TheaterFire

Does anyone actually like their conservatory?

Posted by Wickey312@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 119 comments

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Northwindlowlander@reddit

I loved ours... It was shagged, but that just meant we could treat it really badly without guilt. It became sort of inside-outside space, we grew a load of plants in it and didn't worry about spills and sucker damage and such, I did loads of messy work in it, came home from mountain bike rides covered in mud and changed in it, in winter it was a beer fridge, etc. I really miss having a bit of space that I can treat like that.
View on Reddit #87289638

Zaruz@reddit

Yes, absolutely love mine. We have our dining table in there and use it as our dining room year round. Full of plants that thrive in there, has a radiator to keep it warm in winter and is lovely in the sun. Can get pretty hot at times but with the windows open or ceiling fan on it's fine. 
View on Reddit #87174802

Impossible_Volume811@reddit

I really like ours. It’s double glazed upvc on a low brick wall. Pine floorboards and double doors facing East out into the garden, down a few steps. There a lovely feeling of light and space and we use it as a dining room and extra sitting space. Plants on wide window ledges all round. On a sunny winter day it’s lovely and warm and helps heat the house, and in hot summer days I have shade fabric either suspended inside the glass roof or outside on top. That shade really lowers the temperature. There are two skylights and opening windows all round so there’s often a cooling breeze blowing in. There are two doorways into the house, one double and one single. Both with glazed doors and thick curtains. It adds a whole extra dimension to the house with loads of light and a great view down the garden and beyond to downs.
View on Reddit #87162242

Crazy_Plum1105@reddit

It's pretty nice like 6-8 noncontinuous months of the year. Also I believe it's relatively easy to get one as there's no building permissions?
View on Reddit #87087103

danddersson@reddit

They have the same rules as a 'normal" extension now.
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DeemonPankaik@reddit

Not true. A conservatory doesn't have to meet building regs.
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RetiredFromIT@reddit

When I replaced my conservatory roof with a tiled insulated one, I did need building regs approval. I think it was to do with the additional weight of the solid roof. I do recall my guys had to dig a couple of holes, so the building inspector could check I had suitable foundations.
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danddersson@reddit

The OP said 'permissions' so I replied concerning planing permissions. I have edited to clarify.
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banxy85@reddit

That's interesting. Never used to be that way and is part of the reason for their prevalence
View on Reddit #87088699

RetiredFromIT@reddit

I love my conservatory. I had it built soon after I bought the house. Windows on two sides, facing East and South, with the North side a wall, so I had somewhere to put furniture. Originally, it had a sloping polycarbonate roof. So like many others, it was pretty nice in Spring and Autumn, freezing in Winter (I just shut the door and forgot it) and took hot in summer except it could be nice if I opened all the windows. After about 12 years, the roof showed signs of cracking, and I ended up replacing it with a vaulted insulated roof, with fake (aluminium) tiles outside. Now, the temperature is manageable the year through. In Summer, it tends to be a couple of degrees warmer than the living room, but not extreme. In winter, it can get a bit cold, so I have an insulating curtain drawn across. But if I want to use it (it has my dining table there), it only needs a small convector fire to bring it to a decent temperature, and the heat doesn't leak as it used to. Obviously, I don't heat it for no reason, but if we want a nice formal meal, or want to play board games, it is not a huge expense.
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xwell320@reddit

I don't understand what they're for, surely garden space is of more value?
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SubstantialShow8@reddit

My dad's looks great, it's wood and glass rather than uPVC and probably cost more than an extension would have 
View on Reddit #87120831

Elegant_Plantain1733@reddit

Probably wouldn't have built it but came with the house. We love it. Its on the East side of house, so is in shade in afternoon and ther3fore great place to sit on a hot afternoon. In winter its where we do the ironing and hang clothes ti dry. Spring /autumn it gets hybrid usage.
View on Reddit #87115010

xcxmon@reddit

I like mine. If it gets too cold, I turn the heating on. If it gets too warm I put on a fan. Simple lol. I don’t mind the way it looks either - it provides loads of light, is great for plants, and gives us an additional room.
View on Reddit #87087774

