Extension without heating worrying me

[PicaK]

The house I'm buying has a single storey extension on the back (8.5ftx17ft).
Just realised it has no heating.
It is open to the galley kitchen which has a small radiator. But it has 12ft of glass patio doors and two skylights.
They say it's warm enough cos it's South facing but I'm convinced it will be cold in the winter.
Does anyone have experience of this.

My kitchen used to only have electric underfloor heating which was too expensive to run and it was freezing (3 external walls). I've just had it redone with under cupboard kickboard heaters on the Central heating - am looking forward to a warmer winter as it was miserable for the 'heart of the home'

Glass and no heating sounds v cold!

as well as being freezing in winter, a south facing room with 12ft glass and skylights is going to bake all summer. Realistically it will only be bearable for 4-6 months of the year

It really does, doesn't it? It does have 3 external walls too.

It will be absolutely freezing in winter.
is it possible to put extra radiators in?
has it got enough insulation? You don’t want to have to wreck a beautiful kitchen and decor for more kingspan.

I'm downsizing after divorce. I've got kids with SEN. I wanted to avoid any work. This house was all done out and shiny and finished. Pretty much turn key.

I'm not an expert but a friend of mine did this with her house - it was a conservatory style single story extension and could be built without planning permission (under permitted development I think) as long as it didn't have heating (no idea why) so if it's the same thing I wonder if there would be implications if you did put heating in (again I'm not sure and of course it could only be a problem if someone reported it) but its probably worth raising with your solicitor if you go ahead with the purchase

My granddad has a single storey rear extension with no central heating. He has one of those electric plug in heaters on the wall for winter and it's absolutely fine.

We had electronic radiators fitted in our loft conversion to save getting central heating pipework run up there, that might be an option?

Electric not electronic. I didn't mean to sound like a Grandma.
"These new fangled electronics"

have a look on the local council website to look for the building regulations and planning permission.

do you think it was built as a conservatory, or shed, or something?

if you go back, or have detailed photos, look at the thickness of the walls (you can see the edges at opening for doors and windows.

Are they 13" or more?

if it has a pitched roof you might be able to improve its insulation, if there is a hatch, but if it is flat, very diificult an expensive (unless shedulaed as part of the periodic reroofs when it leaks)

I'm not suggesting this is the issue with your property but there was a "trend" a few years back to keep the door between the existing house and the extension long enough for the Building Inspector sign off, and then remove it. The old door could well still be in a garage/shed somewhere.

Are you able to check if a door could be reinstated?

I'm not suggesting this is the issue with your property but there was a "trend" a few years back to keep the door between the existing house and the extension long enough for the Building Inspector sign off, and then remove it. The old door could well still be in a garage/shed somewhere.

Are you able to check if a door could be reinstated?

We have a single story with windows all along one wall and 3 windows in roof. It does have a radiator but it freezing in winter. It's ok in summer though, ie no warmer than any other place in the house today.

We got a plug in oil heater from amazing, about £60 I think and it works perfectly to warm the room up.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Don’t worry about heating because nobody will have any on this winter as it will cost £50 per day to turn it on 🙂

Make that £100 for a room with 12ft of glass patio doors!

Also a PP is right about it getting very hot in summer being all glass and south facing.