Conservatory v extension

Woolsery

TELLIT01 said:

A full width extension would obviously be more usable that that conservatory, but at a price.  Budget FROM £2.5k per square metre for the basic building with decoration, electrics etc and add for stuff like flooring, kitchen etc.

I agree, it's like lockdown; a cost/benefit situation and the maths is important, or you'll end up like GB.Plc.

Live with it first and decide whether going for the full Monty is worthwhile. If it's a must-have space, it'll soon become clear.

Our conservatory is what we could afford. We got a big bang for each buck space-wise, and because of our fairly unique situation, heating it wouldn't be a big deal if we wanted to. We don't, however, nor do we need to go there at night, so it suits us fine. At this time of year, it's still generating heat for the house in the daytime, and when things turn inclement it's keeping the worst of the weather off half the property.

One day we might be flush, and the conservatory will go, to be replaced with something that would cost 4x more in relative terms. That's how big a difference there would be on a bungalow, where there's little other option without going into the roof.

Your place would be easier.

Woolsery

grumbler said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

The thing itself seems quite good to me

* if the 'tall wall rad' is connected to CH, I think this is against building regulations.

Very likely, but are you going to tell on the OP?

YoungBlueEyes

We actually can't work out how to switch on either the light/fan or the radiator. The rad isn't connected to the CH - I had the heating on a few weeks ago to check it all worked and bled the radiators so we are good to go if the winter ever arrives.  It's on the outside of what would have been the external wall. There are no switches on it or near it anywhere in the con (same for the light), and nothing inside the ex-external wall. So they're just decorations now...

Will get them sorted if we go the kitchen diner route, and keep + improve the con. For now the con is just storage for all the stuff that was in the back bedroom. Waiting for himself's hand to heal (he caught it in a table saw at work) so he can board the loft and it'll all go up there

TELLIT01

Until I saw comments on this forum, I wasn't aware that it was against building regs to extend household central heating systems into a conservatory.  Our neighbours did this when their conservatory was built - the work was done as part of the conservatory construction.  We were also asked by the company who did our conservatory whether we wanted to extend our central heating into the conservatory.  We went for electric underfloor instead.  It would seem many companies either don't know the regulations, or don't care about them.

Edited to correct a couple of typos.

YoungBlueEyes

The stuff I learn on this forum is amazing. Sometimes makes me feel like I just crawled out of a hole - sure how did I not know that?!

That separate heating one is good tho, not widely known/enforced it seems. 

Woolsery

TELLIT01 said:

 It would seem many companies either don't know the regulations, or don't care about them.

For many of them, it's the former, and all the rest, the latter!

Our chosen company, now in business for 45 years, fixed the conservatory to the fascia boards with ordinary screws driven through the top of an aluminium box gutter that took 3 men to lift. When I pointed out the conservatory manufacturers had a PDF showing how to attach it correctly to the joists via added noggins, they were not very pleased at my research skills! Two whole fitting days later, they'd done it properly.

TELLIT01

The company which supplied our conservatory had/has a great reputation.  That doesn't stop sloppy work when nobody is looking.  We'd had the conservatory about 6 years when, in heavy rain, there was a waterfall off the gutter.  I assumed the downpipe had got bunged up so went out to clear it when the rain stopped.  What I actually discovered was the gutter hanging off the fascia, with just the ends held in place still.  Contacted the company who did send somebody straight round.  Quick investigation showed that less than half the correct number of internal brackets had been fitted.  The guy was amazed it had stayed up as long as it had!  Loads more brackets fitted and no further problems.

Silvertabby

YoungBlueEyes said:

The stuff I learn on this forum is amazing. Sometimes makes me feel like I just crawled out of a hole - sure how did I not know that?!

That separate heating one is good tho, not widely known/enforced it seems. 

When we had a radiator retro fitted to our conservatory the plumber did say that we may have to remove it if we ever wanted to sell the house.