Your home is the biggest investment you are likely to make in your life, and your conservatory is one of the biggest investments you are likely to make in your home.
With that in mind, there is a lot of pressure to ensure that an extension not only meets regulatory requirements but also meets your needs to be used for years to come and help boost the property value of your home.
That’s a lot of pressure and consideration to put into a single part of your home, and older conservatories in particular feature some unfortunately common issues that can lead to regrets on the part of homeowners, whether they organised its construction or bought the house later.
Some conservatory regrets cannot be fixed; whilst you can make the most of the space you have, you cannot make an extension any bigger without demolishing large parts of it. However, many common issues can be rectified with expert assistance and forethought.
Too Hot Or Too Cold
Whilst it is not the case that every single conservatory has temperature issues, complaints about searing heat in summer and frostbitten winters are so common that it has come to characterise an entire era of conservatory construction.
Modern conservatories tend to avoid this issue, and by using some of the techniques they use your conservatory can be fixed as well.
Improving insulation, typically by replacing the thin glass with double glazing, will stop heat getting out in winter and heat getting in over the summer, particularly if paired with a protective anti-UV coating.
Replacing a glass or clear plastic roof with a solid one will also provide a lot of benefits, and installing roof blinds or curtains provides insulation if more conventional options are not available.
Too BrightÂ
Conservatories are designed to let in as much natural light as possible, and this can be something of a double-edged sword if you have a south-facing garden.
Whilst it allows a lot of daylight, it also means that you get a lot of glare as well, something that contributes to the conservatory getting very hot in winter, as well as being uncomfortable in its own right.
Many of the solutions that reduce heat getting in, such as roof blinds, anti-glare glass coatings and a solid roof, will help with glare issues as well.
Leaking Roof
Whilst two of the main issues concern hot and cold days, wet days can be just as frustrating if water seems to be seeping into the conservatory itself through the roof.
There are several causes for this, most of which relate to either damage to the flashing or the frames, a crack to one of the roof panels or issues with the seals and grouting surrounding a conservatory.
An expert can help to fix these without issues or delays, and this can be important as the sooner you act to resolve a leak, the greater your chance of avoiding mould, damp and mildew.
They can also explore whether such a roof is worth replacing in favour of a more efficient modern roof arrangement that can improve the overall conservatory experience.