Is it ever possible to use a conservatory as a room all year round?

[firesidechat]

We have an old conservatory on the back of our house that needs replacing. For most of the 7 years we have lived here we have used it as a laundry drying room in summer and an extra fridge at Christmas. It is a simple one with a dwarf wall, basic wooden double glazed windows, no ceiling vents and no heating.

Our ideal solution is to replace it with an extension which we can use as a dining room. However it would go up to the boundary of our land which has a steep drop down to the lane and a very high retaining wall. The current conservatory is built on top of this wall on one side. It would be potentially very difficult and very expensive to build a permanent structure on/against this wall.

The easiest option is to replace the existing conservatory with an all singing, all dancing one - heat reflecting glass, underfloor heating etc. The companies we have spoken to say that new technology makes it cooler in summer and warmer in winter, but just how cool is cool and how warm is warm. As a statement it doesn't mean much.

The question I have is can a conservatory ever be an all year round room, even if we throw lots of money at it? It is south facing, just to make it even more tricky.

[BlinkingHeck]

Op we had a Conservatory at our old house, we used it as a playroom for the children. it went across the back of the house. We liked it. It was East facing so got the sun from first thing, then shaded over in the afternoon. We had a polycarbonate roof and normal wooden blinds from Dunelm at the windows. It was obviously hot in the summer but bearable with the doors and windows open. We also used it all winter.

We moved and are currently trying to decide whether to go for an extension or a conservatory with glass roof or one with a lightweight tile. I am slightly reluctant to go for a conservatory again, because I know that they aren't energy efficient and I would like it open from the dining room.

What would you like to use your conservatory for?

[firesidechat]

Me? A dining room with an extending table that can be used for when the family visit, but folded away for just the two of us to eat breakfast and a comfy chair or two to sit and enjoy the fields and wildlife.

Sadly I'm one of those people who always sits in the shade and hates being too hot, so a room like a sauna is not going to work.

We won't open up the space from the sitting room to the conservatory/extension because we like the cosiness of the space as it is now. It is a very cottagey house and we love it. A decent dining space would make it almost perfect.

[firesidechat]

Oh yes, the fly graveyard. That sounds familiar.

[Millymollymama]

Ours was supplied by Prime Oak. It had to have planning permission as we are in green belt and AONB . So a major pain! Having an attractive oak framed building helped with the planning angle and we felt we needed a great quality building - easier to sell if we ever do. It enhances the house. I would not buy lesser quality because of the problems so many people have. Two sides of glass is perfect, plus a pretty large glass lantern roof. We have a similar front porch/entrance lobby. I am pretty sure we stuck to the heating requirements because of the high quality glass and underfloor heating. My DH is very particular about insulation.

I had a cheap and nasty conservatory before and I definitely would not have another one. By having a top quality glass sided extension it is possible to love it and use it all year. I never wanted it closed off and therefore we moved the kitchen into it. We actually live in it! Settee, Tv, breakfast table with 4 chairs plus the kitchen. If you have a great garden and views, it is a wonderful treat to be able to see it from a beautiful room. I would not have spent the money we did just for a dining room that may not get used all the time.

[PanannyPanoo]

have a look at the guardian roof system.
Its brilliant. we had an all singing and dancing conservatory 7 years ago. under floor heating, best glass etc freezing in winter, green house in summer. we had it open to the house, just needed to counteract heat loss else where.
total waste of money. We replaced the roof with guardian roof system and use it all year now. You can have the whole thing built from scratch if you like or just replace the roof. We didn't need planning. the planning department were really helpful as were building regs.
its my favourite room. Use it all the time now.

[Cel982]

One of the bloggers I follow built a really nice conservatory last year, no internal doors and continuous flooring so it really looks like part of the house - this post might be worth reading: alicejcollyer.wordpress.com/2017/03/12/how-to-extend-your-home-with-style-for-less-than-you-might-think/

[AgathaF]

At our last house we changed the polycarb conservatory roof we had for a glass one with tinted, heat reflective glass. It made such a difference and we did use it all year round. It was a big conservatory with just one smallish radiator in too. but plenty warm enough in winter. The heat reflective glass worked well in summer too, much better than we had hoped.

[user1492287253]

we have a north facing garden and use ours all year.it has a tree next to it which shades it. we are moving and will have another but will have underfloor heating next time!

[Ellypoo]

I use mine year round but need to get some blinds for the ceiling as it is just plain glass, it's south facing but I have underfloor heating for winter which is fab. Love it!