Bungalows and conservatories

Sapindus

Looking for a bungalow for my mother.  Why do so many bungalows have conservatories slapped over bedroom or kitchen windows?  Don't people want fresh air/daylight?  How difficult would it be to knock the conservatory down if we bought one of these monstrosities, would it need planning permission to do so?  No mortgage involved.

ChirpyChicken

Removing a conservatory is dead easy. And often you can get rid of the glass easily by people who have allotments etc. So you have less waste to remove.. 
It's a cheaper way of adding space 
No planning permission needed and you can do the removal yourself. Just may need the door changing to an external one from the house into the conservatory
Even the dwarf wall can be removed with a sledge hammer 

sammyjammy

Because they tend to be owned by older people who in general like conservatories!

It would depend on construction and how its joined to the property, no planning permission but possibly building regs if its structurally part of the bungalow.

FlorayG

People like conservatories. I bought a bungalow with a really old tatty one, had a builder look at it, he said he could knock it down, take it away and make good for about £2,000 so don't let it put you off buying (mine is still here, I sit out in it a LOT and going to keep it until it becomes too tatty to keep nice)

grumpy_codger

Sapindus said:

Looking for a bungalow for my mother.  Why do so many bungalows have conservatories slapped over bedroom or kitchen windows?  Don't people want fresh air/daylight?

I'm not a fan of conservatories, but what's special about bedrooms or kitchens? All rooms need fresh air; bedrooms are the last rooms needing daylight. If you don't need a conservatory, just keep its windows (and the external doors(s) if needed) opent - and you'll get more than enough fresh air. Plus patio area with glass roof.

Flugelhorn

Just comes down to what rooms are on the back of the house with a suitable place place in the garden to put the conservatory. Most of them don't last for ever and people either remove them completely or replace them. Don't need PP to remove it 

I had relatives who loved theirs it made a high difference to the small house 

FreeBear

ChirpyChicken said: No planning permission needed and you can do the removal yourself. Just may need the door changing to an external one from the house into the conservatory
Even the dwarf wall can be removed with a sledge hammer 

But if the floor slab is level with the back door, it is advisable to remove that too (or install a very wide french drain). Breaking up a slab is no small undertaking - Whilst you could do it with a big sledge hammer & wheelbarrow, a minidigger with a pecker will make short work of it (and a powered barrow to shift the spoil). You'll then be left with a large shallow hole that could be turned in to a patio or need filling with topsoil.

Cairnpapple

If you're home all day you can actually get some use out of the conservatory in those spring/ autumn days when it's not quite nice enough to sit outside. So a classic retirement bungalow is possibly the least worst place to have a conservatory. My in laws use theirs a ton. 

I don't like conservatories but ended up with one as a compromise, we had a very small search area and we'd have been waiting another couple of years if we ruled one out. Handy for drying laundry in the summer when it's a million degrees in there.

I do think some have better layout than others, e.g. if onto a bedroom I'd be looking for whether there's also a side window in the bedroom for ventilation.

youth_leader

I'm in a semi detached bungalow and the next door neighbour had a full glass conservatory very close to my fence. 

Last year I discovered he was going to change it into a room with a tiled roof.  I was concerned but found out he didn't need planning permission because he was using the same 'footprint'.  

maisie_cat

We have what I think is the ugliest conservatory plonked in front of our cottage in the 80s. As much as it's ugly, it's also very handy. I use as a greenhouse this time of year and we use it as a porch and temporary log store as well. I can see through it to the sea view and the kitchen window opens into it when it's warmer.
If I ever have the money I'd replace with one more in keeping for an 1800s cottage but still have a conservatory.

Section62

Sapindus said:

Looking for a bungalow for my mother.  Why do so many bungalows have conservatories slapped over bedroom or kitchen windows?  Don't people want fresh air/daylight?  How difficult would it be to knock the conservatory down if we bought one of these monstrosities, would it need planning permission to do so?  No mortgage involved.

Partly because bungalows tend to be arranged with the bedrooms at the back and reception rooms at the front, and if you are building a conservatory (rather than an extension) you're more likely to put it in the back so you don't need to bother with planning.

If the bungalow has the kitchen at the back then it makes sense to have the conservatory there (as a 'public' room) rather than have friends traipse through your bedroom to get to the conservatory, and it makes it easier to carry food/drink from the kitchen to the conservatory/outdoors (given they are often built as a dining/socialising area).

And if the conservatory becomes the main means of access to/from the garden then it is likely you'll prefer to have people going into the kitchen and washing their hands (plus having an easy-clean floor) when they come in from the garden, rather than walking through the lounge or a bedroom with muddy shoes.