the inside and then put wooden boards on that half on the outside. It is now my office. I do have a heater for winter but it a very usable room.

You're welcome. Worth messaging them as they quote remotely using measurements and pictures. I checked back on my quote and it was closer to £2k. It really is a great solution and looks good. I'd never heard of it previously (a friends mother recommended it). I was getting quotes closer to £40k for a new roof. This option makes it a usable room without breaking the bank. Really lovely company to deal with too.

DH tried the DIY approach. He bought cellotex blocks and then white plastic. The roof was like an inferno. You couldn't touch the glass. He was worried the glass would shatter,so removed the cellotex.