Building regs conservatory

[Travelcrazy]

We are buying a house with a conservatory off the kitchen, built 2021. It has no wall or doors off the main house. I read through the property information today and it states that the seller ( a building company that has done part exchange) intends to put doors on or take out Indemnity Insurance. Please can someone explain this to me because no one mentioned it until I read it. There is also no guarantee with the conservatory either.
Thanks

Building regs will say that there has to be a door between a conservatory and the main dwelling.

https://www.conservatoryoutlet.co.uk/living-spaces/faqs/do-you-have-to-have-a-door-between-conservatory-and-house/

They’re telling you that he will either put some in to comply, or take out a policy so that you aren’t penalised by the planning department for his work.

If it has no separating door and wall from house it's classed as an extension not a conservatory and is subject to different, higher I believe, building standards. So it basically wouldn't pass building regs as it stands and he's trying to fixing it retrospectively or taking out indemnity insurance against building regs objecting to it. Neither of which might be sufficient for building inspectors, who might require you to demolish it.
Be very careful and consult with your solicitor.

@TemporarilyCantDoMyself it is really putting me off to be honest 😒.
Thanks for the replies both

@Travelcrazy we had the same situation and we put doors on, largely because it made the kitchen bloody freezing in winter. It unnerved me too, but it’s not insurmountable.

I’d be more concerned that a four year old conservatory isn’t still under guarantee. 10 years is pretty standard.

Same we bought our house in 2016, no door between kitchen and conservatory. First winter in the house and we had to get a door put in sharpish!

I have asked the EA to speak to them and find out more details I have a feeling that this won't work out well.

Good luck @Travelcrazy.
House buying is so stressful and deciding whether to go for something or not is so hard, especially when there's something like this to consider.
We've been through similar and pulled out and are now about to complete on a better property, you will find something else if you pull out and you may well thank your lucky stars that you changed your mind!

Don’t get a house with a conservatory - they’re either freezing cold or melting hot and they’re not very robust.
This one sounds problematic even before that. Find a better house!

Thanks @TemporarilyCantDoMyself I will wait and see what they say tomorrow but not holding my breath!

@Travelcrazy It really depends on the quality of the conservatory. 15 years ago ours was £70,000 and it’s my kitchen. It has underfloor heating, very expensive glass and is oak framed. It’s rarely too hot or too cold. It has deep foundations and looks terrific. A cheap one probably won’t have decent build quality and I’d probably pull it down and start again.

Ive just started a thread about this subject, didnt see this one

Why would fitting the doors back on not remedy it? Surely thats the whole issue, that there are no external doors?

And do building control inspectors really bother with requiring people to knock down conservatories that dont meet the regs?

@soupyspoon No. they aren’t that bothered! It’s buyer beware with no building regs and it’s a safety issue really. Poorly built conservatories let out heat and are not worth bothering with. I’d pull down awful ones and build something worth having that’s usable.

My issue was that the mortgage lender wouldn’t lend without the doors being (re)installed. We had to confirm that we’d put them on within a certain time. Was that enforceable? Who would know, short of the Halifax popping round?! We did put the doors on though, because it was fucking freezing without them. We pulled it down eventually anyway and put a proper extension on.

Building regs care because it’s an issue for security and for energy efficiency. Not so much ‘it’s going to fall down’ type of building regulations concerns.

There's a world of difference between a cheap conservatory, shallow foundations, plastic roof, cold in winter and hot in summer, and a well constructed conservatory with proper foundations, good quality double or triple glazed roof and quality locking system. Which category does this one fall into?

@SoScarletItWas They won’t visit though. Build a decent conservatory and it’s fine to use as a room. As @AgathaX says, build it well. Ours has 2m foundations for example.

When we bought this house, the conservatory had a 20 year guarantee with Anglian. We used it to replace a couple of blown window panels over the years, and some replacement handles. I wouldn't want a conservatory without a guarantee.

We recently upgraded all the glass with up to date super duper glazed expensive reactive glass. Not too hot or too cold now. Check the glass specs too.

An indemnity is not worth the paper it’s written on. It is only covering you for enforcement action if the council chose to go down that route.

I can tell you the council would not be interested.

So you have 2 choices - just go ahead, but bear it mind it will come up again when you come to sell, or ask the sellers to regularise the extension (which is what it is without separating doors), or thermally separate it from the dwelling with external quality doors.

We have a conservatory and love it. It has a glass roof, thermal glass, full glass walls on 2 sides, high brick wall on one side and obviously the other side is the back of the house. External grade door obviously. We use it all year round I never quite understand why people think you couldnt. We have an oil filled rad in there for the colder weather.

Probably they think that because like @TizerorFizz says, crap conservatories are useless. The one we inherited when we bought the house had two radiators in it, was all glass (apart from the surrounding dwarf wall and the house wall) and I could see my breath in the kitchen in winter!

We didnt pay a lot for ours though and I think they've only got basic foundations, nothing fancy.

It is good seeing this written down. My impression is that most conservatories are much worse than a waste of space while being presented as something that adds value. Even though they so often make the room behind them dark and much too hot in hot weather whether or not there is a separating door, as well as only being too hot or cold most of the year themselves.
I'd always factor in the cost of knocking them down and making good the damage, adding missing doors etc.

I'd say that's more of a proper extension than a conservatory. Sounds great.

@Shinysunday It has 2 full height glass walls and a large glass roof between oak beams. My point is that treating it as an extension is the only way to get a good outcome. Unfortunately it’s not cheap.

This is the one we are considering so if we go ahead I am thinking bifolds or something but its a big space to close!

If you like the house, just tell the vendors to fit proper double or triple glazed doors and panels before exchange.