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Original poster

Conservatories...advise please...............

26 replies

anniebear · 10/03/2006 12:04

we are considering getting a conservatory

Just am really unsure about it

I wanted one across the back of our house, (3 bed average semi)

I just think if we have one and leave the patio door in, it won't get used and at night the curtains will be drawn and we won't even know its there

I would like to remove the patio doors so it is open into the conservatory. Buy DH is worried that our lounge will be too cold in the winter???

we would have a central heating in the conservatory but he says with it all being glass it will still feel cold and that our lounge will then feel cool also??????????

Also our lounge gets so so hot in the summer, the sun hits it. The conservatory man came out and said they put something in the roof to direct away 40% of the heat, but I am sill worried we will be sitting in an oven and our lounge will be even more hot

I'm confused!!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
anniebear · 10/03/2006 13:35

anyone?!!

OP posts:
cod · 10/03/2006 13:38

we too k our whoel wall out so the conserv is off oyur kitchen

we have a south facing back so it very warm but in a snug way but int he winter you can tell its made of glass as on a VERY cold day its cooler

wehave a raiator in it deffo get it heated and plasstered

we have a glass roof wiht heat reduction and self clean and we got blinds for the orof only after a year.

my other tip is get a selfopening and closing roof vent - ours is temp activated and sloses automaticlaly wjen it rains

Nbg · 10/03/2006 13:42

Ours has french doors going in to it and they did have curtains on but we took them off.

It doens't have CH but we do have an electric heater in. Also has a fan but doesn't make much difference in the summer.
In the winter it is freezing but it doesn't help that it's tiled too.
If it's shut off it's not a problem IMO.
In the summer you could easily die in it, it's that hot.

Original poster
anniebear · 10/03/2006 13:51

Oh no!!

not sure what to do lol

OP posts:
Yorkiegirl · 10/03/2006 13:52

our conservatory goes off our lounge and we had the doors taken out as I was also worried it wouldn't get used properly!
We have one electric wall heater in there adn then the CH and a gas fire in the lounge. Even when it has been really cold outside it has been ok in there with the heater on.
Having ours built was the best thign we ever did. Definitely worth it.

Original poster
anniebear · 10/03/2006 13:52

so even if you have the thing in the roof to direct 40% of the heat away, have a whirly fan above and have blinds we will still boil in summer???

and even if we have central heating it will still be cold??

OP posts:
cod · 10/03/2006 13:53

our radiator on it is fixed up tot the hot water sytem
aska plumber

Nbg · 10/03/2006 13:54

I think if you put sensible flooring down and CH it will be fine but deffo get the roof thingy done and the fan for summer.

What will be it's purpose?

cod · 10/03/2006 13:55

she is starting a sex shop

cod · 10/03/2006 13:56

no not cold unless below zero outside and wamr ins ummer but lots of windwos and a roofy thign wil be fine

we also haev two doors to open to get a through draft
imo conservs are best on a rainy day
w e hardly ever use our fan

lars · 10/03/2006 13:56

anniebear asked for their advice. I have glass roof and a vent, rainsfall not so loud then. I have french doorsinto the conservatory, really good as can shut the noise out from the lounge. glad I did gets really cold in the winter, I would recommmend air conditioning if possible and would get a radiator fitted, as you can see by my other thread I have a large electric bill which I think is done to the electric heater. larsxx

Nbg · 10/03/2006 13:57

Well if thats the case don't bother with the CH, roof and fans.

Everyone likes a bit of torture Wink

Original poster
anniebear · 10/03/2006 17:14

Lol at the sex shop

Might spice up DH and my re;ationship though Wink

not really sure of its purpose!

I did want to have the same wooden flooring in that we have downstairs...not sure now! but didn't want carpet as the kids will be in and out of the garden

Thats another thing DH was worried about, the noise of the rain if we had the window/door removed??

OP posts:
cod · 10/03/2006 18:13

if you ghave aglass roof its minima and fab actually
LOvet hs oud of the rain but it sonly if its torrential strom that you notice it

deoffo get the rain shutter thing

mogwai · 11/03/2006 20:13

Anniebear, we wanted to put a conservatory off our dining room when we extended the house, but we couldn't get planning permission for both the extension and conservatory (wouldn't need planning permission usually, but did because of the extension).

I spoke to someone in the planning department at the time, who told me that her brother had the same problem and built onto the back of the house instead. He built a room with an ordinary roof but lots of windows and patio doors.

So that's what we did (it's off the kitchen). We still call it "the conservatory", but it has a tiled roof (and we would have put velux windows in, but had to use lots of steel in the construction so it wouldn't have worked).

