Conservatory - ideas and suggestions?

[zico]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a conservatory, but have never looked into it previously. A lot of conservatories I see on people's houses are pretty ugly, have discoloured and unsightly roofs, and have a fairly high material/glass ratio.

My ideal conservatory is basically a glass box on the side of our house, to give the feeling of being out in the garden, but I suppose there will have to be some non-glass bits in it to stop it falling over.
Cost isn't that much of a factor, but I'd just like something that will look good, and won't get shabby after a year or two. It will probably be a small conservatory by most people's standards, about 6m wide by 2.5m deep.
Planning to use it just to get a place with more natural light for when it's too cold to be out in the garden.

Any thoughts/ideas/pitfalls to avoid?

[Itsallaguess]

Any thoughts/ideas/pitfalls to avoid?

Get a 'proper' tiled roof, with a good level of insulation underneath it, with maybe a couple of medium-sided velux's in there depending on your lighting situation...

You want as much glass in the sides as you can, but there's no need to turn it into a greenhouse that's too uncomfortable to sit in during the warmer summer months, and a glass/perspex roof will do just that...

A colleague at work employed a structural engineer to design a steel frame in the sides of his conservatory, rather than the more traditional brick/block supporting structure, as this allowed much more glass into the sides, and removed a lot of what would have been view-blocking 'brick width', so this might be something to consider too...it was money well spent as far as he was concerned, and the final job was a joy to behold...

Also consider underfloor heating for the winter months. Other heating options are available, of course, but you may want to consider a number of options, and as many people like to have tile flooring in these sorts of spaces, then that does suit an underfloor heating option sometimes, even as a possible 'belt and braces' consideration on top of a more normal 'radiator' option as well - but if it's something that might appeal to you, then it needs to be 'in the plan' from an early stage, given where and how it would be installed...

Make sure you understand local drainage pipework in the area being considered at too. It's surprising how many people realise too late that they need a git-big access point in the middle of their floor to get to drainage rodding-points etc.....forewarned is forearmed....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[Gerry557]

I think it's fairly covered above

[Mike4]

There is a spectacular all-glass conservatory on a high level platform extending out towards the River Thames, just south of Oxford. Around Moulsford IIRC.

By 'all glass' I really mean that. Other than the concrete platform base there is no visible support for the 8ft glass panels it comprises, they look as though they are purely bonded together along the edges. It's been there for at least 30 years.

I've tried googling for photos but can't find any... not a lot of help really, was it!

[kiloran]

We had a conservatory/sunlounge built about 20 years ago. We wanted an all-year-round room about 6m x 4m with lots of light, and were very wary of the all-glass variety being too hot in summer (too hot!!!?? in west-central scotland?) and too cold in winter. We went for a well-insulated slate roof, and built it on a well-insulated concrete raft with a bunch of low-level radiators plumbed in to our central heating. Floor is ceramic tiles.

It still gets quite warm in summer (it's south facing), but we have high-level opening windows all round which lets a reasonable breeze through (accompanied by flies ). It's warm enough in winter and it's a nice light, airy room.

More than happy with the end result

--kiloran

[DrFfybes]

IAAG seems to have covered it, but just to add that you should consider where it is, what side it faces, how it links to the house, and what is above it.

Flat and plastic roofs (rooves?) are very noisy when it rains, especially at 3am if your bedroom is next to it upstairs.
Will it be open to the lounge, or have bifold or patio doors leading into it?
Whcih side is the prevailing wind? We get bombarded with Westerlys coming across the fields from Wales, so big windows are great for sunsets but not so much in winter. We're thinking of triple glazing that side of ours when it is built.
MrssF wants a sleek steel and glass box affair flooded with light with full width folding doors, I want a 2 story extension so we can have an en-suite above for the bedroom.

Paul

[zico]

Thanks for helpful replies. Conservatory would be roughly east-facing, getting the sun from morning until 1.30pm in height of summer, so being too warm wouldn't be a problem (as we'd simply sit outside in warmer days) but too cold in winter might well be a problem. Access would be from an existing glass door in our lounge, and I don't think we'd need another door in the conservatory to step out into the garden.