Accomplished_Law_945@reddit

I love mine too! I’m an outdoor person and practically live in it. When the sun is shining in winter, it’s warm and feels like sitting outdoors in the garden. Yes, it does shine quite often. Heater goes on if cold. In summer doors and windows open and again extends the garden with comfy chairs in case of rain. Aesthetically, matches doors and windows of house so what’s not to like?
View on Reddit #87114681

daisymeadows_@reddit

I completely agree. Ours has the dryer, treadmill, spin bike and two chairs in it. Installed a pull down screen to watch films on in the summer. Heats up no bother with a £5 heat fan in the winter. I’ll agree that it’s very hot in the summer so we shut it during the day but it’s like any other “second” living area to the main one - how often are they actually used?!
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terryjuicelawson@reddit

If it helps every single conservatory I have seen in my life I agree with OP but if you like yours then good for you.
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xcxmon@reddit

It does help - your opinion seems much more informed than OPs (even if I disagree!)
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Mr_Emile_heskey@reddit

This is the modern Internet, no place for critical thinking, just "I do not like this, why would anyone like this?".
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DeapVally@reddit

What are you waffling on about? Seeking additional sources to back up your hypothesis is like the very definition of critical thinking. This is a question, not just a blanket statement.
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Leonichol@reddit

Yes! But only in summer and otherwise as a bit of covered storage. Summer during the long nights with a great sunset view. Stays warm throughout. Else it is a bit of overflow and I've got the washing machine and tumble dryer in there. Saves some space in the kitchen. Like. I would never choose to build one. But since it came with the place it's quite nice to have.
View on Reddit #87087078

TruthReptile@reddit

We built ours specifically for the washing area and utility space. It's got lots of windows that can open, but it can get incredibly hot in the summer. Thankfully, we have shade cloth curtains to provide some relief they work keeping most the aun heat at bay
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feralhog3050@reddit

Mine hit 100°F/40°C the other day 😭 I popped in to load the washing machine & about melted my face off
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TruthReptile@reddit

I use one side to grow plants that love heqt so great greenhouse too. It jas its pros and cons.
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MrTechRelated@reddit

My grandparents built an extension that is basically ALL conservatory. It’s the biggest part of the house and basically extends their kitchen and it’s their main living room. Think the size of two-three hotel rooms but one room. In the winter it’s freezing and they run space heaters, and in the summer it’s scorching hot due to all the windows. It’s well done and looks lovely but my god I couldn’t live with that everyday in the summer. And then think of the cost of heating in the winter?
View on Reddit #87095727

_pankates_@reddit

Same - one came with our house and I thought we wouldn't use it, but it's a great space
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ubercam@reddit

We hated ours passionately. It was a rotten piece of shit that was pulling away from the house, leaked, weirdly shaped, all the windows needed replacing, the roof was corrugated plastic, and the outer doors didn’t line up anymore so I was afraid to open them for fear of not being able to shut them again. It was an oven in the summer and a freezer in the winter. Utterly useless. When we had the patio redone 3 years ago we asked the guys if they could take it down as part of the job and they agreed. It was super hard to find anyone who would touch the thing at all, but luckily the landscapers had some experience taking down conservatories and agreed to do it for us. We reclaimed the brick from the conservatory’s half wall to patch the hole in the house wall (bricks were a perfect match!) and got a new window to replace the original that was obviously removed. The only evidence left of its existence is a thin bit of silicon around the outline of the original structure on the outside wall. The house is warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Haven’t missed it for a second.
View on Reddit #87096716

corfugirl888@reddit

Same, I hated ours and was glad when it was demolished and we had a patio done. If I move I refuse to look at a house that has one as I have such an aversion to them now :)
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Dennyisthepisslord@reddit

