Converting conservatory and adding extension so confused where to go to for advice?

[peoplepleaser1]

Our house is a typical 1930s detached building.

We have a sort of conservatory at the rear of the house. I think it is technically a conservatory as the rear wall is mainly glass, and the roof of polycarbonate but the other walls are brick. It was built in the 1990s by a previous owner. I can see from our local planning portal that it was passed by planning and building regs. However when we bought it there was a radiator fitted and the doors had been removed to open it to the rest of the house.

We love the room, it isn't too cold or too hot- probably because it's north facing. The roof has outlived its expected lifetime and now leaks in heavy rain.

So the roof needs replacing and we want to take this opportunity to upgrade the room. At a minimum we want to change the polycarbonate to glass, ideally we would like to replace the windows with bifold doors and maybe open the whole thing up into the kitchen and also extend the kitchen slightly so its rear wall extends to same level as the existing conservatory.

I've read the rules about what constitutes a conservatory, permitted development and planning rules. I am still extremely confused (not least as I'm not clear where the original house rear wall was), and think I need some advice.

I don't know how to get this type of advice. Can anyone suggest how or where to go to get this type of help?

@peoplepleaser1
I could have written your post as we are exactly planning on doing the same thing.
I am no building expert but if you want to replace the conservatory roof with glass or tile you have to ensure the foundations age in place to take the weight.
Often conservatories do not have a solid foundation. If you end up needing to do the foundation you may as well end up replacing the conservatory with a permanent structure.
As you are planning on extending the kitchen to bring it in line you will have to dig foundations for the extension anyway.

My advice would be to get an architect or a structural engineer.
We are getting an architect for initial advice
Replacing just the conservatory will not need planning and only building regulation sign off.
However the kitchen extension will need planning permission and the architect can help with drawing plans and also with planning.

I hope someone else more knowledgeable will come along for some useful tips for both of us :-)

We are doing the same and used a structural engineer. It is permitted development.

Thanks both. I guess I thought using an architect or structural engineer would be a bit OTT for what we need.

I think maybe we will have needed a structural engineer to check out the foundations of the existing structure but hadn't thought of using one behind that.

I imagined both would be extremely expensive.....

Are they able to advise on planning / building regs also?

It's quite hard to even decide how to achieve what we want to do. I'm just know nothing about all this!!