Conservatory questions!
Discussion
I have a conservatory at the back of my house. Access is via double doors though the lounge. I want to use the lounge and conservatory as my function living area.
However, I have noted that it gets very hot on sunny a day (which so far isn’t a problem). My concern is that come winter it will get very cold.
I’d like some suggestions as to what measures, if any, I can take to improve its heat retention. Another problem that I have with it is when it rains I get a lot of noise coming from the roof – is there some form is covering that I can put on to improve its noise insulation?
All the measures to make the conservatory insulative happen when it's being built. I take it it is a proper double-glazed one, yes?
We just heat ours in winter if we want to use it: we had radiators plumbed in that work off the existing central heating system.
You can install blinds to keep it cooler but we hated the way they looked so never installed them.
We just heat ours in winter if we want to use it: we had radiators plumbed in that work off the existing central heating system.
You can install blinds to keep it cooler but we hated the way they looked so never installed them.
It sounds as though you've got a plastic roof rather than a glass one. If so, I doubt there are many practical and easy solutions to the noise of the rain.
A glass roof would be the best answer.
Depending on your budget, try getting in touch with your local conservatory/window company. (National companies will be expensive.) Ask them what it would cost to replace the plastic roof with a glass one. With a bit of luck they wouldn't need to do any work to the structure of the conservatory and all you'll need are the glass units themselves to replace the plastic sections.
Modern double-glazed glass units can be treated to drastically improve their thermal properties, which would make the room warm in winter and cool in summer. We have this on our own south-facing conservatory, which is perfectly (surprisingly) usable all year round. By contrast, a friend who didn't get the special glass treatment was forced to install blinds on his east-facing conservatory because it was too bright and hot in the summer.
Blinds cost him £2k for a 6m x 3.5m conservatory - more than the cost of the glass treatment on our one the same size.
A glass roof would be the best answer.
Depending on your budget, try getting in touch with your local conservatory/window company. (National companies will be expensive.) Ask them what it would cost to replace the plastic roof with a glass one. With a bit of luck they wouldn't need to do any work to the structure of the conservatory and all you'll need are the glass units themselves to replace the plastic sections.
Modern double-glazed glass units can be treated to drastically improve their thermal properties, which would make the room warm in winter and cool in summer. We have this on our own south-facing conservatory, which is perfectly (surprisingly) usable all year round. By contrast, a friend who didn't get the special glass treatment was forced to install blinds on his east-facing conservatory because it was too bright and hot in the summer.
Blinds cost him £2k for a 6m x 3.5m conservatory - more than the cost of the glass treatment on our one the same size.
thebullettrain said:
I have a conservatory at the back of my house...
I have noted that it gets very hot on sunny a day...
...come winter it will get very cold.
...when it rains I get a lot of noise coming from the roof...
Easy. Knock down the conservatory. Build an extension with cavity walls and a pitched tiled roof. Job done.I have noted that it gets very hot on sunny a day...
...come winter it will get very cold.
...when it rains I get a lot of noise coming from the roof...
... looks like a conservatory doesn't actually meet your living area requirements...
Size Nine Elm said:
thebullettrain said:
I have a conservatory at the back of my house...
I have noted that it gets very hot on sunny a day...
...come winter it will get very cold.
...when it rains I get a lot of noise coming from the roof...
Easy. Knock down the conservatory. Build an extension with cavity walls and a pitched tiled roof. Job done.I have noted that it gets very hot on sunny a day...
...come winter it will get very cold.
...when it rains I get a lot of noise coming from the roof...
... looks like a conservatory doesn't actually meet your living area requirements...
Huge windows and skylights are going to make it "like" a conservatory but I expect it will be quieter and better insulated...although ours isn't too bad at all, anyway given the Pilkington K glass.
I recently bought a house with a 5.5m x 5m conservatory on the back/side. I also am now starting to realise the problems with heat and cold. I,m getting a couple of rads plumbed in and have thought about changing the plastic to glass.
I want to use it as my main lounge so need to keep it warm.
What sort of money would i expect to pay? its a basic square roof (i.e 4 triangle panels iykwim).