Knocked mine down and built an extension instead. We can actually use that area now.
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YchYFi@reddit

Ooh la di dah a conservatory!
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yuzusnail@reddit

As a houseplant enthusiast I absolutely LOVEDD having one, the plants thrived, I (spiritually a lizard) thrived, desperately missing it now I live elsewhere. I had my desk in my last one cause there was no other space for it and it was surprisingly nice; in summer it felt like I was partly outside when the doors to the garden were open so felt less like work, winter was obvs not as great but I had a little plug-in heater next to me
View on Reddit #87103365

nfurnoh@reddit

I do now. We got one of those insulated roofing systems put on, took out the connecting doors, and now have a fully integrated 4 season dining room. Yes, it’s slightly warmer in summer and cooler in winter because of the windows but not enough to make much difference.
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stuaird1977@reddit

My father in law has a big one and he uses it aot in the warmer months. Other friend had one and ended up insulating it and put a proper roof on and made it part of his living too. area, that was a much better idea 
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GodOfThunder888@reddit

>Other friend had one and ended up insulating it and put a proper roof on and made it part of his living too. area, that was a much better idea  This is the way. A conservatory should be a proper extension to your room. We are looking at houses, and every time we see a conservatory, I think of doing this so it can be a proper dining room. If building from scratch, I'd sooner opt for an extension with large sliding doors and roof windows over a traditional conservatory
View on Reddit #87100942

jakeydae@reddit

We did that last year, new heavily insulated roof and lightweight slate tiles ( threw in a couple of velux windows for extra ventilation as well). It can still get very hot due to the amount of windows and it being south facing but doing it " properly" * with no half measures has been totally worth it. * If we'd had the money we'd have demolished it and built a proper extension but we didn't so we did the next best thing ( as far as we were concerned)
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Particular-Quit-630@reddit

And what about his conservatory?
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Mobile-Stomach719@reddit

We’ve done that, it’s now our main living space, maybe a couple of days a year when it gets too hot for use whereas previously it was impossible for weeks at a time in summer/winter.
View on Reddit #87088151

QuarrieMcQuarrie@reddit

Yes we've done the latter as well- split it in half so one side is a decent sized utility room and the other is an office/gym.
View on Reddit #87087593

Ok_Security2934@reddit

No it's useless. Too hot on the summer and too cold on the winter. Looks nice enough but realistically it's a room that can't be used for half the year
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GrumpyOik@reddit

Yes. Mine is about to fall down after 20 years, and I'm replacing it. The last few nights, with my bedroom being 30+ degrees, I've slept out in the conservatory. After 10pm, the temp really falls quickly meaning I have slept really well. Sunny winter days, frost outside, the room is a lovely place to sit by mid morning.
View on Reddit #87100567

carlovski99@reddit

Just moved into a new house with a fairly cheaply done conservatory - lean to job with plastic roofing that has got pretty dirty. Bunch of issues were flagged on the survey with it- leaking a bit, some rotting timber, insufficient damp proofing. Not quite sure what we are going to use it for, at the moment its just overflow for all the stuff we have moved in. Would use it as a utility room, but not sure the temperatures are going to be suitable. Can't afford to renovate/tear it down right now (And not for quite some time!) either.
View on Reddit #87100109

RequirementEasy4273@reddit

My mum uses hers all summer, but by November it's just where the tumble dryer lives. Feels like the natural lifecycle of every conservatory in the country.
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The-Summit@reddit

It’s my favourite room in the house! In the winter it lets me be a bit in the garden without freezing, and in the summer it’s like an oasis
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Vequihellin@reddit

Lol ours is rotting and has turned into a dumping ground. We're replacing it this year with a Hup system. Same size, just less glass. Hopefully it'll make it more usable. We're thinking of moving the dining table out there and extending the kitchen into the current dining room and adding an island for storage and casual dining. Sort of like a breakfast bar.
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CymruKimura@reddit

