Permitted development...conservatory

dwhl

Dear all,

I would be grateful for your thoughts.

Am looking at a house which has a conservatory; the top half of it is upvc glass and the bottom half is brick, built into the ground. The conversatory is an extension to the back of a single storey bungalow.

I am told that the conservatory was done under permitted development. Is there any way to confirm this?

Also, i had a thought to remove the glass from the conservatory and build up the brick work to make a single storey extension instead. Would this be allowed under permitted development. There would be no extra floor space.

Know it’s difficult to gauge....how much cheaper would this be than creating the same extension without the base/foundations and brickwork being there in the first place?

Thanks
David

Doozergirl

This is how you establish if something falls under permitted development.

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/17/extensions

It's unlikely that the footings are suitable for conversion to an extension. Conservatories are exempt from Building Control and that is why they are cheap. They don't tend to have proper footings required for extensions.

You need some evidence of what is under the ground - either by means of photos or by digging next to the wall to expose the current footings.

Slithery

dwhl wrote: »

Know it’s difficult to gauge....how much cheaper would this be than creating the same extension without the base/foundations and brickwork being there in the first place?

Probably more expensive. Chances are that the existing foundations and brickwork won't be strong enough for a proper extension so you'll have to pay to rip them out before starting again.

Jigglebiz

Unfortunately I think conservatories are installed with all the hope of a bright, light filled useful living space, at a snip compared to the cost of an extension.
In reality they are either boiling hot or freezing cold, and reduce light into other living areas. We’re buying a house with one and thinking of getting rid.

Cakeguts

Ours is ace. You can sit out there on days when it is too cold to go outside into the garden and the first bit of sun on it and you can turn the heating off in the house. Ours is not an extension there is a door between it and the rest of the house.



We had to get planning permission for it.

diggingdude

I actually love mine but don't think the footings would hold any more weight than the current structure and my big belly

Davesnave

Jigglebiz wrote: »

Unfortunately I think conservatories are installed with all the hope of a bright, light filled useful living space, at a snip compared to the cost of an extension.
In reality they are either boiling hot or freezing cold, and reduce light into other living areas. We’re buying a house with one and thinking of getting rid.

No, in reality they're like everything else, so you get what you specify and pay for, or in your case what someone else paid for.

But you carry on and demolish yours. You will get a little more light, unlike the person who began this thread, who will get much less if they decide to go for a conventional extension. Thanks for raising the issue.

ratechaser

Jigglebiz wrote: »

Unfortunately I think conservatories are installed with all the hope of a bright, light filled useful living space, at a snip compared to the cost of an extension.
In reality they are either boiling hot or freezing cold, and reduce light into other living areas. We’re buying a house with one and thinking of getting rid.

Well each to their own. Ours doesn't cut out any light to the main living room (actually adds it if anything), doesn't tend towards massive temperature swings, is a lovely sun room and also doubles as a pretty productive greenhouse... the Carolina Reapers are already flowering...

Jigglebiz

I’m sure there’s a difference between a modern, recently installed conservatory with a decent roof etc and one of those installed in the 80s/90s as ours was and needing a rehaul.
I think often they are added where an extension or serious remodel of the space would be better, but they are so much cheaper.
In answer to the original question, from my research, no the foundations are not suitable for an extension. You would need to demolish and replace and in that case, you may as well go through increase the floor area to make a substantial space.

Davesnave

Jigglebiz wrote: »

I think often they are added where an extension or serious remodel of the space would be better, but they are so much cheaper.

Better depends on many things, including expectations, the specifics of the location and the money available for upgrading other parts of the house that might need it. However, if the primary aim is to add value, a conservatory is probably not going to do it.


If we'd built a solid roofed, conventional extension where ours is, we'd have needed a well-designed, expensive roof to counteract the potential loss of light. As there's usually just the two of us rattling around in this family sized property, 24/7 x 365 usage wasn't necessary and we decided to spend the money saved elsewhere. We probably still use it at least 300 days a year, and we don't care if it's not building regs compliant, like the converted garage is. It was a choice of where to spend funds.


No one wants to put money into something that will fail structurally, and plenty ordinary conservatories part company with their houses over time due to their foundations moving, so caution is the watchword. At the same time, its worth pondering that our old 1930s house, now worth north of £1/2 million and far from unusual for the period, has foundations only about 250-300mm deep!

Silvertabby

ratechaser wrote: »

Well each to their own. Ours doesn't cut out any light to the main living room (actually adds it if anything), doesn't tend towards massive temperature swings, is a lovely sun room and also doubles as a pretty productive greenhouse... the Carolina Reapers are already flowering...

Same here. Ours wasn't a cheap chuck up job either - the foundations were dug with a mechanical digger and the walls (a combination of dwarf and full height) are double skinned with insulation. it's rock solid, with absolutely no signs of pulling away from the house.

We had a radiator retro fitted (I know - I know - but we have no intentions of selling!) and that plus a mobile oil filled radiator keeps us toastie in the coldest weather. Doesn't get too hot in summer, either, probably a combination of tinted glass roof and being east facing.

We are both retired, and use the conservatory all but daily.