Making conservatory more usable

[Lzzyisgod]

Bit like the thread title really!

Our conservatory is quite big (12ft by 12ft) and has been used as a playroom/dumping ground and I've grand plans this year to make it much more into an attractive place to sit!

Had a quote to change the roof into a more energy efficient roof (not cheap but manageable) but currently there's no heating in there. Not sure what the best options might be? Flooring is currently a cheap and cheerful carpet that I'd didn't mind being trashed by playdoh etc

I'd really like it to be a place for the dc (who are now really beyond the age of needing toys ) to sit and watch TV or me with a nice glass of wine haha but usable all year round.

Has anyone done this? What did you do? Looking for inspiration!!!

Hi. My mum had her conservatory roof changed to a flat roof and now it is useable all year round. I think it was not inexpensive but it is so much warmer in winter and not blisteringly hot in summer. She also has put up curtains (she has masses that she has kept for eleventy billion years) but blinds would work to insulate and also reduce glare, sun. Makes it mych more useable now.

I have a similar size conservatory that’s pretty useless for 9 months of the year, would love to sort it out one day. This thread was interesting, kinda diy effort but cheap as chips if you get stuck in yourself.

singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/i-finally-converted-my-conservatory/

Oh thanks for that!!

Ours is in a great position i just really want to be able to reclaim the space 😂

Nice glass roof with the glass that does the magic with heat and cold

A couple of oil filled rads in necessary places. Good woolen underlay under the carpet or rug and nice sofas and lighting.

I had central heating in my conservatory when I built it (so radiators) but maybe those electric underfloor heating?
You could get portable heaters if you don't mind the look.

I was wondering wondering about underfloor heating - I know it's pricey to run but if we are only using it occasionally mayve it wouldn't be quite so much?

The lounge and dining room is one through room and the conservatory comes off back of that. It's a 70s house so a HUGE front window and days like today the sun comes through the front and heats the downstairs, conservatory is now just catching the afternoon sun and it's glorious

Ours faces west so gets lovely and sunny, but to avoid the glare of bright sunlight in summer I made roof and door curtains from plain muslin which I dyed pale blue. They're threaded onto plain curtain wires and are 3x the length so there's lots of gathers. The light still get through but the worst of the heat doesn't

I'd add lots of plants to increase shading, oxygen and general calmness. Pinterest has lots of ideas for creating garden rooms & it can be done relatively easily.

www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/485614772317053439/

Or something like this:

We recently sorted ours out. Already had a sofa in there but it was definitely a bit unloved. We put a thick vinyl floor down with a shaggy rug on top, ikea schottis blinds on the ceiling panels and ringblomma blinds on the windows to stop the sun glare and keep
it cooler in the summer. Also a wall panel heater from curry’s to keep it warm and a tall logik fan in the corner to keep it cool depending on the weather, and a few hanging pots dotted around. Whole lot came in at less than £500 but has made it a lovely usable room.

We’ve had a solid roof put on ours and it’s been a total game changer… it wasn’t cheap though.

We had other building work done soon after the new roof, involving ripping up all of the flooring in the room next to the conservatory, so we got a gch radiator installed in the conservatory at the same time.

Our conservatory is usable all year round now but it may be a bit nippy in winter with no heating. You could buy a bioethanol fire which requires no installation - think they cost around £1 per hr to heat, if you only need heating for a couple of hrs per night throughout winter then it may not be too expensive.

My husband has just insulated the side wall and roof of ours. Cost around £300. I'm going to get a radiator fitted and carpet with underlay. Think that should sort out the cold.

OP. Bite the bullet and pull it down. Get a proper room with modern insulation that’s built properly. A conservatory is not a great idea now and just wastes heat and energy.

@RomeoMcFlourish

We recently sorted ours out. Already had a sofa in there but it was definitely a bit unloved. We put a thick vinyl floor down with a shaggy rug on top, ikea schottis blinds on the ceiling panels and ringblomma blinds on the windows to stop the sun glare and keep it cooler in the summer. Also a wall panel heater from curry’s to keep it warm and a tall logik fan in the corner to keep it cool depending on the weather, and a few hanging pots dotted around. Whole lot came in at less than £500 but has made it a lovely usable room.