Yes I love it. Everyone bangs on about cold in winter hot in summer etc etc etc. Mine is back of the house in a north facing garden so doesn’t get that hot and it’s open to the house so doesn’t get any colder than the rest of the house. I love a morning coffee or lazy weekend bacon sandwich sitting on the comfy lay back chairs looking out onto the garden. It’s so light and airy, my plants love it to9. My only regret is not going bigger
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Critical_Vehicle_72@reddit

No! My conservatory is open plan, meaning it connects directly to my open plan living room and dining room without a connecting wall or glass pane between them. In winter it’s freezing and makes the whole house freezing, and in summer it cooks the whole place. It does look nice tbf but I’d like to have a stern word with whoever planned it
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terryjuicelawson@reddit

I have never seen or experienced a good one. I prefer the trend for people to extend out their kitchen with big windows and skylights as that seems like a much better space for entertaining all year round.
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CmdrButts@reddit

Nope, planning to replace it with a proper extension. But when we moved in there was a collapsing home made conservatory in it's place and we couldn't afford a proper extension. It's served it's purpose as a storage space but not a particularly useful habitable spot.
View on Reddit #87098451

1968Bladerunner@reddit

Mine has had various uses - a spare sitting / sun room, a kids playroom, a games room, a temporary bedroom, a storage area &, for the last 7 years, a WFH office. Quite early on we put in a false ceiling & insulated the void between it & the polycarbonate roof, so it's never been as cold as the first winter - I currently have an under-desk heater for wirking during the cooler months (I rarely spend more than a few hours a week working, which definitely helps). It certainly provides both light & heat to the adjoining sitting room but, during the winter, I have thick curtains over the door to stop it leeching heat from the same room. So it's a bit of a love / hate relationship really. It's been a useful space, even if overly hot or cold at times.
View on Reddit #87098219

ComfortableTackle479@reddit

I do, in autumn, spring, summer mornings and evenings, on sunny winter days it’s my favourite spot
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HatOfFlavour@reddit

Ours was terrible until we had some lads improve the roof. Before it was a drum when raining and always too hot or cold. Now it's the coolest part of the house in winter but fine with a radiator out there.
View on Reddit #87097103

SpudFire@reddit

My parents have used theirs as a storage room for years. On rare occasions it will get tidied up and used for a couple of weeks then forgotten about again. I think the neighbours cat used it more than any humans have. They're finally looking at getting the roof replaced with a normal one and converting it so it will be more of an extension than conservatory and shouldn't get quite so hot or cold so more usable throughout the year.
View on Reddit #87095844

SterlingVoid@reddit

I like mine, use it 12 months of the year. It can be abit warm in the summer if I've not been in it, but I just open the doors and put the fan on in reverse and it's cool pretty quickly
View on Reddit #87094617

gcw1980@reddit

Mixed bag for me. I use it as my home office but it is unusable for 3 months of the year due to the cold. There is a radiator in there but even if it is on all day and night, it doesnt heat it adequately enough. I installed one of this internal ceilings which is supposed to equalise the temperature and keep it cool in summer, warmer in winter - only very marginal results to be honest. When it is very hot i.e. this week I open the doors and all the windows and it makes it bearable. It's probably 30 years old and I do think about ripping it down and adding a newer one but just dont think it would be worth it
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Worldly_Wafer_6635@reddit

I mean, it's really good for drying clothes, to be honest.
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Darkgreenbirdofprey@reddit

I simply dislike other people's conservatory.
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BaBaFiCo@reddit

A conservatory was one of my showstoppers when we were looking to buy our first house. Absolutely pointless wastes of space. Had one growing up and it was the devil's armpit in summer, you couldn't watch any screens in it because of the sun, and then freezing in winter.
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Gatecrasher1234@reddit

I like mine. Yes, it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it is great in the spring and autumn and I get to enjoy looking at my garden.
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MrPogoUK@reddit

