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Original poster

Conservatory or nothing?

48 replies

slithytove · 09/04/2017 21:58

I'm really torn
I like the look of it, it's affordable - but will it be unusable most of the year? The sales team have assured me that the triple glazing and insulated roof will make it useable year round with maybe some minimal use of an electric heater - but of course they are going to say that!

We also haven't yet looked at the cost of decent blinds.

Would love some tips, advice, stories of when it has or hasn't worked!

OP posts:

heffalumpshavewrinkles · 10/04/2017 08:15

What is your budget and what direction does the garden face? I agree with the pp who said the solid roof will make the room behind it much much darker. We have a glass roof conservatory with UFH and I love it. Meant to be a playroom, but in the (rare) moments I can have a drink on my own I often choose to sit there rather than the living room now! It has never been too cold but is definitely too bright to use in the afternoon in summer (I don't want blinds). However on those days we are outside anyway! I think a lot of conservatory haters (I used to be one, HATED the old conservatory we inherited, would never have replaced it until I saw how amazing my parents one turned out to be) have either only experienced older polycarbonate ones which are like leaking greenhouses or need to use the room for a proper living space all day to watch TV etc. But for a dining room that you can heat up as you need it or eat outside instead it will be fine!

StripyBlanket · 10/04/2017 08:37

I went round our local conservatory showroom a few weeks ago when it was sunny. All the ones with glass roofs were stifling. The one with a tiled roof was much cooler and very pleasant. Not that that helps! My in laws have one and they use it as a dining room - it's a useful extra bit of space

Original poster

slithytove · 10/04/2017 10:45

It is 3.5x3 - bigger than our dining room
And it's costs 13k
The garden is north west

We chose to put the doors there to a) not create a draft with the internal doors and b) so we had 2 full walls meeting

I really don't know what to do!!

OP posts:

tam23 · 10/04/2017 11:10

If you do a conservatory properly, it can be a lovely addition to your house. You need to think about heat/light. We have blue tinted insulating glass and wet underfloor heating run off the main boiler, but on a separately controlled system. We have a lovely light room which is usable all year round - also the heating is cheap to run as it's essentially just like an extra radiator run off your system. I prefer mine to an extension as an extension would have made the house too dark.

Miniwookie · 10/04/2017 11:52

I really wouldn't have a solid roof. You're going to make the room behind unpleasantly dark. I am a bit of a conservatory hater too though.

MiaowTheCat · 10/04/2017 12:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

johnd2 · 10/04/2017 14:07

Also you're not supposed to extend your heating system to a conservatory, and you are supposed to keep the doors, as if it doesn't have proper insulation that radiator will take a lot more heat from the system so the boiler will run on a higher power all the time. However I get the impression it's not enforced and it probably wouldn't double your bill or anything assuming you don't have a house that's otherwise fully insulated and modern.

Skyllo30 · 10/04/2017 14:13

That's not a conservatory (glass roof), it's a "sun room" (solid roof). My DFather sells windows and my parents have a bigger version of what you've posted and it's no different from a normal room. The glass roof is where you run into temperature control problems.

Original poster

slithytove · 10/04/2017 14:46

Ok, so. Sun room. That sounds promising!
But will it make my dining room stupidly dark as pp have said
Worried about that now!

OP posts:

GameOldBirdz · 10/04/2017 14:48

I have conservatories with a passion. They're dated and ugly.

I had one on my rental property and it was unusable for about 98% of the year. It became a junk room.

I would never, ever, ever buy a house with a conservatory.

mando12345 · 10/04/2017 14:50

Yes it will make your dining room dark. We have one with the house when we bought it and I wouldn't have one again.

Kiroro · 10/04/2017 15:01

Is a dark dining room an issue? I don't mind a dark dining room since they are usually used for eating dinner (in the dark) anyway.

For £13k you are basically getting a whole extra usable room (which it will be with a solid roof and a heater in there.

I'd go for it if you need the extra room.

Original poster

slithytove · 10/04/2017 15:46

The sun room would be for dining, the existing room will then open to our living room and be used for kids toys. So I suppose artificial lighting won't be a huge issue. Do the windows in the sun room not help to let light in? The doors leading out of the existing room will be changed to a triple bi fold to maintain as much light coming in as possible.

OP posts:

Whenisitbedtime · 10/04/2017 15:50

Whatever you do don't use Anglian

BrucesTooth · 10/04/2017 15:53

We love ours, but it's more of a glass-roofed room as it infills the side-return and so has a full height wall on one side and 6ft wall the other, with a glass roof and doors at the either end. We shut the doors to the house at night time and then turn on the heater for 5 mins in the morning to warm it up before opening the doors, works fine. Was a playroom and is now dining room.

heffalumpshavewrinkles · 10/04/2017 15:53

Ultra frame do solid roof conservatories with sky lights. May be best of all worlds for you?

Original poster

slithytove · 10/04/2017 16:07

It's solarking, has anyone had experience of them?

OP posts:

MiaowTheCat · 10/04/2017 16:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

scissormister · 10/04/2017 20:30

"if you think of a conservatory as a cheap house extension you'll be disappointed. If you think of it as an expensive garden extension, you'll be delighted."

This. But, i think having a proper roof as yours does would make a difference. It then becomes more of a room, just with lots of windows (a garden Room?) .Add curtains and that would help too. Maybe?

Ripperofknitting · 10/04/2017 20:41

We have a sun room directly off from our kitchen. Yes, the kitchen is a bit darker but definitely still usable without additional lighting on brighter days.

We have 2 velux windows installed in our sun room roof though - could these be fitted if you are concerned about natural light?

We love our sun room - brilliant place for socialising or retiring to on a lovely sunny evening.

goingtotown · 10/04/2017 20:59

Another conservatory hater here. We had ours removed & replaced with a proper extension. They're difficult to keep the roof clean & impossible to clean the windows & maintain the guttering above.

Blankscreen · 10/04/2017 22:29

Yes to.comply with building regulations you should have external doors between the house amd the conservatory andseparate heating.

I think a conservatory is fine as an extra room but if you need the space i wouldn't waste.your money.

NennyNooNoo · 10/04/2017 22:53

I think they're also called garden rooms with the solid roof. I think it would be well worth it.

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