Are conservatories worth it

saver_1_2

I'm thinking of getting a conservatory this year.At the moment I'm in two minds.

As i drive around where i live i look at these conservatories some seem nice but others are tatty the upvc is dark and dirty the windows [roof] have mould on them etc etc.

My question is are they worth the money and hassle keeping them looking like new, or do they just turn into shabby plastic structures over time.

I would not like to keep constantly cleaning the whole frame every 2 weeks or so i would want it to relax in instead of cleaning it for a couple of hours every other Sunday or whenever. I would not mind if it was a good clean in the spring and another in late Autumn.

Any one with any advice please.

PS
How much should one pay for a decent one i have seen an advert in my local press for a small one fully fitted for £4,600 surly the materials this company is using won't be up to much at that price.

Thanks

GreenSheep

i have a very dim view of them. mine is used as a halfway house between stuff that needs to leave the house and be taken down to the garage.
cold in winter, hot in summer, poorly crafted, waste of money.

BoxerfanUK

We haved a conserv' and love it. Ok when it's really cold we tend not to use it so much but having said this, it's only because we tend to forget to turn on the radiator as it would be a waste having the rad on ALL the time. We had ours done in woodgrain UPVC and it's very easy to clean. We also had a proper radiator plumbed in with our central heating and had the internal walls all plastered, so it's like an extension to us rather than just a conservatory. We fitter a nice laninate floor as its warmer in the winter than tiles and put in a big 54" ceiling cooling fan like this http://www.fantasiaceilingfans.com/viper-54-1375-0.html as well as a roof opener.

All told about 5 years ago it cost us around 11K and is of good quality measures about 14' x 11'

charlie2512

The upvc frames will need cleaning, but not every 2 weeks! Once or twice a year should be fine.
£4,600 is way too cheap for a decent job, as you rightly suspect.
It's important to make sure the foundations are a metre deep & the best conservatories have a dwarf brick wall, not just cheap PVC panels.
A reasonable price for a 3mx3m conservatory, including 1m deep foundations, dwarf brick wall, electrics, ceiling fan, heater & plastering would be £8,000 in the south of England. ( In the north it can be slightly cheaper, but not that much!)
This would include a polycarbonate roof. If you want a self-cleaning glass roof, add an extra £800 approx on this size.
Glass roofs are quieter & look great especially with a blue tint; poly roofs give more privacy & some reflect the heat more.
Make sure you get an insurance backed guarantee in case the company ceases to trade.
Look at whether you are north or south facing. Factor in extra heating in winter for north facing, and air con plus a suitable roof (opal or tinted) for south/west facing & also consider blinds.
Check that all windows & doors are internally glazed for security & have shoot-bolt locking. They should also be steel reinforced.
Ensure that all the roof segments line up with the window frames.
Make sure all fanlights open.
If you need a "box gutter" at the back of the conservatory (where it joins the house) make sure there are brick pillars to support it or you will probably get leaks later due to the weight.
Remember all conservatory measurements are external, not internal. And make sure the walls & floor are insulated.
A well-built & well-designed conservatory is a usable extra room all year round & adds value to your house. You need to find someone who will take into account your location, what you want to use it for & will design it accordingly. Avoid cheap plastic glass houses; a conservatory should be treated in the same way as an extension.

03022242

do building control allow radiators in the conservatories?????

fluffymuffy

03022242 wrote: »

do building control allow radiators in the conservatories?????

Yes - but they must be controllable. The best way to heat a conservatory is with an air to air heat pump.

I love conservatories and have bought four in the last six years - one just before we moved, two (!) on our last house, and one as soon as we moved to our current house. We've not had one long enough to see any mould on the roof but I do give the frames a wash twice a year. We currently have one with a brick base and a special super insulated sun blocking glass roof. It faces South West and on the hottest day last summer it was still cooler in the conservatory than outside.

Anyone thinking of getting a conservatory needs to act soon as Building Regulations are coming in for them later this year - probably in October - and that will make them very costly.

beaney50

Love my conservatory.(4.5mx4m) Even in winter as it is south facing so if the sun is shining we can have lunch overlooking the garden. I am a keen gardener so my seedlings have the advantage of the radiator during the evening. It`s not recommended by building regs but it`s up to you. We spend half a day once a year cleaning the inside ;-mostly marks from spiders, insects & bits of mould etc and the same cleaning the outside but if you keep it warm it is not too much hassle. Obviously you have to do general cleaning but this is no different from the rest of the housework.
My husband is a builder so we bought the conservatory for £3300(after lots of negotiations but it did take 3 weeks to build (foundations ,dwarf walls etc)

saver_1 wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a conservatory this year.Atfor

beaney50

Love my conservatory.(4.5mx4m) Even in winter as it is south facing so if the sun is shining we can have lunch overlooking the garden. I am a keen gardener so my seedlings have the advantage of the radiator during the evening. It`s not recommended by building regs but it`s up to you. We spend half a day once a year cleaning the inside ;-mostly marks from spiders, insects & bits of mould etc and the same cleaning the outside but if you keep it warm it is not too much hassle. Obviously you have to do general cleaning but this is no different from the rest of the housework.
My husband is a builder so we bought the conservatory for £3300(after lots of negotiations but it did take 3 weeks to build (foundations ,dwarf walls etc)

saver_1 wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a conservatory this year.Atfor

chinagirl

I love my conservatory. It is 14' x 12'. We had it built about 5 years ago built by my friend's brother, and it cost £6,000. We spring clean on the plastic and glass panels twice a year. We have laminate floor and a large rug underfoot.
We have a big radiator plummed in running off the house Gas Central Heating. Also we have an oil-filled radiator which we use as a top-up heat source if needed. :j
As our back garden is south /easterly facing ,the guy who we employed to construct it, suggested putting a solid tiled roof on the top. So glad we did, as it remains bareably cool in the heat of the summer, and the tiled roof actually traps in heat in the winter.

We are a family of 5, me, DH and DS 1, 2 AND 3 and I can honestly say, there are usually more of us at any one time in the conservatory, than in any other room of the house!! :beer:

There is a pool table, desktop computer, stereo, TV and PS3 in there,so usually all the males are in there, and I sit in the living room 'queen' of the remote control, lol

fluffymuffy

chinagirl wrote: »

As our back garden is south /easterly facing ,the guy who we employed to construct it, suggested putting a solid tiled roof on the top. So glad we did, as it remains bareably cool in the heat of the summer, and the tiled roof actually traps in heat in the winter.

By definition under the Building Regulations conservatories have at least 75% of the roof transparent or translucent. What you describe is not a conservatory. Once more than 25% of the roof is solid then the full weight of the Building Regulations apply.

PasturesNew

I will have a conservatory one day because in this country it's often "almost nice" out there and a conservatory will allow me to feel I am sitting outside when it's raining, when it's windy, when it's chilly.

I dislike the way you're sat in a room and you have to stand up and stand at a window to see out. What appeals to me about a conservatory is being able to sit/recline and be able to see out, to be in a light environment, to be able to enjoy those chilly/windy/drizzly days where it's mostly bright/sunny outside but not consistent enough or good enough to actually sit out there.

It's also a buffer, insulating one wall from the outside and heat loss.