Conservatory and EPC square surface

andreab82

Hi,


When calculating a house square surface for the EPC, is a conservatory excluded?


I feel like I have read somewhere that conservatories do not count towards the house sqaure surface, but maybe there are some exceptions.


For example, in a particular case I'm investigating, a property has this 15 square meters conservatory which is well integrated with, and extending, the living room.


Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Regards,
Andrea

AdrianC

I wouldn't take EPC or floorplan floor areas with anything but a pinch of salt. If the actual floor area is important to you, measure it.

BTW, if it's "well integrated with" the living room, is it even a "conservatory" for building regs purposes, or a highly-glazed extension...?

Slithery

andreab82 wrote: »

For example, in a particular case I'm investigating, a property has this 15 square meters conservatory which is well integrated with, and extending, the living room.

That isn't a conservatory, it's an extension.

G_M

If it is a conservatory, separated from the house by an external door, then it is not 'living accommodation' so I imagine would be excluded.


If it is integrated into the main house,then it would require Building Regulations certification to comply with the standards of living acommodation (has it got BRs?) and I imagine should be included.


Having said that, as Adrian sys, take the EPC with a pinch of salt and rely on your own or your surveyor's inspections and measurements.

Davesnave

People sometimes integrate standard conservatories with their living space, but that doesn't make it sensible or compliant with regulations.

Any 'integrated' conservatory ought to be included with the house for EPC purposes, but whether it is or not I can't say. As it's not supposed to exist, would the assessor even have a down weighting for it?

Probably a moot point anyway, because the odds of a totally accurate EPC are not high.

Mutton_Geoff

I think conservatories have had their day as millions of people discover they are too cold in winter, too hot in summer. If I were buying a house with one, I'd plan on demolishing it and replacing with a properly constructed & insulated extension.

AdrianC

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

I think conservatories have had their day as millions of people discover they are too cold in winter, too hot in summer.

Which is precisely why they're thermally separated from the house, by external-grade doors.

Or, rather, should be to actually be a conservatory.

I'd plan on demolishing it and replacing with a properly constructed & insulated extension.

Then you could do away with the doors, and have it integrated into the room...

andreab82

Thank you so much for all the infos.

In the floorplan they call it "conservatory": ibb.co/xDJ6w2x
but then inside it looks like this: ibb.co/YTm9Dgr

And this is the view from the living room: ibb.co/f2vM0Y4
showing how the conservatory is connected to the rest of the house.

Judging from the comments then, I think it's an extension, and it must have been considered in the property surface calculations.

Regards,
Andrea

PS: Just to clarify, I don't have access to the property, and I'm trying to use this to come up with a sensible offer for the property next door (even though they are very different, and in a very different state).


PS2: the forum does not allow me to post links, so you'll have to copy and paste if you want to see the images

Davesnave

AdrianC

andreab82 wrote: »

Thank you so much for all the infos.

In the floorplan they call it "conservatory":


but then inside it looks like this:


And this is the view from the living room: ibb.co/f2vM0Y4

showing how the conservatory is connected to the rest of the house.

Judging from the comments then, I think it's an extension

Probably, but I can't see if those are proper external doors between the two - it does look like it's open off to the side, though. Not that "what's there" is always the same as "what should be there".

and it must have been considered in the property surface calculations.

I admire your optimism... But for me, if knowing the precise floor area is important, I'd be getting the tape out.

Davesnave

It's almost certainly a conservatory posing as an extension, so not building regs compliant or technically part of the house, but when did you last meet an EA who cares about regs or who wouldn't wring the last cm2 from a property?