Possibly a daft question, but if the conservatory got very warm in the summer, would this then also heat up the main lounge? The glass door in our lounge is a tilt'n'turn, and is the only window in our lounge that we can open, apart from a very small (45cm x 30cm) top-light window, which might mean that our lounge becomes too hot on the hottest of summer days, unless we have a couple of windows in the conservatory to avoid it getting too warm.

[richlist]

Air con installed would keep temperatures where you want them......solar panels would mean it won't cost anything to run.

If you get inverter air con units you can run them in reverse to provide heat in the winter.

[Lootman]

Possibly a daft question, but if the conservatory got very warm in the summer, would this then also heat up the main lounge? The glass door in our lounge is a tilt'n'turn, and is the only window in our lounge that we can open, apart from a very small (45cm x 30cm) top-light window, which might mean that our lounge becomes too hot on the hottest of summer days, unless we have a couple of windows in the conservatory to avoid it getting too warm.

We have a south-facing all-glass conservatory, and it would heat the room next to it (the kitchen in our case) except that we installed a double-glazed sliding glass door between the two. This means we can see out into the garden from our kitchen, and it keeps the kitchen cool even while the conservatory is hot.

And it does get hot. I have a sauna thermometer in there as a normal thermometer doesn't go high enough. It can be cooled by opening the doors and windows, as long as you don't mind the odd cat coming in. Or if you want to be flash then install some blinds that operate electrically, or even thermostatically.

[Mike88]

My only advice is don't have a conservatory with a polycarbonate roof. Polycarbonate is so difficult to clean with the panels in situ.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

I'm seriously thinking about getting a conservatory, but have never looked into it previously. A lot of conservatories I see on people's houses are pretty ugly, have discoloured and unsightly roofs, and have a fairly high material/glass ratio.

My ideal conservatory is basically a glass box on the side of our house, to give the feeling of being out in the garden, but I suppose there will have to be some non-glass bits in it to stop it falling over.
Cost isn't that much of a factor, but I'd just like something that will look good, and won't get shabby after a year or two. It will probably be a small conservatory by most people's standards, about 6m wide by 2.5m deep.
Planning to use it just to get a place with more natural light for when it's too cold to be out in the garden.

Any thoughts/ideas/pitfalls to avoid?

We've lived in our home for 26 years. Over the last decade I've thought about adding additional space to the rear elevation. This elevation is South facing. Our lounge is at the front of the house. North facing .

I've tinkered with different thoughts and solutions. Ultimately it isn't about getting more living space but about obtaining some privacy and the thought of South facing really does interest us greatly. We've determined that the cost of a small addition won't be much less than something larger. I'm a QS so I should know the cost to build very well. Currently the project is on hold as we don't have the sort of funds needed to complete the work and we don't propose to take on a mortgage to pay for it.

Many will approach the idea of additional space and not come out after the process with anything they felt worthy. So the time to get this right is now. If this is a throw away room for use in summer then a conservatory it is. If it's something else then the design will have an impact upon cost. And budgets may then have an impact upon design.

You have said that cost isn't an issue. It could become an issue afterwards though if the design and input isn't thought out from the outset. I've huge concerns about any conservatory (or indeed space) that faces East. This will be a "cold" room regardless of the time of year. That can be overcome by the correct use of heating and insulation.

I use the word "cold" above in relation to a conservatory type space. I suspect (but cannot be sure as I don't have enough detail) that you should be looking at something more along the lines of an Orangery or even a simple extension. There are triple glazing products on the market with U-Values (resistance to heat transfer) of about 0.6 which for glass is exceptional I believe. It's expensive though.

Can I go back to my "wish" please? I hope it allows you in some way to transfer the "thought process" in a meaningful way. The single story single room will be 12 x 6m i.e. the full width of our home. It will have a raft concrete base and use steel as the structural support. It will have a flat roof to prevent neighbours from complaining at planning stage and the roof will be finished with GRP and parapet walls with three orangery glass ceiling lights. The sides will be timber frame and cladded. To the rear will be three sliding doors. These will sit flush between patio and living space.

