Conservatories, Opinions Please!

Love ours- it extends the Summer warmth well into Autumn when the sun shines in late Sept/early Oct, and similarly its lovely to sit in when the sun shines in early Spring, but its still chilly out. Use it as a playroom too when the grandchildren come.

Well, we were in our 30s when we bought our first Conservatory, hardly old.

We are older now and it’s still as useful.

I love mine, I had it built in 2001 and then partly demolished and rebuilt in 2018. I had to replace the roof anyway so decided to remodel at the same time including replacing all the windows and doors. I live in a large house and added a large conservatory which doesn't house a washing machine or junk. It's an extra room and it's very useful. It faces north and has heating which is very rarely needed. It's obviously warm in summer but never boiling it has lots of high opening windows and also roof vents. No blinds, they're pointless and dust collectors. Anyway I don't care what anyone else thinks I love it and I'm very glad I have it.

We spend a lot of time in ours. I really like the extra light it gives me all the year around. Big comfy sofas that we sit in to read or whatever. It extends the year by months as the sun warms it up considerably. We do have heating and shading of course, so we use it all the year around. Every visitor nearly always gravitates to it.

I have a lot of houseplants to create a jungly affect.

I live on the south coast and the conservatory faces south west.

Why on Earth would you put white goods into it?

Whitewavemark2

We spend a lot of time in ours. I really like the extra light it gives me all the year around. Big comfy sofas that we sit in to read or whatever. It extends the year by months as the sun warms it up considerably. We do have heating and shading of course, so we use it all the year around. Every visitor nearly always gravitates to it.

I have a lot of houseplants to create a jungly affect.

Ditto but without so many houseplants because some have got scorched!

It was 23/24C in here today although it became cloudy this afternoon.

No tv, no radio, just peace and birds twittering.

Anyway I don't care what anyone else thinks I love it and I'm very glad I have it ?

We chose to keep a glass roof and I love to watch the clouds scudding and weather changing.

Whitewavemark2

Why on Earth would you put white goods into it?

You may well ask. But a little stint on Rightmove shows it’s quite the thing.?

Whitewavemark2

Why on Earth would you put white goods into it?

Where else to keep a handy G&T or a crisp, chilled Sauv Blanc? ?

Never had one, a couple of days a year when it’s brilliant sunshine, but freezing cold, I think a conservatory would be nice, but otherwise not really interested.

I think it's the light I like - it lifts the spirits

My mother was talked into one by a very enthusiastic young man who had cold called her.
He was really excited at having got a potential sale and wanted to arrange a surveyor’s appointment. Mum had one last question for him “I’m on the sixth floor son, that won’t be a problem will it?”
She disliked cold callers.

We are lucky to have huge amounts of glass here - floor to ceiling windows and bifold doors. A window cleaner’s dream.

My son and DiL have a conservatory. Cannot say they really need the extra space as just the two of them in detached 4-bed house ( two en-suite). However, a couple of years after they moved there they had the roof re-done with those special resin tiles, giving it a normal looking flat ceiling,.

It has proven very useful over the past couple of years as both now work, almost entirely, from their home. One bedroom upstairs has always been fitted out as an office/library, so DiL uses that, and son then fitted part of that conservatory into an office for himself.

Both have their breakfast together, then go to their offices for their days work, meeting up again in the evening. Took their cat sometime to come to terms with someone being around all day, every day.

Couldn’t be without ours. We use it all year round and in the cold weather, it is lovely to sit with the sun warming it through. Don’t need the heating on.

I wouldn’t be without my conservatory. It has almost doubled our living space - we went for the biggest one possible! It has wooden floors with underfloor heating and we ‘live’ in it all year round. We have our dining table in there. Two things to consider when building a conservatory are the orientation and shade. Ours faces south west which is perfect. Also we have two smallish trees nearby which provide natural shade, so it never gets unbearably hot. My favourite time of day in there - when the sun is setting behind the trees after a bright sunny day and the conservatory is filled with beautiful warm, orange, dappled shade. Perfect for a relaxing evening G&T

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I love ours - it's the perfect place for weather watching

We have a sun room with fully insulated self cleaning, dark grey roof, insulated brick walls and lots of glass, we also have spotlights in the plastered ceiling, it comes off the kitchen and we use it all the year round.

When I’ve been to friend’s houses with standard conservatories the interior room which it’s built against always seems dark. Seems like a cheap way of extending the house to me.

I will not be popular for agreeing with you Farzanah.

Not all Conservatories are equal and not necessarily cheap either. My first one cost 18k in 2001 and the remodel was 24k in 2018. Although some of the quotes were over 45k. Admittedly it is larger than average but has a full glass roof so doesn't make the inner rooms dark and dingy. Obviously a cheap conservatory with a dark polycarbonate will make for a noisy roof and darken the inner rooms. Each to their own obviously if you don't like them you won't want to install one but those living with a good quality one will have a different point of view.

Farzanah

When I’ve been to friend’s houses with standard conservatories the interior room which it’s built against always seems dark. Seems like a cheap way of extending the house to me.

The room which ours is built on to has another window .....

Farzanah

When I’ve been to friend’s houses with standard conservatories the interior room which it’s built against always seems dark. Seems like a cheap way of extending the house to me.

Our house didn't need extending but we just like the lovely light conservatory with windows facing three ways.

Nor was it cheap

FlexibleFriend

Well said - each to their own.