Conservatory far too hot/cold.

[Derek G.]

We have a conservatory built across the back of the house that was purpose built as a conservatory with planning permission / building consent (not as a permitted development).

For the last 6 months it has been too cold to use, OTOH in summer the temperature in there can get to over 77 c.

Currently the roof is of double glazed panels. In order to be able to get some reasonable use out of the place for more of the year I'm considering insulating the roof and fitting a ceiling of hardwood boards.

Some of the neighbours have already done something along these lines.

Might there be a big problem with the Council wrt building consent etc? The neighbours would not be unduly troubled by formalities such as that. Any other pitfalls ?

Derek G

[Owain]

That's fairly typical.

If you do this you will lose your 'conservatory' exemptions from Building Regs and have to comply with full building regs, including (particularly) thermal insulation.

Owain

[chris French]

In message , Derek G. writes

Pretty normal. Though even a little bit of sun, even in mid winter will soon warm ours up (DG K glass roof and walls, on brick dwarf wall). A fan heater does a good job though of warming it up in a pretty quick time when we want to use it and it's cold.

Temp in summer sun is helped by fairly good ventilation (2 large window openers and 2 auto roof vents, and also by the old grape vine which gives a good shade as the roof is efectively all covered.

Still gets too hot though, that's how it is.

You will lose the exemption on BR for conservatory, esp. insulation requirements. Whether youa re bothered about this is up to you.

Alos you will cut dowmn on a lot of the light coming into adjoining rooms - you might want to do a try out with some black paper or something taped to the roof.

[cynic]

Roller blinds will help a lot in the sun, at the end of the day its basically a glorified greenhouse.

[sm_jamieson]

I've seen roller blind type affairs that go outside (probably only practical on lean-to). These will deal better with the heat than blinds inside. Simon.

[Skipweasel]

I have a hat for our conservatory. It's made of silvered mylar like a giant (and somewhat thicker) space-blanket on a couple of sticks. When you need it you put it on one end and unroll it to the other end. It's a faff, but it beats roasting. Made it years ago 'cos I happened to find the mylar at a boot sale.

[Man at B&Q]

Blinds need to be on the *outside* to be truly effective. Try greenhouse shading paint for a quick reversible fix.

MBQ

[ARWadsworth]

A room with no purpose.

Why do people have them?

[Huge]

So you can have the "sitting outside" experience when it's raining or cold.

[Skipweasel]

Ours is a godsend, and the three or four months of the year when it's too cold we really miss it. This isn't a big house and it's like having an extra living room - we virtually live in it all summer.

I might connect the underfloor heating when I replace the HW tank, but even then I probably couldn't bring myself to actually turn it on.

[Derek G.]

We were sold it by a pig ugly, stinking rotten, lazy idle, lying bastard salesman (Ghod I hate salesmen), as a lot of room for the money.

Derek G

[chris French]

We use our loads - well we have this last year since we replaced the old rotting and falling down Victorian with a new one. It gets used loads during the autumn/winter /spring - our kids have a table in there that has always got some current craft project etc. on it. It only takes at most a modicum of sun to warm it up, or a blast with a fan heater if we want to use it and it's cold.

an nothing nicer than sitting in there whit a cuppa and a book/newspaper reading and looking at the garden. I try to do it most days

Ok, in summer in the middle of the day it can get rather to hot in there for comfortable sitting, but then why would I want to be in there then anyway - better outside in a nice spot. but mornings and evenings it's lovley

[Derek G.]

Daughter (24) is a student teacher and has class projects to prepare. She goes in there in the evenings to set up for the next days work. She's in there now (midnight) but is having to work in an anorak + gloves to survive despite having an 8ft x 2' 6" wet CH radiator plus a

2kw fan heater, plus a 42" flat screen telly (On all evening), and still it's cold! Her elder brothers won't use it from Ca. Nov 5th till springtime. I think it's because it's a lean-to format and has a high ceiling at the peak up in the cold roof. It is incidentally 100% double glazed with sealed units.

This is also why I think fitting a well insulated ceiling at a point half way up may be the best way forward.

We may as well go outside.

We find it handy in summer even if it's too hot and can't be inhabited.

[Skipweasel]

As others have pointed out, this means it's no longer a conservatory and may well fall into a different planning box.

That's not to say you shouldn't do it, just be aware of the consequences.

[Doctor Drivel]

A conservatory is not permanent living space. It is for plants. Blinds can keep the heat down. Abandon the room in winter.

Installing insulation is against the regs as you are making permanent living space.

[Doctor Drivel]

Myson convector heaters are the only real heating answer for them. They heat up quick and when turned off the heat is gone. I know some who use these and only switch when someone uses the room as you would an electric fire.

[Doctor Drivel]

So you like it then.

[Doctor Drivel]

Try and get it converted to a proper extension with a proper tiled and insulated roof with some proper insulated walls. A light and airy room. PP may be required.

[Skipweasel]

Though the lady from our planning department[1] said that she knew perfectly well we were building an extension and that provided it jumped through the conservatory shaped hoops she a) didn't mind and b) couldn't and wouldn't do anything to stop me.

That's not as silly as it sounds - there were some minor details of the application which could have caused a snag if they'd been inclined, but her opinion was that the houses in this area need a bit of extra space and the council weren't about to stand in the way of owners improving them.

[1] Not strictly necessary, as the lady who came to view the site explained, but she though I was sensible to do it anyway - the minor expense probably worth the resilience to complaints and actions later.

[Derek G.]

Yep, maybe something different, but as I originally said, it was built with Planning Permission & Building Consent (not sure as exactly what?) not pushed through as a permitted development as a conservatory.

ISTM an insulated ceiling inside and shutters on the outside of the windows is the future.

Presumably if I can just sit tight in it for a number (N) of years once it's done I'll be "Asbestos".

Derek G