Question about Conservatory - Should I be worried?

v12017

Hi everyone,

My offer has been accepted on a house, but I'm curious about the conservatory. Appreciate I probably should have asked these questions a long time ago.

What I'm trying to figure out is:

1. Does the conservatory meet building regulations because it has a radiator, and
2. Will the conservatory be usable in the winter, or will it be too cold?

I have saved pictures on a link:

drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7Q3FiZFUQgocndNZTl5NG1ZeUE

Thanks in advance for your help

da_rule

Does the radiator have its own thermostatic valve/way of turning the temperature up/down or turning it off altogether? If so, then it probably won't need building regs as it would fall under the permitted development rules (assuming the rest of the conservatory is compliant). You could always ask the seller if they needed/obtained building regs consent/planningnconsent for it.

In relation to it being too hot/cold that would depend entirely on its construction (insulation, windows etc) and whether it's in the shadows or gets direct sun. Ask the seller. The radiator does look man enough though to take the chill off.

AnotherJoe

Thats not dissimilar to mine,eg part solid construction, not 100% glass, one wall pretty much full brick, in which case I'd say it will be warm enough except maybe (if typical weather) nov-feb when you might need a radiator. We have a small electric one which is good enough for when we use it, normally its just on a "frost" setting for the coldest months.

Mine is N facing though so if "yours" faces a different direction it would be a bit warmer and possibly too hot in summer but i see the roof is shaded which would help.

loveka

We have a conservatory with a radiator and it is the same temperature as the rest of the house summer and winter. It is open to the kitchen though.

Jenniefour

Conservatory in my house (here when I bought it) has a radiator plumbed into house central heating system and roof blinds, like the ones in the house you're considering. Live in London and in the 6 years I've been here we've only had one winter with more than the odd very cold day - when conservatory was too cold to use for a few days at a time. It's also been too hot to sit in during daytime in recent heat wave. Common experience, it is definitely not the same as having an extension. But it is a very usable extra space in the house.

Doozergirl

The question isn't so much 'does it meet building regs' as 'does it not meet building regs'.

Conservatories are inferior buildings, the presence of quality doors between the house and the conservatory keeps it classed as an 'outbuilding' and not for habitation.

Adding radiators connected to the system shows clear intention to use it as a habitable room and so, by the letter of the law, it would bring it under building regulations as a habitable room and by that, an extension with all of the rules that come with that. A conservatory has no hope of meeting those regulations.

In order to escape building regs, the radiator should come out. In practice, having a portable heater or a separate electric radiator gets you completey off the hook so there's little point removing anything.

Conservatories are cold in winter. Obviously heating will help and this can make it habitable but it will lose heat as soon as that heating goes off. As to whether it is habitable in summer, that will depend on the size and the orientation. It could be boiling hot and unbearable. We lived in a house with one that was an absolute sweat box all summer. We'd moved by winter. My in-laws one is fine in summer but like being outside in winter.

Ultimately, they are not extensions and cannot be expected to behave like them. They are cheaper for a reason and they don't hold huge value on a house for a reason.

Doozergirl

loveka wrote: »

We have a conservatory with a radiator and it is the same temperature as the rest of the house summer and winter. It is open to the kitchen though.

Which very much makes it subject to building regulations approval as an extension.