conservatory as a living room

[johnad]

is it possible to use a conservatory as a living room
this will free up another room to use as a 4th bedroom
the conservatory will be a new one i have yet to order
and as so will be up to date
also what if i wish to take the doors off so it cant be closed off from the house
many thanks

 

[2scoops0406]

is it possible to use a conservatory as a living room

Yes

i wish to take the doors off so it cant be closed off from the house

That's against building regs.

 

[PE]

is it possible to use a conservatory as a living room
this will free up another room to use as a 4th bedroom
the conservatory will be a new one i have yet to order
and as so will be up to date
also what if i wish to take the doors off so it cant be closed off from the house
many thanks

Yes but you will need adequate heating/cooling to use it year round. Consider what way the room will be facing (north, south etc) as this will also affect the usability of the room. North can be quite cold as no direct sun but south can be far too hot with all day sun

We have an open plan conservatory from the kitchen/dining room and it is a great open plan space but heating bills are quite large so beware!
We are considering putting some fold back doors between the conservatory/ dining for winter time in future

Think you would definitely need planning permission if you are looking to go open plan. Check with planning dept

 

[johnad]

thanks for the info
it would be east facing and i can easily add plenty of radiators
whats the best way to keep it cool in the summer, ?
if i have it built across the back of the house could it be used as a kitchen ?
i have a small kitchen at the moment which can easily make a 4th bedroom so is it better to make the conservatory the living room and making the exsisting living room a kitchen or just make the conservatory into a kitchen diner. ?
and at the end of the day will a good conservatory be cheaper than a
extension ? (and less work)

 

[johnad]

also what are the regulations regarding conservatoires
is there a lower limit on the amount of glass and the hight of the brickwork
or is it just classed as a conservatory if it has a glass roof
thanks

 

[PE]

Hi
Sure there are others on here far more qualified to talk about planning issues but I believe if you wish to use it as a kitchen you would certainly need planning permission and you might want to (have to?) consider a proper brick built extension rather than a conservatory for this use.

Remember that just because you add lots of radiators doesn't mean the room will be warm. Conservatories are notoriously bad at keeping heat in due to all that glass and upvc

I would personally choose to have a brick built extension with lots of windows and possibly skylight type windows to let the light in - and indeed that is what we will do in due course once our conservatory has reached the end of its useful life

For cooling you can get fixed/portable air conditioning units, ceiling fans, fanlights inthe conservatory roof - really depends on how hot it gets in there

 

[noseall]

so long as there is an external spec door separating habitable from conservatory, then building control (nowt to do with planning) are happy, though they do frown upon you using the same heating system. even on a regular extension, theres a limit to the amount of glass per floor area that you can have.

 

[joe-90]

You will need planning permission if you use the room as a kitchen as it is no-longer a conservatory.

Better going for an extension with a lot of windows and a couple of Velux in the roof. It will add far more value to your home. Not only that you would struggle to reach the required insulation values for a room if it was really a conservatory with a cooker in it.


joe

 

[noseall]

if the floor area of your conservatory is going to be greater than 30msq then you will need planning permission (planning deal with the enviromental impact of a building i.e. taking light from your neighbour, increasing 3bed to 4 bed hence the need for greater parking capacity out front, change of useage from dwelling to retail business hence the need for delivery traffic, parking, neon signs etc.) if your serious about gaining more habitable space,then i agree with the guys, cut down on the heating bills and have a propper extension built. conservatories are just glorified sheds.