Considering Purchasing a House with a conservatory

bluebird

SuzieSue wrote: »

I would never buy a property with a consevatory which didn't have its own door separating it from the rest of the house as it will cost too much to heat in the winter.

I would agree here ours is attached but we can lock our back kitchen door and seperate the two rooms.

McKneff

Mould and condensation is not the fault of the conservatory, its the householder not giving it enough ventilation.

Big YES vote for a conservatory from me.

nicka99

hi,
we moved into a house 2 1/2 years ago which had a very large (3.7 x 5.8m) conservatory that attached to the back of the house. the end of the galley kitchen opened into the conservatory and had no dividing doors so we couldnt shut it off. we saw it in the summer and moved in in september so only thought it might get hot and never considered the cold having never had one before. it was a lovely space for several weeks but then it dawned on us as the colder nights drew in that we wouldnt be able to eat in there in the mornings and by winter it was freezing despite 2 very large radiators (part of the main heating system) which made no difference at all. By mid winter we would prepare meals in our coats as it got down to 6 degrees in the kitchen !! we would eat in the sitting room as was way too cold in the conservatory. I ended up blocking it off from the kitchen with some insulation foil I bought from the DIY store so at least we could use our kitchen in relative comfort.

By spring we'd had enough and obtained planning permission to remove it and replace with a single storey extension with the same footprint (and foundations after checking they were sufficient). The work didnt start until August so we also experienced how hot it could get in the summer as it faces south west. The building work is now done and we use it as a kitchen/ diner and split the old kitchen into study and utility rooms. It was the best decision we ever made but one that came at a cost of course.

Conservatories are a pretty cheap way of adding square footage to a property which is probably why they are so popular. I think we still made the right decision buying the house as even though the floor area has not increased, the addition of an extension instead of the conservatory and the new utility and study has increased the value of the house by more than the cost of the extension itself (so Ive been told by people that know about this stuff!).

If you really love the house maybe its something you could consider or make an offer with that in mind ? Alternatively you could just get some doors fitted to block the conservatory off if you are willing/able to lose the space for 4 months of the year or lastly just spend a fortune on heating it !!!
good luck !

travellerboy

The addition of a Conservatory to a house is regarded by Building Regulations as an inhabitable room and must have an exterior grade door between it and the house. This is because a conservatory fails to meet the Heat Loss requirements of the regulations.

It is personal choice at the end of the day, but YES they are very inefficient and cost a lot to heat in winter and can become a hot-house in summer. They are a cheap alternative but seldom desireable, if people are really honest.

SuzieSue

travellerboy wrote: »

They are a cheap alternative but seldom desireable, if people are really honest.

I am very glad I got mine because I didn't need the extra room but love using it between March and October.

If you need the extra room all year round go for an extension,

atppkr

Hey,

Thanks for all your input.

The doors to the lounge are blocked with french doors but the galley style kitchen is still open to the cold.

Im seriously swaying towards not going for this property based on predomintently @nicka99 comments as I think I would be in the exact same boat.

I have a viewing tomorrow to grill the owners to see if they tell any fibs ... (oh yeah... Its dead hot in winter blah blah blah)

Cheers

atppkr

test test test test test

SuzieSue

Please don't report the OP for abuse - he is just making some posts so that he can post a link.

atppkr

SuzieSue wrote: »

Please don't report the OP for abuse - he is just making some posts so that he can post a link.

Thanks Suzie, still wont allow me to add links to images. Would really like to get a view on the how big the conservatories are

SuzieSue

The OP has asked me to post the following links:

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/atppkr/conserv1.jpg

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx34/atppkr/conserv2.jpg