Our neighbours either practically live in theirs or never go in and don’t realise they forgot to switch the lights off, as it’s often the only room in their house that’s illuminated after dark.
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Budget_Tree_2710@reddit

We got some solar panels in preparation for plug-in becoming legal. They were so big and heavy there was no way I could mount them on a wall as was the original plan. To get them out the way I lobbed then onto the conservatory roof, what a game changer! No longer a furnace inside, still quite warm but no longer inhospitable and producing electricity!
View on Reddit #87091876

bartonfinkster@reddit

My mum has one on her bungalow and I don't know how they did it but it's perfect pretty much all year round to the point that they've taken the internal doors off do it's just an extension of the living room now. Has a bottom layer of brick walls couple of feet high then glass, in a semi octagon shape.
View on Reddit #87091385

MinimumSilver5814@reddit

I hated ours. We just used it as extra storage.
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Apprehensive-Till910@reddit

I love mine. It came with the house. It has modern radiators so usable in winter and is north facing so usable in the summer. It is half dining room and half art studio.
View on Reddit #87091329

simiesky@reddit

Knocked ours down to make way for an extension. We only used it for hanging washing. People I know who have had the warm roof things fitted say they make a big difference.
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catmadwoman@reddit

I had a new roof put on and it made all the difference in the world. Just like a real room feeling now.
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Mr_Emile_heskey@reddit

My parents have one and it's used all year round. In the hotter months they have a big net that goes over the door and with all windows and door open it keeps a pleasent temperature. In the colder months they have a plug in radiator that heats the space up nicely, and we'll hang up a projector and watch films and play games. Honestly it's one of my favourite parts of their house. I've spent many hours hungover on the comfy couch that's in there.
View on Reddit #87090765

thelotuseater13@reddit

Love ours. It's our dining room, used every day all year. North facing so only really gets super hot on really hot days like this week. Otherwise is fine. Big sliding door open all day for air flow if needed. Have an electric radiator installed for the winter which does the work sufficiently. The spiders eat the flies so not too fussed about them 😅
View on Reddit #87090616

kifflington@reddit

My Dad built one years ago on the back of their house, all done himself with advice from a builder friend, made from mahogany with a terracotta tiled floor. It looks genuinely nice and, while it is too hot in the height of summer, in the spring and autumn it's great and on a sunny morning in the winter it's lovely to have breakfast out there. It helps they live in one of the classic 1930s semis that had French doors on the back anyway so it sort of naturally flows into the conservatory, that they included a small radiator and that they kept the room in proportion with the main house.
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julesharvey1@reddit

Love ours but we have had the roof changed to one of those insulated tiled ones and makes a massive difference and is usable all year now
View on Reddit #87090536

EyeAware3519@reddit

I rented a house with a massive conservatory a few years ago and used it every day. It was built well, had heating and food ventilation and came with views of the Cotswold hills.
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A_In_Wonderland@reddit

We have a one (brick walls, plastic roof) that we’re in the process of re-roofing and extending upstairs, so it’ll be a proper two rooms. Getting some good tips from these comments!
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Substantial_Road_122@reddit

I inherited one with the house I bought. I hate the plastic frame. I replaced the glass roof with a solid insulated one (after a lot of research as I was sceptical) and now it’s usable all year. My conservatory is open to the kitchen and a snug with a log burner. I’m not sure being open meets building regs but it’s been there a while so was legally ok during the sale. If I decide to stay here long term I’ll knock it down and replace with a full-width green oak framed extension. The plastic one is an affront to my 15th Century house.
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Old-Newspaper125@reddit

Our catches the sun all day in winter, so is quite warm on a clear day. Summer fine with doors/windows open
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XenonTease@reddit

I like and use mine probably around 9 months of the year (use it as storage from mid-Dec to February-ish). It doesn't look that out of place on the back of the house and love sitting in there when it's raining. It's south facing and I have both sets of doors open most of the time for airflow. Yes there are days when it's roasting but I just... don't sit in there for hours on end basking. My cats and dogs absolutely love it too.
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Pinecone_Porcupine@reddit

