Open conservatory question

Grenage

We ruled out several houses with such extensions; the best thing to do is mentally remove the conservatory from the house and reinstate the wall. If you still like it, it's a goer - if not, forget about it.

dc197

Many of the post so far have focussed on heating in winter.
Here are some thoughts about cooling in summer.

a. Paint the roof with Nixol. Make sure you get the right one for the roofing material (for polycarbonate vs glass). It turns opaque when warm and dry, providing shade. It turns translucent in cold & damp, allowing light through on a dull day. Great stuff. Paint it on with a decorating roller and a long handle.

b. You can fit greenhouse-style auto-opening vents in the roof. They open on their own when it's too hot. This keeps it cooler.
The listing says it already has ceiling vents, so these may already have this feature.

c. Security notwithstanding, this conservatory has window vents in the walls which could be left open for a significant cooling in summer.

d. The concept of "too hot" in summer is very subjective. In my conservatory it can reach 40 degrees by mid day if the windows have not been opened. My wife loves that, whereas the dog and I sit there panting and sweating.

HouseBuyer77

the best thing to do is mentally remove the conservatory from the house and reinstate the wall. If you still like it, it's a goer - if not, forget about it.

This is a very good point. For my place I would certainly have bought it if it didn't have the conservatory and probably for only a slightly lower price. It was also pretty much the only property I liked in a market with slim-pickings at my budget.

DRP

HouseBuyer77 wrote: »

This is a very good point. For my place I would certainly have bought it if it didn't have the conservatory and probably for only a slightly lower price. It was also pretty much the only property I liked in a market with slim-pickings at my budget.

Agree - a good point.

We *didn't* account for a crap & cold conservatory when we bought our place - and therefore massively overpaid!

pinkteapot

My mum rented a house where the whole side wall of the lounge was open into the conservatory. Not really her choice - she was desperate and there weren't many rentals available! Heat just *disappeared* out of it in winter, and she spent significantly more on heating than in other houses she's been in of a similar style and age.

We have a conservatory, with patio door to the lounge. I love it, but knowing how cold it gets in winter, I would never have an open conservatory. If it were me, I'd be budgeting to put doors in.

What heating system does the conservatory have? Ours has one radiator, but it doesn't really do much. If we have the door open to the conservatory in winter, we just use a cheap electric convector heater out there. Having the conservatory as warm as the lounge stops the lounge's heat being sucked out, but electric heaters are obviously expensive to run and that house has a very large conservatory.

I find warmth in summer less of an issue. Throw open all the windows and it's OK. And it's only when the sun is actually out that it gets particularly hot. How many hot days with clear skies did we have last summer?

Loanranger

Looks like they have converted the garage, too. I wonder if the building inspector has certified that?
Too many issues. Walk away.

alice_kate_2

I've seen a lot of houses like this on the market at the moment in the areas I'm looking.

They are often cheaper than other comparable properties and have been on the market much longer - perhaps a resale issue when the conservatory is open like that?

I actually like the openess of them but you've got to consider the impact if wanting to resell in the future.

Davesnave

Loanranger wrote: »

Looks like they have converted the garage, too. I wonder if the building inspector has certified that?

Not according to the details, which list a single integral garage with up & over door.

I don't think conservatories are a waste of space, or I'd not be spending out on replacing one myself this year, but good construction and design are vital, which is why mine will be very well ventilated and sealed-off from the house when necessary.

There are some excellent benefits from a conservatory; chief among them for me being protection from the prevailing weather at 500'.

Free heat gain is also possible, especially in spring and autumn, when, provided you are around to open those doors, the rest of the house benefits.

But if the house hadn't already had several extensions and I wasn't strapped for £, I could think of other options.

boxfreshchris

There is another house on the same estate, minus the conservatory and with the finish of the rest of the house not as high, for £10k less, so it doesn't appear to be overpriced even without the conservatory.

We're only internet browsing at the minute as we're away over the coming weekend and ours goes to market next Monday, but we've got a viewing next week.

Really is a shame it isn't a proper extension, although I'd imagine the asking price to be closer to £250k if it was, which is beyond our budget.