Cheaply insulating a conservatory

greensalad

We bought a house with a single skin brick wall conservatory built onto the back of our kitchen. Polycarbonate roof. It's about 25 years old. There is no door between the kitchen and the conservatory, just an opening, and no heating in the kitchen.

We knew it would be cold, and we knew it'd likely be an issue, but I didn't expect to hate it as much as I do. We have always planned to get an extension in place of the conservatory when we can (probably 2 years time from now when we can release some equity or have saved up for one) which would mitigate the issue. But it's currently the same temperature in our conservatory as it is outdoors... so 6 degrees this morning! 

Is there anything we can do do insulate the conservatory to get us through this last bit of winter, and get us through next winter as well? Don't want to spend tonnes because we would hopefully rip the whole thing out as soon as we can afford it.

One thing I think would probably help is if we put up the original sliding door to block the kitchen from the conservatory. The previous owners took this out, but it's there on the pictures from the sale before. I have no idea why they took it out, seems mad to me as it makes the kitchen so cold! But I'm concerned a UPVC door is going to a) cost quite a bit and b) only mildly increase the heat situation. Or am I wrong? If it makes a big impact it may be the answer?

Here's a picture. I'm surprised you can't see any penguins.

stuart45

A decent external grade door will make a lot of difference.

DRP

definitely put the doors back! if you're going to be a couple of winters before you do a proper extension.

We are in a similar situation but the conservatory is (perhaps) slightly better - insulated cavity wall. We are looking for quotes for a flat roof rextension, reusing the existing footings.

TELLIT01

In agreement with the previous replies.  Put doors between the kitchen and conservatory.  That's the only way to have any real affect on the temperature in the rest of the house.  Current construction would not pass Building Regs.  Double glazed doors will make a massive difference to the temperature.  Our conservatory is double skinned with underfloor heating and now has a solid roof.  I still feel the temperature difference in cold weather when I open the door between it and the rest of the house.

FreeBear

If the conservatory is going to be demolished in the near future, perhaps see if you can find a s/h door. A wooden one would have a low threshold so you wouldn't be tripping over it all the time. A uPVC (new or used) would need some creative cutting to reduce the threshold height (either the frame or channeled into the floor).

If the conservatory is definitely going to be replaced within 2-3 years, I wouldn't bother getting BC sign-off or FENSA certificates.

orangecrush

We have an icky polycarbonate conservatory too! We have sliding doors between it and the kitchen, and they make a huge difference to the cold (and heat!) and don’t make any difference to the light that comes through.

We’re going to replace the conservatory roof with a lightweight tiled version this summer, at which point the sliding doors will come out, but we’ll be keeping them in case we need to add them back 😁

greensalad

Thanks for all the advice. If a sliding door set will make a significant difference then I don't mind the spend. I'll just keep it cheap and cheerful as I don't need longevity. Will keep a lookout for a secondhand pair. I just didn't want to shell out money if it was only going to make a marginal improvement.

DRP

if it is external grade then your kitchen  will then be inside the thermal envelope of your house...

your conservatory will be even colder / hotter

Bendy_House

What size is the opening, g'salad?

But, as said above - isolate the connie from the kitchen. Job done. The kitchen should then be as warm as the rest of the house, bearing in mind it doesn't have its own rad...

Absolutely not worth trying to sort the connie itself since you are going to remove/replace it - that would simply be a waste of money. Just wait for it to warm up from solar gain each day, and then open the doors to the kitchen. Shut them when the temp drops.

Dead easy to fit any type of door there on a temp basis - see what you can find on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree etc.. For the bottom threshold, lay a layer of polythene - even clingfilm - on the tiles, and bed down a timber threshold of the required thickness using any cartridge adhesive - Stixall, No-nails, whatevs. The adhesive will conform perfectly with the floor tile profile, but can be removed by simply lifting it up once its job is done, with no harm to the floor.

Side/top jambs/frame will need screws to secure properly so's the door is firmly-enough positioned, but just add foam strips between it and the existing opening to make it airtight. When it's no longer needed, the jambs will remove with no damage apart from a few screw holes to fill.

TELLIT01

orangecrush said:

We have an icky polycarbonate conservatory too! We have sliding doors between it and the kitchen, and they make a huge difference to the cold (and heat!) and don’t make any difference to the light that comes through.

We’re going to replace the conservatory roof with a lightweight tiled version this summer, at which point the sliding doors will come out, but we’ll be keeping them in case we need to add them back 😁

I wouldn't take the doors out initially.  Go through the winter months leaving the door open to see what the temperature difference is in the adjoining room with them open and closed.  We have a lightweight insulated roof and it certainly makes a big difference, but I still really feel it if the door to the conservatory is open on a cold day (the missus doesn't seem to notice as much).  Our conservatory has solid walls on 2 sides, windows only at high level on the 3rd and only fully glazed on one side.  If yours is more open than that, heat loss is going to be even greater.

greenface2

what about t hick curtain on the inside wall