I like growing flowers and veg from seeds and the conservatory has ended up being used as a greenhouse. It’s handy as I don’t have much space in the garden for an actual greenhouse.
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Roxygen1@reddit

I don't have one but have stayed in houses with conservatories and I love sitting in one while it rains. Impeccable cosiness.
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city17_dweller@reddit

The experience of having the heat break with a thunderstorm while in a consevatory is a great experience, just intensely dramatic. Wish I'd been awake enough last night to stagger down here in the storm.
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Puzzled-Job9556@reddit

If you have a proper roof put on, it makes a very big difference and becomes a usable room.
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Strange_Cranberry_22@reddit

It’s fine, but gets ignored for most of the year. Ours has a crap plastic roof so it overheats or gets cold. Tried drying the clothes in it but it made the furniture mouldy. It will need replacing with something at some point, trying to decide whether to replace with a solid roof one in an attempt to use it more, or just borrow more on the mortgage get a proper extension. Probably the latter as we need more living space anyway and would rather have something properly useable.
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Gauntlets28@reddit

I like it so much as it represents more storage and an opportunity for a utility room in the near future.
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city17_dweller@reddit

Sitting in ours right now since the upstairs is unbearable... I like it fine when I can use it, but it's definitely seasonal. Would I have had one built? No. But I wasn't against buying one with, it's an extra bit of house... it's an older one, and I wouldn't say scruffy, but definitely not top-tier build, and at this time of year it's uninhabitable after 11.30am but really nice in the morning and at night (I sometimes come down and sleep in here if it gets horrible upstairs). The idiots who had it built put a radiator in here, but that's never on since it's hardly insulated - in winter it just has the Christmas tree in it, which frees up floor space in the living room, and it looks really nice in here with the lights on. The cats use the conservatory more than I do, to be fair, but it's not wasted space. My biggest concern is that its going to combust one day during a 40 degree heatwave.
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NuclearCleanUp1@reddit

Conservatories are useless. I am considering demolishing it and replacing it with an extension.
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DeemonPankaik@reddit

This is like saying "fiestas are useless, I'm considering a Mercedes" No, a conservatory isn't as good as a complete extension. But it's about a quarter of the price.
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flags_fiend@reddit

I did this. It was expensive and took several months but I love my extension - it's so much nicer and more useful than my previous conservatory (which was already there when we bought the house).
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eca3617@reddit

Exactly the same. Do you know what the rules are around planning permission? So if you're to keep the dimensions the exact same, does it require planning? Or is it just if it's to be extended?
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Hunter037@reddit

Look into "permitted development"
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eca3617@reddit

Thank you, will do.
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PengyLi@reddit

Yes! We inherited quite an old one with our house but about 5 years ago had the roof changed to a darker polycarbonate which blocks some of the brightness and heat in summer and also provides insulation in winter. We had the interior walls (half brick) plasterboarded and skimmed and painted. Insulation on the floor and then new flooring. Cost under £2000 (5 years ago) and has turned it into a 2nd sitting room that we use almost all year round.
View on Reddit #87088728

feralhog3050@reddit

Mine is basically a fancy porch, and I have my washing machine & tumble dryer in there, as well as a couple of drying racks for clothes. But that's what I built it for, and it frees up space in the kitchen. My folks used to live in a house with the World's Worst Conservatory, which i'm convinced the original owners built just so they could say they had a conservatory: it was off the garage, and on the shady side of the house, so constantly damp & home to a large population of woodlice. There was space for maybe one chair in it.
View on Reddit #87088711

nerveagent85@reddit

Ours was unusable until we replaced the windows and put an insulated roof with roof lights on. We use it as the dining room now, it’s just part of the house.
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OutdoorApplause@reddit

