Glass or solid roof conservatory? Help?!

beebumble

Hi

I am new on this forum and thought I would see if anyone can help.

We are looking to have a new conservatory built on the back of the house (3m x 5m) and have narrowed it down to a Celsius Elite Performance Glass roof (U value 1) with celsius windows. However, I have also been looking at the solid roof option. This would mean that we would need building regs but the roof conforms to the regs as it is a lightweight option so shouldn't be an issue from that point of view. The U value of the solid roof is 1.8 but then insultaion is installed in combination to lower it further and conform to regs.

My questions are this:
1) Will the celsius glass make it a liveable option all year round. The conservatory will be north facing and doesn't catch a huge amount of sun at anytime of year as it is shadow most of the day/year round. So I am not overly concenred with it being too hot. Our house is generally warm but will having a glass box (even if it is the best glass you can buy) lose heat to a riduclous level and be unusable in the winter?
2) Will the solid roof option be a better option for a year round liveable space? Will it mean that a lot of light is lost?
3) Has anyone had either of the above options installed recently to a similar spec? I know there is a lot of negativity about conservatories in general with polycarb roofs etc. But I can't seem to find as much feedback as the newer more energy efficient updates?

Any feedback would be most helpful, especially from people who have installed conservatories on their houses. Also, I know many people will say just get an extension instead but I have spent a long time looking into it, costing etc and unfortunately, the extension option is not viable financially at the moment, so we are decided on an energy efficient conservatory as the 'next best thing'. Obviously I want to make the best choice I can!

Thanks in advance

TheCyclingProgrammer

Don't rely on glass alone to make it usable all year round but being north facing this should be less of an issue.

Personally if I was having one fitted I'd strongly consider a real roof if you can afford it.

Grenage

I would personally wait until an extension was affordable, rather than go with a conservatory. Conservatories are not year-round livable rooms, and a good one isn't really that much cheaper.

Davesnave

At the risk of repeating myself, I'd say look first at what having a solid roof will do to light levels elsewhere in your house. I know what mine would be like if I installed a solid roofed extension, which is the main reason I went for a conservatory.

As I'm replacing an earlier south-facing conservatory, I can ignore those who tell me it'll be unusable. It won't be 24/7x 365 and I can live with that, but the % of potential use is comensurate with the lower cost.

Nothing's impossible in building, so I could get the light and the garden room with solid roof, but the cost wouldn't be just the simple difference between a swish conservatory and an extension. Major surgery to the property would be involved. In the real world you come up against these uncomfortable truths.

Save up and get a 'real' extension? That's a good option for many people and I wouldn't disagree if the space is a need, rather than a want. Then, it's either that, or move.

Sorry, I can't comment on a north-facing conservatory. My friends had one and only used it in the warmer times of the year, but again, they had no need for it; only a desire to feel closer to their garden.

PS. Much of the conservatory I'm building meets current regs. I'm covering my rear, just in case I come into money!