Cost-effectively updating an ugly 1980s conservatory
Discussion
Like a lot of houses, ours has a naff 1980s conservatory, the type sometimes called Victorian, ie it's a stupid 5-sided lantern shape necessitating a fiddly "roof" (corrugated plastic, natch) capped off like they all are with a twiddly uPVC trim.
For all its datedness, it is - incredibly - weatherproof, functional, and very useful extra space.
We don't have the money to pull it down and start again entirely, so I've been thinking about cheaper options. For example, taking it down to the dwarf walls and replacing the glazing, and replacing the roof. I'd like to simplify the shape a bit, ie give it a rectangular roof, but of course we're stuck with the walls still being the 'lantern' shape.
Two solutions seem possible:
1) glazing follows the walls, but a rectangular roof is put on top
I've seen this somewhere (see photo) and it sort of works, but would those oversailing corners sag over time?
2) square off the glazing, so there'd be large triangular windowsills sticking out into thin air, which would need to take the weight of the glazing and roof
Has anyone done this?
For all its datedness, it is - incredibly - weatherproof, functional, and very useful extra space.
We don't have the money to pull it down and start again entirely, so I've been thinking about cheaper options. For example, taking it down to the dwarf walls and replacing the glazing, and replacing the roof. I'd like to simplify the shape a bit, ie give it a rectangular roof, but of course we're stuck with the walls still being the 'lantern' shape.
Two solutions seem possible:
1) glazing follows the walls, but a rectangular roof is put on top
I've seen this somewhere (see photo) and it sort of works, but would those oversailing corners sag over time?
2) square off the glazing, so there'd be large triangular windowsills sticking out into thin air, which would need to take the weight of the glazing and roof
Has anyone done this?
Voodoo Blue said:
We went from this
to this 5 years ago
It's steel framed and compared to a standard UPVC conservatory it wasn't cheap but it's useable all year round and we spend most of our time in it in the evenings when we're at home.
That's nice, but a bit posher than I had in mind! (and wasn't a weird shape)to this 5 years ago
It's steel framed and compared to a standard UPVC conservatory it wasn't cheap but it's useable all year round and we spend most of our time in it in the evenings when we're at home.
It sounds like we went around the same loop as you, trying to improve but keeping the cost in check. In the end we decided to go the whole hog based on the fact that the exiting footings for the old conservatory were no longer within newer building regulations, we wanted something a little bigger and a building that was genuinely useable all year round. In the winter its like being in the garden (I'm sat in it now typing this, watching the birds in the rain) but nice and warm, in the summer with all the doors open it's like the garden is part of the house.
The other key factors were cost and time. We initially started looking at getting an orangery built but after doing a lot of research, unless you were spending a lot of money on oak framed or aluminium they were really no better than a glorified conservatory which we didn't want and generally don't last as long as the more robust options. The time factor was based on how long we intended staying in our current house and at the time the answer was indefinitely. On that basis it made more sense to invest in something more permanent and flexible so jumped in and did it.
We definitely ended up with something a bit quirky and it's not to everyone's taste but for us that was the point. Do something useful but also unusual and we're really pleased with the end result though I realise not everyone thinks the same way.
As mentioned above, before spending anything have a serious think about what you really want, how long you're likely to enjoy the finished product and is the cost involved worth it to you. Once you've done that you'll likely end up with a good outcome.
Good luck.
The other key factors were cost and time. We initially started looking at getting an orangery built but after doing a lot of research, unless you were spending a lot of money on oak framed or aluminium they were really no better than a glorified conservatory which we didn't want and generally don't last as long as the more robust options. The time factor was based on how long we intended staying in our current house and at the time the answer was indefinitely. On that basis it made more sense to invest in something more permanent and flexible so jumped in and did it.
We definitely ended up with something a bit quirky and it's not to everyone's taste but for us that was the point. Do something useful but also unusual and we're really pleased with the end result though I realise not everyone thinks the same way.
As mentioned above, before spending anything have a serious think about what you really want, how long you're likely to enjoy the finished product and is the cost involved worth it to you. Once you've done that you'll likely end up with a good outcome.
Good luck.
Edited by Voodoo Blue on Wednesday 11th February 10:52
Voodoo Blue said:
It sounds like we went around the same loop as you, trying to improve but keeping the cost in check. In the end we decided to go the whole hog based on the fact that the exiting footings for the old conservatory were no longer within newer building regulations, we wanted something a little bigger and a building that was genuinely useable all year round. In the winter its like being in the garden (I'm sat in it now typing this, watching the birds in the rain) but nice and warm, in the summer with all the doors open it's like the garden is part of the house.
The other key factors were cost and time. We initially started looking at getting an orangery built but after doing a lot of research, unless you were spending a lot of money on oak framed or aluminium they were really no better than a glorified conservatory which we didn't want and generally don't last as long as the more robust options. The time factor was based on how long we intended staying in our current house and at the time the answer was indefinitely. On that basis it made more sense to invest in something more permanent and flexible so jumped in and did it.
We definitely ended up with something a bit quirky and it's not to everyone's taste but for us that was the point. Do something useful but also unusual and we're really pleased with the end result though I realise not everyone thinks the same way.
As mentioned above, before spending anything have a serious think about what you really want, how long you're likely to enjoy the finished product and is the cost involved worth it to you. Once you've done that you'll likely end up with a good outcome.
Good luck.
Without being crass and asking for a view on costs involved here, I'm assuming this was north of £40-50k?The other key factors were cost and time. We initially started looking at getting an orangery built but after doing a lot of research, unless you were spending a lot of money on oak framed or aluminium they were really no better than a glorified conservatory which we didn't want and generally don't last as long as the more robust options. The time factor was based on how long we intended staying in our current house and at the time the answer was indefinitely. On that basis it made more sense to invest in something more permanent and flexible so jumped in and did it.
We definitely ended up with something a bit quirky and it's not to everyone's taste but for us that was the point. Do something useful but also unusual and we're really pleased with the end result though I realise not everyone thinks the same way.
As mentioned above, before spending anything have a serious think about what you really want, how long you're likely to enjoy the finished product and is the cost involved worth it to you. Once you've done that you'll likely end up with a good outcome.
Good luck.
Edited by Voodoo Blue on Wednesday 11th February 10:52
(Just to help the OP decide if he's looking at a more budget conscious solution etc)
MattS5 said:
Without being crass and asking for a view on costs involved here, I'm assuming this was north of £40-50k?
(Just to help the OP decide if he's looking at a more budget conscious solution etc)
Pretty much yes, the biggest cost was the glass which was about a third of the total. The finished internal measurements are about 3300x 4300. An orangery of similar dimensions was roughly half the cost for UPVC but 2-3 times that for Oak or Aluminium.(Just to help the OP decide if he's looking at a more budget conscious solution etc)
I suppose the biggest difference was that we had to do something as the old conservatory was more than 15 years old, had started to leak and wasn't very heat efficient. On top of that I read several times while researching that UPVC conservatories were now seen as a negative addition to a house so unlikely to recoup the costs of replacement and could actually reduce the overall value of the house. Whereas we're likely to get the cost of the extension we ended up with back if we ever sell. This seems borne out by recent valuations.
Hope that helps.
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