Its a lovely large room but it does get very cold, heat isn't quite so bad as its NW facing but still gets warm (yet to have any hot weather yet).
I want to use it as my main lounge so need to keep it warm.
What sort of money would i expect to pay? its a basic square roof (i.e 4 triangle panels iykwim).
Its a lovely large room but it does get very cold, heat isn't quite so bad as its NW facing but still gets warm (yet to have any hot weather yet).
mudster said:
Just to point out that to meet with building regulations, any conservatory heating system must be completely separate from the house heating. As such, putting radiators in there running off the house boiler is not permitted. Whether anyone will notice of course......
I was unaware of that, is it a new reg? The plumber i know is belt and braces but quite an old boy now so maybe unaware.Probably a silly question but how would you heat it properly?
mudster said:
Just to point out that to meet with building regulations, any conservatory heating system must be completely separate from the house heating. As such, putting radiators in there running off the house boiler is not permitted. Whether anyone will notice of course......
I was of the understanding that it must be independently controllable from the house system ie a thermostatic valve is acceptable.As has been stated in a round about way. Conservatories are not built to building regulations and as such are not classed as habitable rooms (there should be an external door between the house and the conservatory.
A glass roof will make a difference in terms of both sound and heat insulation. Spec the best glass you can afford. Toughened K with an antisun coating.
I am no expert on building regs, it's just what I was told when I had mine built. A link here explains a little more http://www.conservatoriesonline.com/heatq.htm
I would look into it ot be honest. May only really be an issue when selling the house (just take the radiator out then!) or it may not even get noticed. I think you need to read the actual building regs to be sure.
Electric underfloor heating is an alternative and would be what I'd do if I were going through it again. I genuinely don't mean to put the dampers on anything, it's just worth making an informed decision on whether you're bending the rules a little.
I would look into it ot be honest. May only really be an issue when selling the house (just take the radiator out then!) or it may not even get noticed. I think you need to read the actual building regs to be sure.
Electric underfloor heating is an alternative and would be what I'd do if I were going through it again. I genuinely don't mean to put the dampers on anything, it's just worth making an informed decision on whether you're bending the rules a little.
mudster said:
I am no expert on building regs, it's just what I was told when I had mine built. A link here explains a little more http://www.conservatoriesonline.com/heatq.htm
I would look into it ot be honest. May only really be an issue when selling the house (just take the radiator out then!) or it may not even get noticed. I think you need to read the actual building regs to be sure.
Electric underfloor heating is an alternative and would be what I'd do if I were going through it again. I genuinely don't mean to put the dampers on anything, it's just worth making an informed decision on whether you're bending the rules a little.
I suspect our Conservatory was built to building regs: we have the Pilkington K glass throughout, cavity (dwarf) walls with insulation and themostatically controlled radiators plumbed in running off the main central heating. It also has no end of power sockets and proper lighting: it's a proper "room". It's just within the size that avoided the need for planning permission.I would look into it ot be honest. May only really be an issue when selling the house (just take the radiator out then!) or it may not even get noticed. I think you need to read the actual building regs to be sure.
Electric underfloor heating is an alternative and would be what I'd do if I were going through it again. I genuinely don't mean to put the dampers on anything, it's just worth making an informed decision on whether you're bending the rules a little.
Don said:
I suspect our Conservatory was built to building regs: we have the Pilkington K glass throughout, cavity (dwarf) walls with insulation and themostatically controlled radiators plumbed in running off the main central heating. It also has no end of power sockets and proper lighting: it's a proper "room". It's just within the size that avoided the need for planning permission.
With all due respect I strongly suspect you are wrong.You are allowed to have sockets, lighting and switches in non habitable rooms (garage for instance). As far as I'm aware you are allowed to extend your central heating system into a conservatory so long as it is independently controllable (ie thermostatic valves installed).
For a conservatory to meet building regulations (and achieve a suitable u value due to the large glazed areas) you would need to over compensate with insulation in other areas ie large amounts of floor insulation. Other considerations would also include depth of founds etc.
A call to building control will confirm one way or another.
