Conservatory Advice

[davidc1986 10]

Is it possible to have a conservatory that is usable all year round? We want a play room for our kids and a loft conversion or extension would be too expensive.

 

My garden is north facing so the back of the house, where the conservatory would go, gets very little sun on it so i don't think we would have a problem with it getting too hot in summer.

 

I think our main issue would be heating it in winter. I was wondering if advancements in glazing and poly carb roofing might have improved insulation? Does a glazed roof offer better insulation than a poly carb? Was also thinking of under floor heating.

 

If people with conservatories could reply saying whether there's is usable all year round and what sort of material and heating was used that would be very helpful.

 

Thanks

David

[jsmith2009 10]

hi i would have a full small extension as we got a conservatory and its cold with a rad . ta jeff

[doubletop 10]

What about a guardian roof on top of the conservatory frames ,there well insulated ,you could also have velux windows in the roof ,there more expensive than glass and polycarb.

[jane91 10]

I'm guessing a guardian roof is the same as a Supalite Roof, they are expensive but are good.

A heater to radiators will help and a glass roof rather than polycarbonate will be better

[andrejuan 10]

At my last house, I had a 10x10 off the dining room. It had a 2 foot dwarf wall and triple roof by Sheffield Window Centre.

It got the sun in the morning.

The plan was to have the heating extended and a radiator fitted, as it turned out it was never needed. The existing French doors were constantly open and the warmth filled both rooms.

[Jomie 30]

Over the years we have had a polycarbonate roof, a double glazed glass one and now Guardian. With your requirements, my advice would be to steer well clear of polycarbonate.

 

The glass roof was expensive and although we found it warmer, despite it facing north east, the conservatory was too hot in summer and there was too much glare. It was cold in winter and we had two double radiatiors, one very large. We could not use a computer or read comfortably in there. Having said that, ours was not solar glass - I understand that this is a good product but have no experience of it.

 

Now we have the Guardian roof and this is our first winter since installation. It is absolutely fantastic. What we have now is an extension, not a bolt on room as it used to be. In summer it remained cool and comfortable enough to sit in (no air conditioning needed) and right now I have no heating on in there. The door between it and the lounge is open and there is no draught at all. Last year I would have had to close the patio doors. It needs hardly any heating as the heated air from the living room warms it up. It is quiet and comfortable, particularly when raining heavily.

 

As has been said, it is expensive but so is glass and this is much better IMO. You don't have to have a company to install it. We saved a great deal of money by buying the roof and having it fitted.

[mmitchell 10]

We've got a air conditioning system in our conservatory and we use it all year round. This is the system I installed.

http://www.cooleasy.co.uk/product_wall.htm

Edited December 29, 2014 by mmitchell

[dongle 10]

We have a 6mtr x4mtr orangery on the back of the house which is also north facing, we have also removed the 3mtr wide patio doors so it's open plan to the kitchen, we had heat reflective aqua glass fitted in the roof and the rooms heated with a 5 foot radiator, we use the room as a second sitting room and it's used everyday of the year, no problems with it being to hot or cold.

[John Lake 0]

Yes, there's a cost effective alternative to getting a solid tiled roof, which is to have your conservatory roof insulated. Sagars 365 are a Yorkshire based company and they did my conservatory. It makes such a huge difference, and can definitely use it all year round now.

[top4718 838]

Ours was like a freezer in winter and a sauna in summer, air con sorted it.

[John Lake 0]

Yes! Sagars 365 did mine. It's insulation from the inside and it makes such difference, best money I've spent. We can now use our conservatory all year round.