We had the house valued afterwards, and the estate agent said we'd done the right thing because a traditional conservatory is classed as a temporary structure (hence no planning permission) and doesn't add nearly the same value to your house.

Everyone who sees the extension comments that it's better than a conservatory, especially as you don't have the problem with temperature. Incidentally, our neighbours had an identical extension but added the traditional conservatory (they DID get planning permission, for various reasons). They are always moaning about the temperature during the summer.

Would that be an option?

Katymac · 11/03/2006 20:18

I agree with Mogwai - have a solid roof

If you have enough windows (accross the width of the garden) and they are south facing you will be fine - it's warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer

I totally wish I'd done this - mine is horrid in the summer (OK in Winter - but I put in underfloor heating)

Original poster
anniebear · 11/03/2006 20:21

Not really thought about something like that

Just don't know what to do. Am worried at the thought of re mortaging, putting up a conservatory, then we will need to knock down outhouses and re arrange the garden (only small as it is)

and then after reading this and hearing what people say, we might not even use it all year round!!!

Have horrible visions of us sitting in our swim wear indoors because of the heat!!!!!!!Grin

OP posts:
Katymac · 11/03/2006 20:31

Anniebear my conservatory gets hot enough for short sleeves and no shoes in February

Original poster
anniebear · 11/03/2006 22:00

so it could be bikini's by March!!! Shock

OP posts:
mogwai · 11/03/2006 22:28

we also demolished an outhouse to build the extension, and remortgaged to pay for it.

Our garden faces east so we get sun in the conservatory during the morning but not the afternoon (ideal). We just got round to buying blinds (woodweave) which prevents the glare.

It's a fab room and everyone now wants to buy my house, which is such a nice feeling after all the building work we put up with during the construction (a whole other thread....)

bettythebuilder · 11/03/2006 22:50

I love my conservatory.
I kept the french windows from the lounge, and they are good for keeping out noise when it is chucking it down.
Don't have a radiator (system was at max number of radiators already) but do have a small heater which does the job nicely. Some days in winter it is closed off and not used, but we use it most days, and I love sitting there on even slightly sunny days in winter, as it's lovely and bright and feels a bit more outdoorsy iyswim.
In summer it's quick to cool down, even tho is almost south facing, as I had max number of opening windows put in, to help get a through breeze. I didn't bother with a ceiling fan as I think they just swish the hot air around!

Original poster
anniebear · 13/03/2006 10:35

Tnaks everyone

Think we might be leaving it!!

I have visions of only using it for so many months of the year and it being a bit of a waste

Thanks for your views they were very helpful

OP posts:
quanglewangle · 13/03/2006 10:59

We are having a conservatory built even as I write. Or it would be if the builders had turned up, the snow cramps their style a bit Wink Our house is very dark and I was desperate to move but nobody else was. Then I worked out how much it would cost to move and decided that money was better spent on a conservatory.

Because of the lie of the land and weird nature of our old house an off the peg conservatory wasn't an option, which would have been the cheapest solution. So to start with I decided to get a quote from a top of the range company, just for the hell of it really. Well, it was no more expensive than the local small conservatory compnay and a much better product (hard wood instead of soft etc.) I guess they are geared up for large scale production, lots of machines etc. rather them hand made.

It is double glazed so will be usable all year. And we have gone for underfloor heating. That was essential really as it is in the shadow of a building and if we could only use it when the sun is on it it just wouldn't be worth the money.

jazal · 14/03/2006 12:41

quanglewangle, what flooring are you using on top of the underfloor heating? the house we are buying have an underfloor heating in the conservatory but it is not working. we are thinking of laying on top of the existing tiles rather than dig it all up to repair it. anyone done this before? not sure what flooring to go on top of that and was wondering about which is the most expensive/cheapest/easiest to clean/etc. etc.

quanglewangle · 14/03/2006 14:13

Jazal, we are having Indian sandstone tiles to go with the sandstone of the house and outside world.

What you should do will depend on the type of under floor heating installed.

The underfloor heating we are having is Speedheat, which is the type normally used in conservatories. It is just under the tiles so is more responsive. In other words, it isn't just starting to get nice and warm when the sun comes out!!

"Unlike under floor heating where the floor slab itself is being heated, with under tile heating the heating wire is installed on top of the screed, directly underneath the tiles, warming mainly the surface of the floor (rather than the concrete underneath!) You will therefore require less power to produce a significant amount of heat. Your floor warms up much faster, about 1.0 to 1.5 hours compared to 10 hours or more for 'under-floor' or 'in-slab' heating."

That's probaly TMI but it may help you deciding what to do if you know what type of heating you have. It may be easier to fix if just under the tiles.