Thinking of Adding a Conservatory -Good idea?

beachbeth

We have been considering adding a conservatory on the back of our house but we were discussing how some improvements add value to your house and others just make them more desirable when selling and don't actually add any value.

Will a conservatory add any value? We don't intend staying here forever so may not bother if it doesn't. Our house has been valued at £179,000 and is a 3 bed semi in a nice area.

Doozergirl

I'd expect a conservatory to pay for itself. If it really is a useful addition of space - provides a dining room that didn't exist or balances a house better then it will add a bit more. Size matters!

Debt_Free_Chick

It depends on the style of the house, the design of the conservatory and whether it really does "integrate" with another useable room or not.

Most are just horrid boils, resembling an over-sized porch, stuck onto the most convenient exterior, with no consideration for the interior layout. Heating is essential in the winter - ventilation is essential in the summer.

Plan carefully

merlinthehappypig

Doozergirl wrote: »

I'd expect a conservatory to pay for itself. If it really is a useful addition of space - provides a dining room that didn't exist or balances a house better then it will add a bit more. Size matters!

I'd agree with doozergirl & DFC (doing a lot of that, lately!), but add that there are conservatories and conservatories. We have had two different types built.

One was a smallish victorian type, low wall, wooden framing, polycarbonate roof etc. It never really felt like another room, just an add-on. Too cold in winter & too hot in summer. We didn't spend a lot of time in there. I doubt that added much value to the house, certainly not what it cost to build, which was around £6000.

In our last house we had a proper garden room built (6m X 4m)for about £22000 (we needed an extension anyway). This was basically just a proper extension, but with picture double-glazed windows on three sides. It had a slate roof to match the house, proper insulation and central heating. It was great, especially as it opened up the views over the loch. We spent 90% of the time in it once we had moved the kitchen next to it. The special glass (Pilkington something) trapped lots of heat and really helped heat the house up, even in winter. We saved 40% over the next 12 months on the oil bill after having it built. It's difficult to say how much value it added to the house, but more than it cost. Where it did make the difference was in quality of life in the house and in increasing 'kerb-appeal' for the house when we sold it. We had over 50 viewers before setting the closing date and there is no doubt that the addition of the conservatory and the 'wow-factor' it introduced was the main reason for the interest from buyers.

So, look carefully at what you want to do, cheapest isn't neccessarily best, and get several companies out for the quote. Check feedback from other customers, the biggest and most vocal companies aren't always the best either. We used a medium sized, local company, who wanted nothing up front, 30% when the building was weatherproof and the remaining 70% when everything was finished and we were happy.