Dear Mumsnetters... Advice Needed: 2m conservatory across the width of the house

[BestTimes]

Hi there,

We are thinking of adding some space at the back of the house with a 2m x 7m conservatory (dimensions include the walls so lesser internal space).
This already sounds to be very narrow but we want this as an extra space only (for bits like drying laundry/ storing kids bikes on one end
and a small activity table for family board games on the other end of it). This might cost upto £15k or more.
Did anyone do this kind of a thing?
Do you think its worth? would it be any useful at all?
and does it add any value to the property?

Are you planning on using it all year round?

This sounds like a horrible idea!

You’re going to take away all the light from the existing back room and replace with a tiny thin bit of conservatory that you’re going to use for storing kids bikes and assorted items?!

What about a shed/garden room instead

It seems on one hand a lot to spend for essentially a bike shed if you can only use it a few months of a year, but if you're planning to use it all year, I imagine it'll cost a lot more than that. Is it south facing?

Why a conservatory and not an extension? Personally I'm not a fan of conservatories. They are never the right temperature and end up as a dumping ground.

A conservatory would put me off. The temperature control is a nightmare, they look scruffy very quickly, and what you're describing feels like it would just turn into a messy dumping ground lurking outside every time I went into the garden, depressing me a bit. It sounds very expensive for what you're planning.

We were quoted 19k for a fully insulated garden room 7m x 3m last year. Prices may have gone up but equally there are cheaper options.

Strongly agree with some pp, the light will be blocked. We moved into a house with a conservatory and when we took it down, the back room was so much lighter! You would think a structure that's mostly glass wouldn't make such a difference but it did!

2m wide will be very tight.
It probably will add value to your house as most EA adds that to floor plan and square footage, buyers on the other hand may feel differently. More and more people are knocking them down and to add an extension these days.

Thanks so much for all the replies.
It looks like a straight No-no

@Okki yes hoping to use it all year round.

@YellowFish12
Badly need some utility area(preferably accessible directly from the kitchen) to save other rooms getting dumped with clothes!

Proper extension would cost even more so considering this one.
Few conservatory companies we had quotes from assured they can be used all year round and this price range £10-15k is inclusive of blinds/ flooring/ radiator etc.

@mothergooseinnorthwest
Exactly! Never thought a glass structure would make so much difference really.
Ours is facing North so yes already darker rooms and hence the plan is to get roof windows for the back rooms so the light will be balanced.

If its a proper extension, we could open up the back rooms (kitchen and current living room), make it a bigger space to also include a good dining area.
However, it could go upto ~25k atleast + more roof windows for the extended part and all adding up to £10k more.
Hence looking for cheaper options

It sounds like it would become a junk room, which would look awful from the outside!

@FictionalCharacter
haha yes almost imagining it already
but I might try and dump a corner ONLY if at all we really get it done.
I really need to see where I can fit this bloody drying laundry stuff

Crikey don't get a conservatory. I literally hate ours. We moved in and it was already there. It's 6 X 3 so similar dimensions along the back of the house. We're currently getting plans to convert it by adding a proper roof and then knocking through. From November to April the door remains firmly closed and it is unusuable. I have begun to resent it more and more each year as it taunts me with its unusable space!

We currently have something very similar, and agree with so many of the points raised. It is a briliant drying room, kit room for lots of wet outdoor gear etc but it is also a messy dumping ground and very shabby from the outcide. The uPVC has not aged well and it's hard to keep clean. If it goes the full length of the house, as well as the light issue it also suffocates it, as none of the existing external doors/windows will open directly outside anymore. It becomes one big radiator/icecube dependent on the season, affecting the whole ground floor. Please don't do it, save for a proper extension or garden room. We have had it for 6 years since we bought this house, have always planned to demolish and replace with an extension and it has taken this long to save up. Work starts next month and I cannot wait.

Another one saying don't go for it - we have a full width conservatory (put in by a previous owner). It's south facing, and a very effective green house. We do use it for storage and laundry, but as others have said, it makes a big difference to the light levels in the living room despite having a glass roof. Ours is made of wood and brick (no uPVC) so it at least looks OK, but I presume that costs more.

Save up and do a proper extension when you can afford it. We moved into a house with a conservatory, knocked it down last year and replaced with a proper extension, best thing we ever did (opened up the back to creat a huge kitchen/diner/living area and added a utility room too). Took us 7 years to be able to do it though!

Could you do a small lean to extension for laundry then a shed for storage? Much cheaper and more helpful. The conservatory idea sounds a bit pants (sorry) - the recent Sarah Beeny renovate don’t relocate had a similar one they knocked down.

@Normandy144
@bettybyebye
@ScoopyDoo
@bathorshower
@Magstermay

omg thanks ever so much!! you lot are so helpful. we were close to going for it and I'm glad I posted it here before. Might just wait and get a proper extension done. however long it takes!

@Magstermay
that sounds like a good idea too!
and thanks for the pointer!
I'll try and watch the episode for more inspiration

It will devalue your house.

@goingtotown thanks! I always thought the other way round.
I suppose it depends on the quality of the materials used to build it but the costs will go up in that case

Shed for bikes. We put a folding airer on top of the bath in winter for washing, and a retractable washing line in garden for summer. There are 5 of us most of whom do lots of sport and it's fine.
A conservatory for washing and bikes will look awful from inside and out