Conservatories

redsfan

Hi everyone - need your help.
Like a lot of people we are in negative equity and due to family getting bigger we need more room.

We were considering adding a conservatory on to the kitchen at the back of the house which is north facing, but am a little concerned about the temperatures in summer / winter .

Salesman at the showroom said that due to the new technology in the glass used in the roof that conservatories can now be used all year around.

Anyone have experience with more recent conservatories?

We were also considering a solid roof but are concerned with the amount of light we would lose to the kitchen.

Zaph

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BryanF

redsfan wrote: »

Hi everyone - need your help.
Like a lot of people we are in negative equity and due to family getting bigger we need more room.

We were considering adding a conservatory on to the kitchen at the back of the house which is north facing, but am a little concerned about the temperatures in summer / winter .

Salesman at the showroom said that due to the new technology in the glass used in the roof that conservatories can now be used all year around.

Anyone have experience with more recent conservatories?

We were also considering a solid roof but are concerned with the amount of light we would lose to the kitchen.

So you need more space, an extension off your kitchen.

Why are you considering a north facing conservatory? They are typically on a south elevation to capture solar gain. Facing north it will be a cold room for 6+ months of the year, unless you put a radiator in there, but that would be a waste of heating IMO.

Forget the conservatory, seek advice from a local arch who will look at your home and figure out what type of an extension might work for you.

a conservatory salesman is going to tell you their product is the best - ask them should the conservatory face the sun..

fatty pang

redsfan wrote: »

Salesman at the showroom said that due to the new technology in the glass used in the roof that conservatories can now be used all year around.

They could always be 'used' year round. The issue was how comfortable where they for about 9 months of the year. Changes in glass coatings may reduce the comfort 'issue' to 8 months. Sadly no change in 'sales technology'.

redsfan

BryanF wrote: »

So you need more space, an extension off your kitchen.

Why are you considering a north facing conservatory? They are typically on a south elevation to capture solar gain. Facing north it will be a cold room for 6+ months of the year, unless you put a radiator in there, but that would be a waste of heating IMO.

Forget the conservatory, seek advice from a local arch who will look at your home and figure out what type of an extension might work for you.

a conservatory salesman is going to tell you their product is the best - ask them should the conservatory face the sun..

Thanks Bryan F. Budget is kind of limited to circa 20k so we had just being trying to work through things ourselves. Reason we were looking at conservatory was to maintain as much light into kitchen - it's the only side of the house we can build on.

BryanF

redsfan wrote: »

Thanks Bryan F. Budget is kind of limited to circa 20k so we had just being trying to work through things ourselves. Reason we were looking at conservatory was to maintain as much light into kitchen - it's the only side of the house we can build on.

IMHO forget the ice box
Reduce the size of the planned north facing conservatory and build a modest well insulated extension that will hold the heat- any glazing should be well placed to catch the evening or morning sun, use opaque glazing if you must. Then open up the external kitchen wall and recess the lintel/ beam into ceiling zone ( flush with ceiling level) to maximise the light.
Use Light coloured finishes throughout.

robbe

Have added both a conservatory (last house) and an extension (current house). I would never consider adding a conservatory again. The rear of the house where the extension was added was south facing and despite blinds and decent heating it was too hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Seemed like a nice idea at the time but ended up being impractical. As advised already by those in this thread who know more than me ditch the conservatory idea in favour of more practical options.

Qualitymark

On the other hand, two friends of mine have conservatories and both love the extra room and say it adds to the heat of the house in winter. One is northeast facing, the other northwest. I can attest that one house is much cosier with the conservatory; the other house was built with the conservatory so there's no before-and-after, but it's lovely. In summer they sometimes have to leave the door of the conservatory open because it gets too warm - but not often! This is Ireland!

Do any of your neighbours have conservatories so you can ask their advice and compare things?