Does a Conservatory Add Value to a Property?
Conservatories may have declined in popularity, but they are still a common sight. As a result, there is a debate to be had about whether or not conservatories add value to a property. It’s not as simple as just adding a conservatory to your home and then sitting back as the property’s value skyrockets. In reality, there are a range of other factors which we will explore throughout this blog post. Things to consider include the maintenance required, the condition of your conservatory and even the climate in which you live. Here are the pros and cons of adding a conservatory to your home.
The Pros of Adding a Conservatory To A Property
- Extra Living Space
The most obvious benefit of adding a conservatory to a property is that it provides extra living space. The average size for a conservatory is 3×3 metres which helps up your property’s overall square footage. It’s worth pointing out that conservatory size can go far greater than this too.
As a homeowner, this provides you with an extra room which you can put to good use. Conservatories often offer a versatile space due to their location at the back of the property. This makes them suitable for use as a dining room, playroom, home office or an extra living room.
How you choose to use your conservatory will impact buyers’ perceived value of the property. For example, many people choose to work remotely today so a home with an office is extremely desirable. Similarly, those with young children may be seeking homes with a playroom.
- A Summer Room with Natural Light
While conservatories can be used all year round, they are particularly useful in summer. If you want to entertain guests in the warmer months, conservatories can offer the perfect space to host dinner parties or provide extra space at those summer BBQs.
Conservatories often link your garden to the rest of the home and can be seen as a space that provides the warmth of indoors with the views of outside. In summer, this gives you the perfect place to relax which can be extremely beneficial to your mental well-being.
- Enhanced Views
As mentioned above, conservatories provide you with a great space to take in views of the outdoors. This doesn’t have to be limited to summer either. For those living in rainy climates, it can bring you a little bit closer to the outdoors while still having a roof over your head.
In recent years, there’s been a growing number of homeowners looking to embrace indoor-outdoor living. Conservatories are extremely desirable to this group of people as they provide a seamless connection between the two spaces.
Read: Can Custom Blinds Help You Save on Energy Costs?
The Cons of Adding a Conservatory To A Property
- Maintenance
Conservatories require a lot of maintenance. From window cleaning to mould prevention, you will need to care for your conservatory in order to ensure it adds value to your property. A poorly maintained conservatory could actually detract from your home’s value due to the money that would need to be spent to restore it.
If you have a conservatory that hasn’t been maintained, it may actually increase the property value to remove the structure. You could choose to replace your conservatory with a more permanent home extension or refurbish the exterior of the property.
- Impact on Garden Space
It’s important to consider that some people value a garden more than they do extra living space. Seeing as a conservatory can reduce the size of a garden, it may be worth considering which of the two you should prioritise. In warmer climates, gardens become more frequently used so reducing its size to accommodate a conservatory may actually take away from the property’s overall value.
Similarly, it may not be wise to add a conservatory to a property with a small garden. This will further reduce the amount of outdoor space so you’ll need to strike the right balance between adding an extra living space and maintaining outdoor space.
- Energy Efficiency
Conservatories are notoriously difficult to keep insulated. Due to the amount of glass, it’s common for conservatories to get too warm in the summer and too cold in the winter. This is especially common in older conservatories due to the polycarbonate roofing that was used in the early days of conservatories. It goes without saying that a poorly insulated property loses value due to increased energy costs.
A conservatory loses the majority of its heat through the roof so it’s important to consider conservatory roof insulation solutions. This could mean adding aluminium foil to your roof or even replacing your polycarbonate roof with tiles. Other options for improving your conservatory insulation include double or triple-glazing windows and draught-proofing any areas that are susceptible to cold air from outside.