Edited by B17NNS on Tuesday 18th May 08:01
Welcome to my world, I opened our conservatory to our kitchen last year and have spent the last 10 months trying to figure out a way to stop the extremes of hot and cold and the noise on the polycarbonate roof, google has come up with the following.
For heat/cooling, you can insert these into the roof sheets, but it looks like a nightmare
http://www.polycool.co.uk/
For the noise, you can have your panels replaced with these
http://conservatorycomfort.co.uk/conservatory-nois...
But it costs too much.
Or... get the roof replaced with glass, but for me that requires a new roof structure, so I'm sticking some by fold doors on (for the coldest months and to stop the bloody noise when it rains), and saving to put a proper roof on in the future.
For heat/cooling, you can insert these into the roof sheets, but it looks like a nightmare
http://www.polycool.co.uk/
For the noise, you can have your panels replaced with these
http://conservatorycomfort.co.uk/conservatory-nois...
But it costs too much.
Or... get the roof replaced with glass, but for me that requires a new roof structure, so I'm sticking some by fold doors on (for the coldest months and to stop the bloody noise when it rains), and saving to put a proper roof on in the future.
B17NNS said:
Don said:
I suspect our Conservatory was built to building regs: we have the Pilkington K glass throughout, cavity (dwarf) walls with insulation and themostatically controlled radiators plumbed in running off the main central heating. It also has no end of power sockets and proper lighting: it's a proper "room". It's just within the size that avoided the need for planning permission.
With all due respect I strongly suspect you are wrong.You are allowed to have sockets, lighting and switches in non habitable rooms (garage for instance). As far as I'm aware you are allowed to extend your central heating system into a conservatory so long as it is independently controllable (ie thermostatic valves installed).
For a conservatory to meet building regulations (and achieve a suitable u value due to the large glazed areas) you would need to over compensate with insulation in other areas ie large amounts of floor insulation. Other considerations would also include depth of founds etc.
A call to building control will confirm one way or another.
I moved to a house with a conservatory very well built with glass roof etc, It has blinds in the roof which help to keep it cooler in the summer and radiators for heating in the winter.
After living with it for 3 years I would if funds allowed rip it out and replace it with a sold insulated foof with large velux windows and large Bi-fold doors for opening in the summer time.
I had this arrangement in my last house and for me it is a much better alround alternative than a conservatory and the prices aren't that far apart but you end up with a much more useable room.
After living with it for 3 years I would if funds allowed rip it out and replace it with a sold insulated foof with large velux windows and large Bi-fold doors for opening in the summer time.
I had this arrangement in my last house and for me it is a much better alround alternative than a conservatory and the prices aren't that far apart but you end up with a much more useable room.
I had exactly the same problem, had a mate who was an acchitect design a bespoke conservatory, to keep costs down at the time we clad it in plastic.
It was very hot in the summer, cold in the winter and noisy when it rained, it has an underfloor heating system but I was too tight to run it because you could almost see the heat being sucked out.
The plan had been to clad it in glass as funds allowed, however I decided to fit an insulated roof using 1" insulation sandwiched between 12mm marine ply, this was clad in zinc shingles.
The result looks very 'architectural' and solves all of the problems caused by the plastic roof.
These were the shingles:
http://www.tegolacanadese.com/T11.aspx?codMenu=108...
It was very hot in the summer, cold in the winter and noisy when it rained, it has an underfloor heating system but I was too tight to run it because you could almost see the heat being sucked out.
The plan had been to clad it in glass as funds allowed, however I decided to fit an insulated roof using 1" insulation sandwiched between 12mm marine ply, this was clad in zinc shingles.
The result looks very 'architectural' and solves all of the problems caused by the plastic roof.
These were the shingles:
http://www.tegolacanadese.com/T11.aspx?codMenu=108...
My Conservatory. They manufacture a "kit" in Northern Ireland somewhere to the builder's specifications. Metre deep footings, brick/breeze block dwarf wall with modern insulation. Double glazed insulating K glass, tinted in the roof. It is plastered internally, walls painted.
Plumbed in radiators, lots of sockets.
We didn't fit blinds so it does get a bit hot and we have to open the windows on sunny days. We didn't fit automatic vents or air-con. Don't see the need.
Landscaped garden came later.
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