Is it worth having a conservatory

[eitherofus]

Do the windows get condensation and too cold to use in winter.

[LoftyLottie2]

Not if you have a double glazed conservatory. Ours is south facing and really warm on a sunny winters day. Ours has a 2' 6" base wall which I feel makes it more of a useable room. I wouldn't be without it.

[Gormless]

I had a new conservatory 3 years ago. I don't use it in the winter because it doesn't make sense to. In the summer however it is a dream. Go ahead, you won't regret it, especially if South/West facing. You can grow tomatoes and chillies to your heart's content.

[KARL]

This seems to me a slightly curious question. For sure, conservatories have been a fashion concept for a lot of people but nevertheless they are genuinely popular with probably the majority of those who have them. Due to the British climate being rather cold (you don't see anything like the number of these things where it is warmer), the greenhouse effect makes for a pleasant ambiance both in terms of glass surroundings and warmth on a day when it is sunny and therefore you actually see beyond the glass. Equally, a typically dreary day is not as threatening seen from a conservatory. That said, unless you have double glazing, good insulation, shading for truly warm days and heating for October-May, you will not be able to enjoy it in the cold period unless in a jumper and even full outdoor clothing. Condensation is something that the British fear greatly and often suffer from, while foreigners don't including those living in Britain. This is mainly due to enormous British reluctance to heat their space constantly. Heating is generally timed and in between temperatures plummet (making it an effort to bring them back up and more expensive also). The sight of people hugging a mug is uniquely British. Additionally, people in Britain open their windows to 'get some fresh air in' even on the coldest days. This is probably a carry over from the days of one coal smoke filled room with everyone crowded into it, and also TB precautions. Heat a properly built conservatory with the house when it is cold and it will be a true extension of the home with no condensation.

[LoftyLottie2]

An extra bonus in the winter is that the south west facing conservatory on the back of our house heats up with the sun and cuts down our heating bills tremendously. This morning the door from the conservatory to the house was open and the sun streamed through. I enjoyed my breakfast in there.

[eitherofus]

It would be a north/west facing one. So probably very cold in winter. You have to have seperate heating - not running from the house heating. Building regulations - I have already made enquiries! So it would be storage heater (which do NOT emit heat all the time, or air/con unit for heating too. Does anyone know if these units are expensive to run?

[Kenzie]

We don't get condensation with ours but personally I wouldn't opt for a conservatory again because of temperature extremes. Too hot for us (personally) to use in summer and very cold in water which is costly to heat as we only have an electric wall heater. So, we use maybe spring and autumn. A lot does depend though on the way you face. Leaving the sliding doors into the house open is a Catch 22 as the adjoining rooms cool down very quickly. We had storage heaters on the Economy 7 tariff and wouldn't ever have them again - we found they didn't retain the heat long enough to keep us warm and limited control. My preference would be for a sun room as opposed to a conservatory - base wall, windows all the way around so you get in plenty of light and have a good view out and a tiled roof. Definitely link up with your house central heating if you can with a radiator.

[lilacben]

It is the best thing we have ever done. !! We built ours about three years ago and did away with doors on the house. So we have a through lounge/conservatory. As for heating there is a oil filled heater and only when it was a very very cold snap the other week did we need it on. Even then I only had to turn it up to 3. When it gets warm enough it shuts off until the temp. drops again. And as far as expensive we havent really noticed much extra in our bills. Then of course in the summer it is nice as the air go's through the house. We do have blinds on the roof and side windows, And in winter keep the roof ones pulled so the heat stays in. We face north.