Buying house - what do we need to ask about conservatory?

lelole

Hi,

We are looking at lots of different houses, and many of them have conservatories, and we don't know much about them.

As it's summer at the moment - well sort of (!) - we don't want to find ourselves with a damp cold room which is draining heat out of the house once we get to winter...

We like the idea of the extra space, so would really appreciate advice on what to look for, what to ask, what to avoid...

For instance are we right in assuming a part brick conservatory which has an archway but no dividing door from the kitchen would lose a lot of heat and should be avoided?

Thanks in advance!

Leah

Fire_Fox

Yes: what does the HIP say about the energy efficiency of the house?

tek-monkey

At what point do you get the HIP? When you put in an offer?

GavB79

If the house is on the market a HIP should be in place, and you should be able to request a copy from the vendor's Estate Agent.

lelole

Hi

The energy efficiency is on the back of the particulars - it says D.

This is a relatively new house - less than 15 years old...

Thanks

Leah

Fire_Fox

Ouch for a new build. The HIP should provide recommendations for how to improve the energy performance - ask the estate agent - is the loft insulated and the cavity walls filled already? Is the conservatory double glazed? How would you feel about the house if you had to block off that archway? Can you afford large winter fuel bills?

ognum

lelole wrote: »

Hi,

We are looking at lots of different houses, and many of them have conservatories, and we don't know much about them.

As it's summer at the moment - well sort of (!) - we don't want to find ourselves with a damp cold room which is draining heat out of the house once we get to winter...

We like the idea of the extra space, so would really appreciate advice on what to look for, what to ask, what to avoid...

For instance are we right in assuming a part brick conservatory which has an archway but no dividing door from the kitchen would lose a lot of heat and should be avoided?

Thanks in advance!

Leah

These are the key issues I would ask.

Is it double glazed/
How cold does it get in winter
How hot in summer
How is it ventilated
How is it heated
What direction does it face
Has it got special K glass for heat retention/reflection
Canit be cleaned externally easily
Does it have blinds
How secure is it
What is it made of, if it needs regular painting it will be costly

I have had a conservatory tht was triple glazed and well heated but in the winter it was never cosy, not my choice but hope these few questions help

SuzieSue

ognum wrote: »

These are the key issues I would ask.

Is it double glazed/
How cold does it get in winter
How hot in summer
How is it ventilated
How is it heated
What direction does it face
Has it got special K glass for heat retention/reflection
Canit be cleaned externally easily
Does it have blinds
How secure is it
What is it made of, if it needs regular painting it will be costly

I have had a conservatory tht was triple glazed and well heated but in the winter it was never cosy, not my choice but hope these few questions help

This is a very comprehensive list, so not much I can add except that I had a conservatory built 2 years ago. It is great between late Feb and Oct when the sun is shining - mine only needs a few minutes sun to heat up and stays warm for hours. But I don't use it Nov to Jan because it would need heating up. The direction it faces is important - mine is east facing and so heats up in the morning and stays warm most of the day. A north facing conservatory will not get any direct sun, so it will say cool most of the summer. A south facing one will get the sun all day so will be unbearable in the summer. A west facing one will get the sun in the afternoon so may become too hot then. Also, there should be a door between the main house and the conservatory - if there isn't then you will need to put one in unless you want to burn money.

Debt_Free_Chick

lelole wrote: »

For instance are we right in assuming a part brick conservatory which has an archway but no dividing door from the kitchen would lose a lot of heat and should be avoided?

Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

If the house and conservatory are well insulated and double-glazed, then the lack of dividing door might make little difference.

The energy efficiency certificate is pointless, IMHO - it's an "overall" rating for the whole property and you can draw no conclusions about the conservatory and the particular points you are concerned about from that certficate.

lelole

Hi thanks for this, this is just the kind of info I need!! A great comprehensive list Ognum, thank you!

SuzieSue - I did think it would be important to have a door you can shut in the winter so the conservatory is effectively between the back door and the garden. The EA did make a point of saying they'd put in 2 radiators, but I don't want to burn money!

It's interesting that you say about the energy efficiency thing being useless, debt free chick, I wondered that too - based on seeing the guy do ours! It does seem a bit generic... But maybe as Firefox suggests I can get an idea of what else in the house is good energy wise, to work out how much it has been dragged down by the conservatory.

Thanks

Leah

g_attrill

I would think the windows and roof of the conservatory would lose a large amount of heat compared to the rest of the house and any connecting rooms would always be difficult to heat in the winter.

How big is the opening into the conservatory? If it's not big you could just built a partition wall and fit a door, then turn the radiators down if you don't need to use the space in the winter. It might end up looking odd though.