What Will You Use Your Conservatory For?
You also need to think about the purpose of your conservatory. Is it a breakfast room; a family dining room; another living space; a home office or a playroom? Once you’ve decided what you’re going to use the conservatory for, you’ll know which furniture you need to fit. A dining table for eight and space to pull all the chairs back obviously demands a bigger room than a couple of chairs and a side table. Make sure you know and use the internal floor dimensions when you think about what furniture you can fit. Ask your supplier for this as well as the external size. Before committing to a buy it’s also a good idea to mark out the area your conservatory will occupy as a visual check on its effect on your home and garden.
Glazing, Cooling & Heating Options
Forget to plan how to keep your conservatory at a comfortable temperature year-round at your peril. You could end up with a room that’s so cold in winter you won’t want to open the door to it, and so warm in summer you could take a sauna. Building regulations specify the U-value of the glass you need to use in your conservatory. This measures the amount of heat that can pass through the glass, but as well as abiding by this, you’ll need to think about how the position of your conservatory will affect the inside temperature. For a south-facing conservatory, ask your supplier about solar-control glass, which will reduce the heat inside the room. Particularly in a north-facing conservatory, consider having low emissivity (low E) glass to reduce the amount of heat lost. Electric underfloor heating is an option to make the room comfortable in winter, or you can heat your conservatory by using your existing central heating system. For this option, you need to consider the additional cost of plumbing work. Blinds will also help control heat and glare, so don’t forget to allow for the cost of these when you’re budgeting.
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