Inside will be a kitchen, informal dining area and lounge area. The existing lounge will become a bedroom and the existing dining area an ensuite. The existing kitchen will redundant and could be used for coats, storage or something we haven't thought about yet.

Not cheap. But if the "wish" is to be turned into a successful reality and not a financial and emotional catastrophe then that's what has to be done.

It differs from someone who wants an extra bedroom for their children growing up and as such places a completely different perspective upon the budget.

I think reading your post that's where you're at. I think you need to get into some really fine detail and go over your plan until you really are sure that if you turn the sausage machine on, that you get sausage at the other end

Please pm me if you feel I can be of any help.

AiY

[Nimrod103]

Unless the conservtory faces west or southwest, I think it is unlikely to get too hot in the summer. Polycarbonate on the roof is very noisy when it rains - get glass, slightly tinted.

With a glass roof the structure has to be strong because of the weight. Also consider how you will access the roof and gutter above (ours is difficult of access, but not much we could have done about it).

Recognize that conservatories tend to be higher maintenance than a normal room, with a higher risk of rain leaks over time. It is a trade off for being able to sit in comfort in Spring, Autumn, as well as cool Summer evenings.

[scotview]

We've had a conservatory for 20 years. We are in the NE of Scotland and it has provided a great means of getting lots of daylight. Some observations which may, or may not, be useful.

It has, until recently, been too cold to use in the winter months, even though it has two radiators. We recently installed a dedicated zone valve/digital thermostat for the tv lounge/conservatory. The difference has been amazing and the conservatory now heats up within 10 minutes of opening the conservatory radiator valves, due to the boiler shoving all it's heat to the conservatory heating circuit. This has really extended our use to 12 months of the year and after sundown.

I am not too sure how practical underfloor heating would be, due to the thermal inertia of a slab floor. You want to have the heating come up to temperature quickly when you wish to use the conservatory. Continuously heating a slab floor doesn't seem sensible.

It faces North West. This seems to be an ideal aspect due to minimal morning exposure and maximising evening sun. Evening is our popular time to use it.

Our roof is polycarbonate and is almost self cleaning, possibly due to the Edwardian style slope. The roof is bronze tinted and I doubt we could sit in it for more than half an hour if it had been a clear roof. We did have moss removed from the sheeting lower voids a couple of years ago.

I think putting a solid roof on a conservatory defeats the purpose. It is there to provide light. A solid roof cuts daylight significantly.

We have an Ikea, white, 3 seater sofa (good for lounging !) and ikea birch frame chairs, very minimal. I dont understand folkies building a conservatory and fitting it out like a dining room. The Ikea furnirure has stood up to high temperatures and no bleaching problems.

We have access via a double glazed patio door from the tv lounge. This seems to keep summer heat from the rest of the house. It also has the advantage of being able to listen to the hifi in the tv lounge, controlled from my mobile.

Hope this helps.

[Lootman]

I think putting a solid roof on a conservatory defeats the purpose. It is there to provide light. A solid roof cuts daylight significantly.

Agreed. As long as you can clean the top surface of the glass easily, which in our case we can as there is a bedroom window directly above it.

We have an Ikea, white, 3 seater sofa (good for lounging !) and ikea birch frame chairs, very minimal. I dont understand folkies building a conservatory and fitting it out like a dining room. The Ikea furnirure has stood up to high temperatures and no bleaching problems.

Yes, I learned early on that putting a black item of furniture in there is a bad idea. Over the course of just one summer, it bleached and started cracking. So a white sofa is best. And agree to buy cheap stuff as items wear out and fade fairly quickly there.

Same with rugs, which we have over the tile floor. As we have a door in the conservatory going out into the garden, I tend to tread a lot of muck into the conservatory as well.

We have access via a double glazed patio door from the tv lounge. This seems to keep summer heat from the rest of the house

Same here. And on a chilly but sunny day, you can open those doors and get some radiant heating into the house. Maybe not in NE Scotland though