Conservatory... Replace with all glass Conservatory?

Phil4432

Our existing Conservatory is 13 years old and the inner walls are cracking.  So one main wall, two dwarf walls.  We're on clay.

Ive been meaning to replace for a while, with the plan to have 1M deep footings(current footings are 30cm).
With rising costs, this is going to be expensive.

So I'm considering an all glass Conservatory, similar to the one on this link; second picture down.  Described as a lean to Conservatory, with glazed wall.  Looks quite nice actually...
https://www.cnglass.co.uk/conservatory/a-complete-guide-to-the-average-cost-of-a-conservatory/
That's going to be cheaper, and I'd be ok with the 30-50cm footings with the understanding that the Conservatory might require maintenance or replacement at the 10-15 year mark.

Would try to use the existing floor of the current Conservatory, which is tiles in good condition.  We'd loose the electrics in the existing Conservatory; plug sockets, heater, outer plugs.  But trying to budget due to rising costs, it could be a good idea.

Wondering if there's something I may be overlooking, if it could be a bad idea for whatever reason.  Thoughts appreciated as always.

SaverRate

Personally if it were me I would build a proper room. We have a conservatory and despite our best attempts at trying to utilise the room in different ways (home office, mini gym etc) over the past couple of years we have come to the conclusion that its not a very useable room. This is mainly because its either too cold in the winter (and with the rising cost of energy its not feasible to keep the room heated) and too hot in the summer. 

goodwithsaving

I don't have all glass as a structure but have all upvc which came with the house. It's unbearable in the summer, and gets cool very quickly in the winter (although has daytime warmth all year round). In a previous house I had a dwarf wall conservatory with the expensive glass and automated vents which was lovely and much nicer to be in, and looked so much better. I echo @SaverRate. If it were me, I'd wait a bit and try to raise funds for a proper room, or at least buy something more substantial than all-glass. 

Phil4432

SaverRate said:

Personally if it were me I would build a proper room. We have a conservatory and despite our best attempts at trying to utilise the room in different ways (home office, mini gym etc) over the past couple of years we have come to the conclusion that its not a very useable room. This is mainly because its either too cold in the winter (and with the rising cost of energy its not feasible to keep the room heated) and too hot in the summer. 

If we had those needs, we'd get an extension.  Its just a sun room basically, never heated it and don't need it for more than the occasional sit down with tea, on a nice morning/afternoon.

Bendy_House

Phil4432 said:

Our existing Conservatory is 13 years old and the inner walls are cracking.  So one main wall, two dwarf walls.  We're on clay.

Ive been meaning to replace for a while, with the plan to have 1M deep footings(current footings are 30cm).
With rising costs, this is going to be expensive.

So I'm considering an all glass Conservatory, similar to the one on this link; second picture down.  Described as a lean to Conservatory, with glazed wall.  Looks quite nice actually...
https://www.cnglass.co.uk/conservatory/a-complete-guide-to-the-average-cost-of-a-conservatory/
That's going to be cheaper, and I'd be ok with the 30-50cm footings with the understanding that the Conservatory might require maintenance or replacement at the 10-15 year mark.

Would try to use the existing floor of the current Conservatory, which is tiles in good condition.  We'd loose the electrics in the existing Conservatory; plug sockets, heater, outer plugs.  But trying to budget due to rising costs, it could be a good idea.

Wondering if there's something I may be overlooking, if it could be a bad idea for whatever reason.  Thoughts appreciated as always.

That is certainly an option. Provided it, too, wouldn't suffer from any further subsidence - could the frames become distorted, or even the glass units over-stressed? I don't know.

Would you DIY this? If so, I'd consider replacing the shown roof with a lightweight, and fairly-well-insulated, solid alternative. Use the same ali joists provided, but line the inside (ie ceiling) with, say, 2" of Celotex-type sheet, and the outside with lightweight plastic tile-effect sheeting (very visually effective).

That should greatly help sort the two main problems with such rooms - the heat loss when it's cold, and the excessive solar gain when sunny.

pollypenny

We have an all glass conservatory, north east facing.  It gets some sun in the mornings during winter, but plenty of sun during the summer. We are in a bungalow so little shade from the house - just enough to pull back the sofa and avoid sun on my head. 

We are also very well-insulated so grateful for the solar input from the conservatory in summer. 

With a rug and heater it can be quite cosy in winter. Not this year, though!  

Phil4432

pollypenny said:

We have an all glass conservatory, north east facing.  It gets some sun in the mornings during winter, but plenty of sun during the summer. We are in a bungalow so little shade from the house - just enough to pull back the sofa and avoid sun on my head. 

We are also very well-insulated so grateful for the solar input from the conservatory in summer. 

With a rug and heater it can be quite cosy in winter. Not this year, though!  

Thanks for the reply, sorry for the lateness of mine.

Does your glass conservatory have footings?  If so, how deep?  How long have you had it?  Cheers.