Im intrigued by your ceiling blind solution, can you show some pictures as to how you fixed them and how you stop them falling down, if you dont mind, thanks

@TizerorFizz

OP. Bite the bullet and pull it down. Get a proper room with modern insulation that’s built properly. A conservatory is not a great idea now and just wastes heat and energy.

They only waste heat and energy if you don't use them intelligently. You're right that no conservatory should be artificially heated as they're so poorly insulated. I don't attempt to use mine in the winter months - too cold - but at this time of breezy time of year when there's sunshine but a definite chill in the air, it can be glorious to sit out there, - and in fact I leave the door open between it and the house - and the heat that builds in the conservatory flows though into the house which is also appreciated. In high summer, it can be too hot to use on very sunny days but I shut the door between it and the kitchen to keep the heat out the house and allow it to ventilate to the outdoors.... it's a great place for drying clothes undercover and means I never use my tumble dryer. Then it comes into its own on summer evenings.

I have a properly built “orangery” and it’s my kitchen. 2m foundations and under floor heating. I never see the point of having space that you can only use for part of thd year. It’s a waste of space. I use mine intelligently. Every day!

It’s funny there was a thread on asking about conservatories the other day where a few conservatory owners hotly denied the issues I warned of with light and heat.

In London at least there was a fad for conservatories and over time people have replaced them with orangeries or brick extensions with bifold doors and roof lights.

Personally, if you have the cash I’d put a solid roof on it with a roof lights and build a couple of solid walls.

What's the difference between an orangery and a conservatory?

Conservatory extension typically has 3 sides of glass with low brick walls and a glass roof.

Orangery extensions typically have two solid brick walls, one wall with french windows/bifold doors, flat roof with roof lantern. (Obviously they come in different shapes and sizes).

@TatianaBis
Yes. That describes our orangery kitchen.

I would be very careful about adding walks, a roof and roof lights on a structure that’s possibly built on a concrete raft. You have to consider how this will join the existing house and foundations will be necessary. It should never be considered easy to replace a conservatory without the necessary regulations being met. It’s also throwing good money after bad!

My husband originally did the same as in the link above - insulated then white cladding. That was really effective, cool in summer & warm in winter but a lot of work at the time.

We then had our roof re-done and paid extra to get it extended over the conservatory & replaced the end wall with bifolds, so it is now part of the house.

It already had radiators plumbed into the central heating when we bought the house, but if you can’t do that how about an electric radiator? We have one by Millheat in my office (so I can heat just one room when I’m working from home) and it is great.

I wasn’t suggesting OP stick a roof on the existing structure, if that’s what it sounded like! I meant stick a roof on an extension with 2 solid walls - for that you need to rebuild. It’s expensive hence my comment. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.

From the description above, ours was more like an orangery (brick sides with windows at top) but with a rubbish leaky plastic roof.

We use our daily as a home office (for me), playroom (for 10 year old) and 2nd living space (for anyone who wants to chill!)

We have a tiled floor with large shaggy rug, sofa (actually a sofa bed but never used as bed), decent telly with a Sky Q box, toy storage, my desk, few lamps, large chilly plant/tree, couple of cats and a litter box. Heated by a fake wood burner and portable heater if needed

North facing, plastic roof, half brick walls

Thanks everyone

Ours is 3 sided with French doors opening into the garden. Brick walls to mid thigh height which were dug into foundations (I remember because they found some preciously past owners deceased pets!!)

The roof isn't glass, think it's some kind of composite plastic type which was supposed to be top notch when it was built 12 years ago but increasingly sounds like a caravan roof when it rains 😂😂

There's a local specialist company who convert conservatory rooves to more efficient ones who've come recommended. When we built it one of rhe reasons we were reluctant to have solid brick walls was the worry it would make the dining room quite dark as it's now a "middle" room and doesn't have any windows