Anyone got a conservatory with a polycarbaonate roof?

Furts

SuzieSue wrote: »

Don't add a conservatory if you need space you can use all year round - add an extension.

The conservatory will be freezing cold in winter and too hot in the summer unless your garden is north-facing. I have a glass roof but would never use the conservatory in winter because I don't like burning pound notes.

Find someone who has a conservatory and ask them if you can visit it in December on a cloudy day. It will be as cold as it is outside and if you try to heat it it will be very costly unless you are one of these people who does not feel the cold.

These are my sentiments and I always suggest to people to have a proper extension rather than a conservatory. Analysed in the cold light of day it is a mystery why people have a love affair with, or default setting to, conservatories. This is perhaps due to slick sales and marketing people in the pvcu home improvement industry.

OP is questionning a polycarbonate roof. This is a no brainer - would anybody consider a polycarbonate roof on their house? Of course not, so why are they supplied for conservatories? The answer is they are cheap, flimsy, profitable and unregulated.

SuzieSue

Davesnave wrote: »

I have an unheated, glass-roofed conservatory facing south with large French doors leading into it from the living room.

My conservatory is east-facing, so yes, a south facing conservatory will be much warmer in winter as long as there is some sun.

Davesnave

Furts wrote: »

I always suggest to people to have a proper extension rather than a conservatory. Analysed in the cold light of day it is a mystery why people have a love affair with, or default setting to, conservatories. This is perhaps due to slick sales and marketing people in the pvcu home improvement industry.

In our case, it's having a living room that would be too dark if we extended in that direction.

We'll build our own base/walls and have a local window company do the glazing when it comes to replacing the present rather 'agricultural' structure.

I agree, if we'd not had one to try first, I'd have been sceptical about a conservatory facing due south. The secret, I think, is having large doors east & west, which may be opened to create a through draught when needed. There's usually a bit of wind at 500'.

dirty_magic

firefox1956 wrote: »

There only thing that annoys us about the roof is the noise when it rains heavy.
HTH

I love the sound of rain on the roof!

I disagree with posters who say it's unusable in winter, as it actually creates warmth on clear days and keeps that part of the house warmer. Even on most dull days, it has a positive rather than negative effect.

We have the same with ours, but it is south facing. On sunny winter days it still gets hot and warms up the kitchen. Ours has a polycarbonate roof and a radiator but on gloomy cold winter days and winter nights the radiator makes no difference and it is unusable.

My MIL has a new conservatory with a glass roof and its still cold, she had a stupidly high bill for trying to heat it in winter so just be wary of you go for heating in there!

Dan-1987

We have a decent size conservatory with polycarbonate roof (was there when we bought the house) and we treat it as a bit of a bonus room,out of choice though I definately wouldn't add one,its everything you expect it to be-unbearably hot in summer,freezing cold in winter (we do have a rad in there) and the roof when it rains is sooooo noisy

Davesnave

dirty_magic wrote: »

I love the sound of rain on the roof!

You'd love my polytunnel, then! :rotfl:

We have the same with ours, but it is south facing. On sunny winter days it still gets hot and warms up the kitchen. Ours has a polycarbonate roof and a radiator but on gloomy cold winter days and winter nights the radiator makes no difference and it is unusable.

My MIL has a new conservatory with a glass roof and its still cold, she had a stupidly high bill for trying to heat it in winter so just be wary of you go for heating in there!

I wouldn't expect to use it at all when the temperatures really fall, or at night. It is, as someone else said, a bonus room and we can live without it when necessary.

DRP

we have a larg-ish west facing conservatory (5x4m) with a polycarb roof - built by prev owners c2001.

It's a total white elephant.

Pleasantly warm for about 2 months, too cold for 8 months, roasting (unless doors/windows open) for 2 months.

Although it is relatively watertight, I would never class it a proper room.