Conservatories for many are a great idea that turns into, if not a nightmare, at least a seriously flawed space.
The dream is they will be a great extra space, perfect for enjoying the summer days in a room which is sunny, relaxing and the perfect spot to read a good book with a glass of wine.
People also hope their conservatory will be a bit of the outdoors, indoors.
All too often though they are too hot, a virtual sauna in the summer, then in winter only enjoyable with the heating on full blast.
However, you might know the flaws already. The question is, what can you do about it?
Here we look at a few options.
This might seem a radical option, but sometimes it pays to see a bad job for what it is and go back to square one.
If you got the conservatory to be extra, usable space but it's actually just extra, unusable space then upgrading to an extension might be a practical option. Of course, there is a high cost to this and it might feel like throwing good money after bad, it might not even be an option financially.
However, if your finances allow, it would at least leave you with a functional space and one which might come close to paying for itself in terms of adding value to the property. This option does though mean not only that the money spent on the conservatory was a waste, but you're also going to be paying for someone to remove the bulk of it...
Some people with flawed conservatories come to the conclusion that it is never going to be the space they wanted it to be, so what practical use can the extra square footage be put to?
Storage is hardly the most attractive of options, but the benefit is that by dedicating one room to storage it can free much of the rest of the house from clutter.
It doesn't have to be unordered, messy storage either, by having some units fitted you can get books, toys, crockery, even pantry items stored and so leave the lounge, kitchen and other rooms that bit clearer. It's not why you got the conservatory in the first place, but it is a use it can be put to, rather than leaving it as a reminder of what you thought it might have been.
You might well have tried this already – using everything you can to try to keep the conservatory cool on those hot summer days (the days when you really want to be enjoying the conservatory...)
There are products on the market, some claiming to be made specifically for conservatories. There are fans, blinds, even special covers for the roofs and windows. On mild days these can have an effect, but it is unlikely that any combination of fans and blinds will make the majority of conservatories a pleasant space on the hottest if days. The flaws of glass and polycarbonate roofs are too profound.
Realising the problems inherent with conservatory roofs, we developed a product that simply replaces the glass or polycarb roof with a solid, tiled, lightweight alternative.
The existing roof is removed, the new roof installed and you have a usable conservatory, and one that looks more like an extension as there are a range of roof styles and colours available.
The key benefit of the replacement roof is that your conservatory is suddenly usable all year round and becomes the best space in the house when the sun shines.
But we don't want to give it the hard sell here - there is plenty of information on the site if you are interested. Whatever you do decide to do, rest assured there are some options to turn a bad conservatory into something a bit more palatable.
