A conservatory with a glass or polycarbonate roof is often nothing more than a source of regret.
They are too col in the winter, worse still they become unusable in the summer too, the heat radiating turning them into virtual saunas.
This is why when you Google 'conservatory too hot' you are hit with 10.2 million results. It's a common problem.
It's natural to look for a solution and conservatory blinds often seem a promising option. Do they turn the conservatory into a great space and all at a reasonable cost?
Sadly, not really.
Let's look at the cost first. Here things can vary greatly – the independent What price website put the figure for conservatory blinds at anywhere from just under £1,000 to a figure north of £3,000 – obviously it varies depending on how thorough a job you want to do, how much of the conservatory you want the blinds to cover.
It is also worth noting that the comparisons were from a decade ago and that in the comments section many people spoke of quotes of £7,000 or £8,000 for a full set of conservatory blinds. Maybe they have enormous conservatories, but this seems steep (and shows the value of always getting a few quotes...)
Whatever the cost is for any particular conservatory, let's say it's an average of around £5,000, this is not money that will be reclaimed when you sell the house. The blinds might look nice, they might have some effect, but they aren't a feature a would-be buyer is going to spend £5,000 on.
Given this, there has to be considerable short term benefit to getting the blinds, they have to make the room far more usable.
Sadly, they don't really work in this area either. They create shade, they make the room look nicer, they add privacy, but they do not effectively cool the conservatory.
The review here is insightful – the purchaser actually seems fairly happy with the blinds in that they created that more private setting in the evening, removing that sense of being studied by the neighbours. He also admits that he spent close to £2,000 and then had to spend more on other solutions as the blinds didn't make the room cooler. To quote, “it was still blazing hot”.
Conservatory blinds are not without purpose, but they seem an expensive way to just get a bit more privacy and to end up with a room that you still can't use during any warm summer day.
We believe there is an alternative. It's going to involve plugging our own product, but please do have a read – after all, it is the only product of its type with full Local Area Building Control approval.
We make the Guardian Warm Roof, this is a solid, lightweight, tiled replacement roof that can be fitted on to any existing conservatory structure. The old roof comes off, the new one goes on and immediately you have a conservatory that is usable all year round.
That might seem like a big claim, but it is one backed up by the fact that it is our roofs that saw regulations changed Until 2010, conservatories had to have either a glass or polycarb roof. Our work in developing a roof that was proven to make the room usable all year round is why regulations were changed and lightweight, replacement roofs became permissible.
If you'd like to know more, please have a look round the site, you can even get an obligation-free online quote.
We'd also like to quickly mention two other benefits of the roof (while we have you!).
They come in a range of styles and subtle colours. This means there is a conservatory roof to match every type of property, the conservatory goes from being bolt-on to a sympathetic extension.
Finally, the change makes financial sense too. Independent research by AECOM has found that the typical homeowner will save £200 per year o their energy bill post conservatory roof replacement.
Better still, it is work that often pays for itself and more besides. While would-be buyers aren't going to add £5,000 on to their offer just because they like your conservatory blinds, the fact that a conservatory has been turned into usable space with a variety of potential purposes really does make the property more desirable.
If you would like to discuss the options for a new roof, perhaps get a quick quote or be put in touch with local, approved Guardian Warm Roof installers please do get in touch with us on 0800 0665832.
