There are many reasons to fit a conservatory. One of them may be that you want to add a great new feature and extra space to an existing home you have lived in for years, for example when you have an expanding young family and can make good use of the space.
Another reason might be that you plan to do this with a home you have just moved into, as it offers an obvious way of enhancing it and increasing its value well beyond what you paid for it.
The second of these need not be about trying to ‘flip‘ a home (the concept of buying a property and then seeking to sell it on soon after for a quick profit). Instead, it could be a way both of enhancing the living space and adding more value for the future.
A third reason is to add space and value to a home you have lived in for some time but now plan to sell, helping you secure a better price for it. What all of these reasons have in common, however, is the potential to add extra value and space that you can enjoy yourselves, or offer to the next owners.
An Interesting-ing Time To Fit A Conservatory
There are some very good reasons why now may be the time to do it.
Summer will soon be over, so starting work soon won’t take up a big slice of the warmest season of the year (not that 2024 has exactly been vintage!), while ensuring the work is done before the cold and often stormy weather of autumn and winter sets in, by when you will want all the openings to the house to be firmly sealed against the elements.
A second reason will be very significant if you are seeking to boost your home’s value before putting it on the market. The recent decision by the Bank of England to cut the base rate may give the property market a much-needed boost after the last couple of years have seen the rate of borrowing shoot up.
While this will only make a small dent in the cost of mortgage borrowing by itself, it is a positive sign that could help oil the wheels of the market.
That said, the decision by the Monetary Policy Committee to cut the rate passed by the narrowest margin of 5-4, which suggests the decision was finely balanced (as did the minutes of the meeting), rather than a broad consensus that it is high time to slash borrowing costs.
Consequently, while getting a mortgage may be a bit more attractive, those aiming to sell a home may find it is still not easy. An attractive home improvement like a wooden conservatory could, therefore, be a major game-changer.
Why Quality In Conservatories Is Vital
The choice of wood as the structural material may be especially significant. There has been some debate in recent years about just how beneficial a conservatory is. Last year, Jan Hytch estate agent Arnold Keys, writing for the Eastern Daily Press, warned of the potential damage to a home’s value a poor conservatory could cause.
However, the key point to understand is not that conservatories have suddenly gone out of fashion and will put most buyers off; rather, it is something more subtle; that a poorly made conservatory with cheap plastic frames looks tacky and has a negative impact on a home’s energy performance rating.
This revelation was highlighted in a report by the House Buyer Bureau, which suggested a ‘naff’ conservatory could knock as much as £15,000 off the value of a home.
However, those who took this as a sign that conservatories as a whole were now out of favour and to be avoided missed the point that a very good one can still add lots of value.
As Checkatrade has noted, quality really does make all the difference in this instance between an addition to a home that will prove an enduring and desirable asset and something that will be a liability. A high-quality conservatory will add around seven per cent to the value of a property.
Because wood is beautiful and always in fashion, you can avoid the cheap look of white plastic that was excoriated in the House Buyer Bureau report, while also using a material that has excellent insulation qualities in itself.
The combination of wood and excellent build quality, with insulated and well-sealed double glazing to keep the heat out, and elements such as tinting and ventilation to stop things from getting too hot in summer heatwaves, will provide exactly the kind of conservatory that will delight all those who might use it as residents.
What is more, when house viewers come to visit they will be able to experience for themselves what a wonderful extra feature you have added.