Conservatory heat!

We are just about to embark on a solid roof for our conservatory, which we feel is the right way to go.

Had a glass roof on conservatory and had a heat exchange air conditioning unit installed. Cool in summer, warm in winter. 3 years ago had a solid roof installed. Really good, hardky need air conditioning or heating now.

www.szdragonglass.com/building-glass-products/insulated-glass/ you can link this website

Without a doubt a solid roof is the only way to go, but make sure that the roof is 'seamless'
We have the system that was used on the London Aquatic Centre ( Olympics)

Oh, and ours has a solid wall to the south and the house to the west, but still got unbearable. So glad the law has changed so we could have the insulated solid roof which we’d have had in the first place if we could’ve.

Ours is quite big and faces east. One year, while we were away on holiday, there was a short hot spell when temperatures at home reached the low 30s. We got back to find the wax had melted on an old table and dripped onto the wood laminate floor - which had lifted in several places. Also the nylon string holding a picture up had melted and the picture was smashed on the floor. The books in the bookcase were still quite warm in the middle despite the heat wave having passed several days previously! All this with a polycarb roof with special stuff layered inside which was supposed to keep out the heat, side windows left securely with a slit opening - but there was no wind, so no draft - and heat reflecting blinds on the side windows.

We investigated several options. Automatic opening roof lights, stick on film (only keeps out 10%), blinds and several sorts of solid roof. We decided on a mid range solid roof with non-opening skylights each end in the hips (can’t be opening or have blinds due to being a weird shape). It’s made such a difference. It still gets hot when closed up, but not nearly as hot as previously and stays warmer in winter so we use it far more. Strangely the room seems just as light and the kitchen, which looks into it, gets more light from the skylight.

Our conservatory is more the size of a large porch. There is room in it for 2 seats and a small table when DH isn't using it as an extension to his greenhouse. We are enjoying, and needing the heat in it to ripen the cucamelons he has planted. They have taken over one end completely.

Telly we would have needed to replace it with a very significant extension (growing family size) and since we would have needed to fund all the building work upfront, we just didn’t have a six figure sum to do that.

If it had been more usable space, plans for conversion could have involved something other than “take down and start again” for the whole space, but it was just too much in the end. We couldn’t have lived there for about six months whilst all the work was done either.

It was both cheaper and easier to get saddled with a giant mortgage and move

The back of our house faces NE so the conservatory works fine in summer a warms the rest of the house, we have a large radiator in so pretty warm in Winter.

Muffin - surely it would be cheaper to remove the conservatory than move house? We took ours down a couple of years ago, made all the difference.

On the strength of seeing ours, my son also decided to put a solid roof on his. He has not regretted it either.

Hmm my Conservatory is large and impressive and was and is a great space. We do use it all year round but as Panache says even with multiple french doors etc. open, it still gets very warm. I do love the space but as the roof needs replacing in the near future it seems like a good time to alter the space as in make a second wall full height blocking out the sun when it's blinding. The roof isn't really an issue except it's at the end of it's life so I'm going to take the opportunity to update it by either going for a solid roof with lantern or solid roof with velux windows, haven't decided which yet. It was built in 2001 so it's due an update and there are many more options available now. It's a good solid building not some cheap kit form and I consider it an investment. Have a look on line you'll be amazed at how different it can look and a lot of conservatory companies offer upgrades as I found when looking for ideas to replace the roof. I'd prefer to use my original builder but he's not great with ideas so it's either a case of showing him what others are offering and getting him to do the work or opting for a conservatory company. It's got to last a long time and it's expensive so obviously I don't want to make an expensive mistake.

We must be very lucky , we've just had an orangery built with a lantern roof with solar reflecting film. We leave the skylight open , open all the windows and doors and then open the in the old part of the house and generally that's enough of a breeze to make it a useable space.

The only thing we have struggled with is the setting sun coming in as it drops and being a dazzling distraction. But Ive made a sail type contraption on 2 wood poles and we just move that around to suit. Was just a few metres of cheap fabric and 2 bits of wood.

We have a conservatory, which with its peaked glass roof gets sun from early morn to dusk, and although has french doors on opposite side plus multiple opening windows AND thermal roof blinds intended to keep heat IN in winter and OUT in summer....... the usual temperature there this summer has been the high end of 90%

Having always wanted one it was our pride and joy!

However never again,by all means opt for a solid roof with velux windows and enjoy living in there throughout ALL the months.

We live and learn!

I'd guess a solid roof is more expensive than blinds but they're not dust collectors either. Most companies probably arrange finance too. It's something I shall look into when I replace my Conservatory roof, the installer has tried to persuade me glass will be fine but I know what I don't want just have to find what I do want lol easier said than done when I think well if I'm spending x amount I might as well spend a bit more and change it to an orangery.

We had a solid roof fitted and it has been worth every penny. It is considerably cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter than previously.

Exactly you can have a solid roof fitted and have velux windows with blinds fitted also to allow light in when it's not so hot.

We had a glass conservatory roof till one of the panes cracked for a reason no one could understand. We went for a solid roof last year and I can thoroughly recommend. It means the conservatory is usable both in very hot or very cold weather. Unlike when we had the glass roof. The tiles are resin so not weighty.

Why would you want to use a conservatory when it is hot? We spend most of the time outdoors when we've finished the chores.

We do have a solar reflective roof on ours, but even so it gets warm if shut up. We close the blinds to keep the sun off the furniture, open the doors and get a good breeze going through the house.

This summer is unusual - we have found our conservatory invaluable in normal British summers - it's just like sitting in the garden even when it's raining outside.

Mine is so bad its a major reason we are moving.

We had no success with roof film, but since ours has no opening windows and faces into the sunlight all day, I don’t think roof film alone would have helped much.

Basically we bought our house in the autumn and only later discovered that an idiot had essentially fitted a large greenhouse to the back of the house