making conservatory usable all year round

[angstridden2]

We’ve just bought a house with a small conservatory.It seems to be waterproof but is absolutely roasting in this hot weather and I assume it will be equally unusable when it gets cold. Any suggestions on how to make it work as an extra space all year round? It has a polycarbonate roof at present but we’re willing to spend a bit to make it earn it’s keep!

You can get proper roof

It's not just the roof that's the issue though. Is it half wall or full height glass?

35/40 cm brick walls rest glass.

It will be tricky. We had one with that kind of roof and it was basically a glorified green house in winter. Great for lemon trees and general storage. We considered a new roof but was advised the added weight of the roof will mean deeper foundation. We used a nice rug to keep the floor warmer and a heater in the winter till we knocked it down to have a proper extension built.

Knock it down and build an extension rather than pay money for having a 'proper' roof put on it. Conservatories are nice for about two days a year then either freezing or boiling.

Knock it down and build an extension

You're assuming the OP can afford to do that?

Yes that's a conservatory....not much use and not worth spending money on even if you can afford to demolish it build a proper sun room which is insulated and usable all year

We didn’t want to spend the 35k to rebuild ours. So instead paid £10k for a solid roof

Our conservatory was a nightmare... only useable for about 4 months of the year, otherwise it was too hot or two cold and eventually it just became the cat's bedroom.

We knocked it down and put a small extension with lantern lights, french doors and big windows. It's been brilliant and we can use it all year round which is a blessing as DH and I are now both working from home mostly

We had one growing up where it was boiling in the summer (thermometer exploded it was that hot) and freezing in the winter.

We had one out on the back of our house in 2019 with a solid roof, dwarf wall and then rest windows and we have used it everyday since - there were two days last year when for a couple of hours we couldn't use it as it got very hot, but apart from that best thing we've done.

Internal roof insulation and plastered ceiling with a big rug on the floor. Best think we did (last summer). Have used it constantly since in all weathers, was about £1500 and is now a permamnt second living room.

We paid for one of those ceilings inside. They insulate it and with cover with upvc cladding or we got it plastered. So much cheeper and whilst we still need some heating in the winter I now use it as my wfh space but in the summer it's no where near as hot. I'd recommend it.

It has a polycarbonate roof at present but we’re willing to spend a bit to make it earn it’s keep!
Get a glass roof, instead of polycarbonate.
Gets rid of the too hot / too cold. It reflects external heat (summer) but retains internal heat (winter). It is not noisy, you cannot hear rain. It is self-cleaning.

@TeanupFlutter

Internal roof insulation and plastered ceiling with a big rug on the floor. Best think we did (last summer). Have used it constantly since in all weathers, was about £1500 and is now a permamnt second living room.

Agree with this, my husband did this for my sister as her conservatory was freezing.

It didn't cost £1,500, it was quite a bit cheaper. Google conservatory roof insulation. It is special lightweight stuff and you kind of staple it to batons on the ceiling, then plasterboard it and then get it plastered. I think it was a couple of hundred for the insulation, then £100 for the plasterer.

My sister uses the room all year round now - it's nice and cool in summer and it retains heat well in the winter.

We are just about to have a solid lightweight roof on ours. We are paying around 8k but that is also to replace all the glass as it is in poor condition.

@senua

It has a polycarbonate roof at present but we’re willing to spend a bit to make it earn it’s keep! Get a glass roof, instead of polycarbonate. Gets rid of the too hot / too cold. It reflects external heat (summer) but retains internal heat (winter). It is not noisy, you cannot hear rain. It is self-cleaning.

You can get various types of glass which reduce the problem of solar heating, though it is expensive. A lot depends on which way a conservatory faces- i.e., north is less of a problem for heat. Our last house we had a North-facing one built, we had that glass, but we still had opening roof lights, which kept it cool in the summer. We put in electric underfloor heating, and we could use it all year round.

We had a solid lightweight roof put on ours last September and the difference has been phenomenal. It used to get so hot that we couldn’t open the internal doors at all when it was sunny as it overheated the sitting room. Now we have everything opened up and it is a really useable space, and with a radiator minimal can use it in winter too.

It cost between 7 and 8k but we also had it changed from Edwardian style to a gable end with vaulted ceiling. Love it now!

@senua

It has a polycarbonate roof at present but we’re willing to spend a bit to make it earn it’s keep! Get a glass roof, instead of polycarbonate. Gets rid of the too hot / too cold. It reflects external heat (summer) but retains internal heat (winter). It is not noisy, you cannot hear rain. It is self-cleaning.

Fully agree with that. We did the same and now have a conservatory we use just like any other room. A glass roof gives you the best of both worlds - stops it getting too hot/too cold, stops the noise of rain AND gives you a bright/airy room.

Yup. Knock it down and build a proper extension.

In case OP can't afford to do a new roof or knock down and extend:

We improved our (30 year old, wholly uPVC) south west facing conservatory to be usable slightly more throughout the year, for not much money. We could afford to do more, but we don't expect to be in the house for long enough for it to be worth it to us that was until the market went crazy.

We added insulation and plasterboard on the uPVC panels and then plastered and painted (not an issue for you with the brick)
We got a new very thick vinyl laid so the floor doesn't feel freezing in winter (it was tiles laid in concrete before)
We put an electric heater in there and that makes the room usable in winter when it is switched on for a couple of hours in the morning (we only do this at weekends as we are not around in the week)

It is now the playroom.

There is nothing you can do cheaply re cooling it in summer. On the worst days we close the doors to it, draw the curtains and don't use it.