We have a big one and use it year round. It's got all the toddlers "big toys" in it and she doesn't care about the cold. It's only unusably warm 5-6 days a year. It heats the air up coming into the house so we can have the doors open on a sunny day in winter without losing heat, and from March to October we basically have the door permanently open for the dog and toddler to free flow in and out of the garden and it's never too cold in the house.
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elizzybethh@reddit

I have one that came with our house, but it has a solid roof which definitely helps. It has 2 radiators so fine in winter. It’s a bit hotter in summer than the rest of the house but keeping the windows and door open solves that. It’s my home office and a great place to keep my large collection of houseplants. I love working from home overlooking the garden.
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insertitherenow@reddit

Ours is just used for storage. It was 55c in the there yesterday.
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itsableeder@reddit

My soon-to-be in-laws have a really nice conservatory but the only person who uses it is my cat when we take him to stay there. I assume they got a lot of use out of it when they were younger and had two kids in the house but these days it's just got plants growing in it.
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Blackstone4444@reddit

In the summer (outside of heatwaves), it’s great. We open doors on two sides and eat meals in there and it’s easier than eating outside (also more consistent). In the winter it’s a nightmare so don’t use it. I would just prefer to have the extra space…
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Hot_Photograph_5928@reddit

100% agree.   It took the general public a long time to figure this out.    A conservatory basically devalues your house now.  You spend about 40k and it reduces the house value by 100k?  Terrible idea
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YchYFi@reddit

Ooh la di dah a conservatory!
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lookhereisay@reddit

My in-laws got a warm roof for there’s and now it’s much more useable during the whole year.
View on Reddit #87088252

Adorable_Orange_195@reddit

I prefer a sun room (with solid roof) or an orangery (with small section of the roof vaulted and glazed) as they help reduce such extreme fluctuations in temperature & don’t seem to attract as many creepy crawlies.
View on Reddit #87088247

ambadawn@reddit

My parents have one and I agree with you. Too hot in summer, too cold in winter. The summer house on the other hand, that is nice.
View on Reddit #87088170

Acubeofdurp@reddit

Absolutely shit idea added onto a shocking amount of our shitty housing stock by boomers. From a building perspective its a disaster, all the downsides and what do we get? A heat sink of a storage space that stops us maintaining the very thing that keeps the rain off our heads.
View on Reddit #87088120

Pumpytums@reddit

We have a garden room lots of windows but a normal roof very usable all year. My parents had a conservatory it was like a furnace even with the reflective tape they put in the roof voids. You might as well have tur6it into a green house. My brother in law added a suspended ceiling and insulation to the roof to his conservatory makes it quiet usable now. I suppose it depends on the aspect north or west facing might be the best.
View on Reddit #87088081

Unhappy-Giraffe-563@reddit

Love and hate it ! Hate it for obvious reasons but love the light and visibility of garden. Love watching the wildlife first thing in morning
View on Reddit #87087814

Active_Definition_57@reddit

My parents had one built shortly after buying their new build bungalow in 1990. Useful for drying as others have mentioned. It was quite common when I went round to find Mum was sitting in it reading, maybe with the radio on, while Dad was in the lounge watching TV. It got enough sun that it was pleasant on a bright winter's day. Could get too bright for my liking in summer even if I didn't find it too hot. It had a sliding door and opening windows in the sides and roof.
View on Reddit #87087706

Glum-Implement-1701@reddit

I’ve changed a few to insulated tile effect roofs , customers are able to use it all year round as a part of the house instead of a few weeks of the year. I don’t know how they became so popular !.
View on Reddit #87087658

SleepySloth2468@reddit

I have one as it came with the house. Previous owners used it as a second living room as they loved the sun however it’s so hot in summer it gets unbearable. I use it for my exercise bike as in summer it’s ok with a fan directly on me and in winter its freezing so ok for exercise. Other than that it’s just extra storage room which was so helpful in the pram stage. If it wasn’t there we would have extra garden space but tbh we wouldn’t utilise it so a conservatory is helpful. Saying that I wouldn’t have one if it wasn’t already here and I’m reluctant to pay for one of those insulated roofs.
View on Reddit #87087640

