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Original poster

Conservatory kitchen- is it a thing?

47 replies

dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 08:50

Exactly that. We were thinking of having the back of the house extended (1.5m x 2.9m) to square off the kitchen/diner and have had quotes in excess of £20k!!! That's not doable right now especially as we'd like a loft conversion done at a later date that'd bring us to the ceiling price of the houses on our street but would give us the room we need for a growing family. Would it be worth getting a conservatory fitted at the back of the house instead?

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Princessfluffy · 05/12/2023 09:01

Wouldn't it be cold?

Wolvesart · 05/12/2023 09:07

The main reason people hereabouts have a kitchen type extension with conservatory roof is to make sure it’s not too dark.

Squiblet · 05/12/2023 09:13

Which way would it face? South facing conservatories can get hot and over-bright in summer, apparently.

We've got a glass roof on our kitchen extension, which is north -facing. It rarely gets direct sunshine because it's in the shade of the house, but it does lighten up the kitchen and dining area really nicely. However in winter it loses more heat than an ordinary roof would.

£20k doesn't sound unreasonable for this kind of work.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 05/12/2023 09:21

Have you had a quote for a conservatory ? If you wanted something that was properly built with foundations and a sensible roof which would not be too much of a heat escape route, you might not find it was significantly less. An extra 4.5 square metres would need some extra heating, especially if it has a glass roof and sides, you can see the heat molecules rushing out the door….

I wouldn’t do this as a cheaper option, only if you think there are intrinsic benefits.

Give0fecks · 05/12/2023 09:23

ive just had quotes for a replacement conservatory - so frames and solid roof and 1 door. Using existing foundations and dwarf walls. It’s about £15-18k. So if you’ve been quoted £20k for a proper extension that is infinitely better value.

Nannyfannybanny · 05/12/2023 09:30

We have in our last 3 properties,it was the only way we could afford an extension. The conservatory was already here, it's big 21 x 11 feet. We had it rebuilt,it had a leaking plastic lean to roof,side panels "blown". It has dwarf brick walls,cavity, plenty of insulation in there. 2 rads off the gas CH . It is north facing, but a bungalow,so sun goes over the roof. October to march (clocks) we don't get sun in there. We debated solid roof, went for lantern glass. It gets chilly overnight,in the summer it can reach over 40c. We have dehumidifier and portable air conditioning unit. It's full of plants, our dining table,a couple of comfy chairs,it's used all year. We love it. A normal extension would have been dark. No regrets.

KievLoverTwo · 05/12/2023 09:34

I am not exactly clear what you are talking about because I am half awake, but if you are considering installing a kitchen in a conservatory, before you spend money, look into this further: I have a feeling mortgage companies won't lend on houses with kitchens in conservatories. You don't want to make the house unsellable. But maybe I am wrong. Worth checking.

SingingSands · 05/12/2023 10:36

There's a house on the market currently near me that has this. Full conservatory at the back of the house with a kitchen in. It has a full glass roof so I think it would be freezing in winter and boiling in summer. It looks impressive in the photos though.

We paid £15k this year to replace our 25yr old conservatory with new frames and a solid roof, using the existing footprint and dwarf walls.

user701 · 05/12/2023 10:41

You'll need a thermal break in between the conservatory and the kitchen for building regs reasons (ie a door).

I'd be surprised if a conservatory was much cheaper tbh

FallingAutumnLeaf · 05/12/2023 10:42

Can you put a kitchen against dwarf walls? So the counter top is in the middle of the windows??
And will you have enough wall space to get sufficient cupboards in??
I think I'd keep saving. I can't imaging a conservatory would be significantly cheaper if done with sufficient insulation to make it usable all year round.

User2856948 · 05/12/2023 10:49

Could you keep the kitchen part in the kitchen and have a conservatory for the dining area, separated by French doors, a lot of people do that

Nannyfannybanny · 05/12/2023 11:38

User28 etc, that's what we have done. The planning portal, government site, says you can have a conservatory, with an exterior locking door WITHOUT planning permission,you never used to be allowed to install permanent heating,you can now. We followed the letter of the law. Neighbours built theirs with full height solid brick wall each end, saying they will never move, and no-one knows. On a day like today,grey, cloudy, raining,it's actually quite bright in the conservatory. The one thing I regret is not having a little wood burner in there.

Getthethrowonthesofa · 05/12/2023 11:43

It’s clearly something people do, just google but it looks a bit odd to me. I can understand the rationale though.

Conservatory kitchen- is it a thing?
Original poster
dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:04

Thanks all. This is something along the line of what I'm thinking...

Conservatory kitchen- is it a thing?
OP posts:
Original poster
dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:06

The back of the house is very dark in the afternoon and I want to open the space up but also want to reconfigure the kitchen so we have more living space. I'm terrible at describing the picture I'm seeing in my head. I might need to go and visit a conservatory show room!

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Getthethrowonthesofa · 05/12/2023 12:08

dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:04

Thanks all. This is something along the line of what I'm thinking...

You aren’t going to build that size of conservatory for less than 20 grand and it would need planning.

Original poster
dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:08

We've a small house so not looking for something very grand- just enough for the children to spread out and play without knocking into things. Since the kitchen is used for cooking only, I thought having it out of the way might make sense! If it were in the conservatory, the current kitchen/dining room could be used as an extra living area.

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Sparthan · 05/12/2023 12:10

I rented one of these once. Boiling in the summer - it would get up to 40c some days and it was too hot to even be in there. Freezing in the winter - the glass streamed with condensation and the floor got damp. Wouldn’t do it again!

Original poster
dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:11

This is what the downstairs looks like currently. I hate the back of the house!

Conservatory kitchen- is it a thing?
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Getthethrowonthesofa · 05/12/2023 12:12

dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:08

We've a small house so not looking for something very grand- just enough for the children to spread out and play without knocking into things. Since the kitchen is used for cooking only, I thought having it out of the way might make sense! If it were in the conservatory, the current kitchen/dining room could be used as an extra living area.

But what you posted was a massive organgery type thing, in reality it will look more like my image. You should look for images in terms of the size of your house and what it will look like, not what it looks like if you threw a hundred grand at it.

Original poster
dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:13

Just having this bit squared off is estimated to cost £20K!

Conservatory kitchen- is it a thing?
OP posts:
NotPennysBoat · 05/12/2023 12:22

It will be freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer, believe me! Don't do it!

Getthethrowonthesofa · 05/12/2023 12:24

dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:13

Just having this bit squared off is estimated to cost £20K!

Which is surprisingly cheap.

KievLoverTwo · 05/12/2023 12:34

dottypencilcase · 05/12/2023 12:06

The back of the house is very dark in the afternoon and I want to open the space up but also want to reconfigure the kitchen so we have more living space. I'm terrible at describing the picture I'm seeing in my head. I might need to go and visit a conservatory show room!

Opening up a dark space and adding a conservatory will equal having an open, dark space.

Conservatories make rooms darker. I know that goes against logic but they really seem to.

Nannyfannybanny · 05/12/2023 12:41

Check The Planning Portal,there are rarely instances when you need pp for a conservatory. None of ours have made anywhere else darker. You plan heat/ventilation same as you do for the rest of your house. If you could find a decent recommended builder to do the footings/foundations, you can buy a small conservatory quite cheaply,we put our first one up ourselves (we actually also dug footings, laid the foundations)