Forsaken_Bee3717@reddit

Mine has full height walls, so just has a glass roof and back door. It also has central heating and is north-facing so doesn’t get too hot or cold. I use it as a normal room. My next door neighbours have cheaper ones with corrugated-type roofs and they look awful.
View on Reddit #87087633

Left_Set_5916@reddit

Had two houses with one both times they where just used for storage. The cat loved them though. Near 180 degrees of the back garden and nice and toasty in the summer and he wasn't bothered by the cold.
View on Reddit #87087606

pineappleandpeas@reddit

South facing none insulated conservatory with full glass walls as roof. It's entirely useless in winter as it's freezing, was nice when it was about 12-16 degrees out, and now it's like a furnace which heats the rest of the house in this heat. It's a rental so we can't do anything about it. We've had to take everything out of it as shoe glue was melting, bike oil was drying out, all plants shrivel and die. Surfaces were too hot to sit on. If we owned it, and could add an insulated roof, some UV film and proper ventilation it may be nice. I also wouldn't position it in south facing so it's in direct sun all afternoon.
View on Reddit #87087568

Ok-Professor-6549@reddit

Yes they're good. Extends useable outside time in the spring and autumn when it's not quite warm enough to sit around outside but is still nice. Also useful as a place to dry washing essentially outside if tis raining and don't want to put a tumble dryer on. Aesthetics wise it suffers from the same architectural blight as the rest of the UK built environment: white PVC
View on Reddit #87087545

Rare-Quantity5503@reddit

Added a proper roof to mine and an aircon unit lives in that roof. It just became another room rather than a useless room.
View on Reddit #87087428

CynicalRecidivist@reddit

Ours is a poorly constructed freezing cold space in the Winter to boiling hot oven room in the Summer. We just use it as overflow space. Have seen better constructed conservatories be much more useful in other houses. Would love to knock it down and start again, with an orangery or extension room.
View on Reddit #87087333

DIY_at_the_Griffs@reddit

After I replaced the roof, door and windows with fully insulated replacements and made it a normal room, yea it’s great. Before that, it made the whole house too hot or too cold.
View on Reddit #87087204

SpinnakerLad@reddit

I love my conservatory, nice cozy space to sit and relax and read a book, listen to some music, enjoy a late night whiskey etc. We do have one with an insulated roof which definitely helps on the temperature front. Aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder I guess, mines hardly an architectural marvel but looks fine to me.
View on Reddit #87087195

Most_Selection_7575@reddit

Depends on the conservatory, I've seen both lovely ones and awful ones. It wouldn't bother me if a house I liked had one or not. Mine has one and it didn't even figure when I was deciding whether to have it or not. I don't use it for the reasons you state, but it's great for drying clothes when the weather is unpredictable 🤣
View on Reddit #87087190

guzusan@reddit

Yep love ours. We’re in a mid-terrace so it’s a lean-to conservatory that makes great use of what would otherwise be a neglected alleyway to the garden and outbuildings. Currently stores a LOT of crap while we renovate the house, but we’re really looking forward to clearing it and getting a table a chairs set up in there.
View on Reddit #87087183

absolutelyfatulous@reddit

I would love a conservatory, but I mean a proper conservatory. Too many are as you say badly constructed and are basically a greenhouse tacked onto the house. My experience of conservatories at friends and relatives homes are those with a proper tile roof and insulation, with radiators. Those are lovely and are used regularly. I have many fond memories of visiting my grandparents and we'd sit in the conservatory after dinner. And when it rained....lush.
View on Reddit #87087177

SkipperTheEyeChild1@reddit

My mother’s is great but she heats it in winter and has an automatic ventilation system for the summer (fans and the ceiling windows automatically open and close).
View on Reddit #87087162

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View on Reddit #87084396