Conservatories are often renowned for being cold in the winter, making them unusable at certain times of year. The answer is a conservatory conversion – turning a conservatory into a room you can use all year round. But how do you do it, what does it cost, and can you turn a conservatory into a room without planning permission?
In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how to turn a conservatory into a room with one simple solution. We’ll also cover the costs, the planning rules and the legal considerations involved with converting a conservatory.
✅ Key takeaways
A conservatory conversion is the process of upgrading an existing conservatory so it performs like a proper extension of your home – warm in winter, cool in summer and usable every day of the year.
In most cases, a full conservatory conversion doesn’t mean knocking anything down. The frames, walls and base of your conservatory usually have plenty of life left in them. The weak point is almost always the glass or polycarbonate roof, which leaks heat in winter and traps it in summer. Replace that with a solid, insulated roof and your conservatory becomes a real room.
If you’re weighing up what to do with the space, we’ve covered plenty of conservatory conversion ideas – from home offices and playrooms to dining rooms and snugs.
Conservatories are one of the most popular home improvement projects in the UK, thanks to their timeless design, low cost and ease of construction. However, traditional conservatories are poorly insulated, meaning that they can be too cold to use during the winter months.
After you’ve spent time and money on building a conservatory, it can be very disheartening to find that you can’t use it all year round. Converting your conservatory into a room makes the space usable throughout the year, giving you the extra living space you dreamed of – without the cost or disruption of an extension.
Read on to discover how you can convert your conservatory into a room with one simple solution.
If you have a conservatory which is too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer, you might be wondering whether it’s worth knocking down your conservatory to build an extension. Before you pick up the tools, consider your options carefully.
An extension can be an appealing option, allowing you to create a space that can be used year-round. You can also choose to build a double storey extension to add upstairs space to your property.
However, extensions are often considerably more expensive than a conservatory conversion, and don’t merge the interior of your home with your garden quite like a conservatory. Knocking down your conservatory to build an extension is a costly process that will bring high levels of disruption to your home for many months.
| Conservatory conversion (new roof) | Knock down & build extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | From £5,000 | Often £30,000+ |
| Time on site | As little as 3 days | Several months |
| Planning permission | Rarely needed | Often required |
| Disruption | Minimal – work is external | High – major building work |
What if there was an easy way to convert your conservatory into an extension, allowing you to use the space throughout the year?
Turning a conservatory into a room is far easier than you might think. There’s no need for months of building work either – it can be completed in as little as three days. Here’s the process in a nutshell:
By simply changing the roof of your conservatory, you can improve its insulation, helping it to remain a comfortable temperature throughout the year. Not only that, but you’ll also have the peace of mind that your upgraded roof is completely weatherproof, so will keep your conservatory warm and dry, no matter what happens outdoors.
Upgrading to an efficient tiled conservatory roof will give you a room that can be used at any time of year. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy those panoramic views of your garden in every season, whether the sun is beaming or the snow is falling.
At Pure Conservatories, we use the industry leading Leka roof system, which can be fitted to your existing conservatory in just three days. This means that you could be enjoying a warm, usable room in under a week.
The Leka roof system is made to measure for your conservatory. It’s constructed from glass reinforced plastic, also known as GRP, which allows it to be extremely lightweight. In fact, it’s lighter than even aluminium and timber! This lightweight design means that your existing conservatory structure will not need to be reinforced, so fitting can be completed quickly and easily. If you’re unsure whether your frames are up to the job, read our guide: will my conservatory support a tiled roof?
The roof of your conservatory will be tiled, allowing the exterior of your conservatory to fit seamlessly in with the rest of your home. Inside, you’ll have a plasterboard ceiling which can have spotlights fitted if you desire.
The Leka system is extremely energy efficient, with a U value of just 0.15. This means that you’ll gain an energy efficient space that can be used year-round. Not only that, but it comes with a 40-year guarantee, so if anything goes wrong, you know that you’re covered.
Learn more about the Leka roof system here
| 3 daystypical installation | 0.15roof U-value | 40 yrsguarantee | £5kprices from |
The benefits of upgrading your conservatory roof to a Leka system are endless. However, some of the benefits of the Leka roof system include:
Upgrading your conservatory roof to the Leka system will give you far greater temperature control throughout the year. Rather than being cold in the winter and hot in the summer, your conservatory will maintain a constant temperature year-round, allowing the space to be used whatever the season.
Sustainability is critical in today’s modern world. The Leka roof system minimises heat loss through the roof, helping to reduce your energy consumption and your bills. Not only is this great news for the environment, but also for your bank balance.
The Leka roof system is extremely lightweight. In fact, it’s lighter than most timber or aluminium structures. This means that your conservatory will not need any structural alterations or reinforcements to upgrade to the Leka roof system, helping to keep costs down and speed up the conversion.
Many people find that their conservatories are too hot in summer. The Leka roof system is solid, helping to prevent the sun from overheating your conservatory. This also helps to keep glare to a minimum, making your conservatory usable all year round.
You’ll find that traditional conservatory roofs can be very noisy when it rains. We’re no stranger to rain in the UK, so this can be a big inconvenience. The Leka system is highly insulated, offering a significant noise reduction when compared to traditional conservatory roofs.
You might think that converting your conservatory into a room would take several months. However, the innovative Leka roof system can be fitted in as little as three days, transforming your cold conservatory into a practical room in less than a week.
The time that it takes to install your new Leka roof system will depend on the size and shape of your conservatory and whether you choose to add roof windows and spotlights. It may also be impacted by the great British weather which can be unpredictable at times!
However, installing a new roof on your conservatory is far faster and cost-effective than building a new conservatory or extending your home, making it a worthwhile investment for your home.
Get a quote for upgrading your conservatory roof to Leka →
There are a few things you should consider before you decide to change your conservatory to a room.
Firstly, you will need to retain the external grade doors between your conservatory and original house, unless you have gained building regulation approval. It’s still perfectly possible to make your conservatory feel part of your home whilst retaining these doors, it’s just something you’ll need to be aware of.
If you do decide to remove the doors, you’ll need to consider the building regulations for extensions. These cover structural integrity, energy efficiency, ventilation and fire safety. If the conditions are not met, you won’t gain approval from building control.
You’ll also need to think about the size of your conservatory and what type of room it could be used for. For example, a typical living room will be a minimum of 12m2. Although you could fit a living room into a smaller sized room, this is the recommended minimum size.
Many people convert their conservatory into a practical room such as a playroom or study. However, other people enjoy using their conservatory as a garden room, where they can sit and enjoy their outdoor space, no matter what the weather has got planned.
Yes – in the vast majority of cases you can turn a conservatory into a room without planning permission. Because the conversion works within the existing structure, converting your conservatory into a room shouldn’t require planning permission, providing the conservatory is set to the rear of your house, the original footprint isn’t being increased and you follow the guidelines of your local authority.
The Leka roof system benefits from JHAI approval. This is something that you may be asked for when you come to sell your home in the future, so it’s worth ensuring that whatever roof you choose is appropriately certified.
If you’re in any doubt, it’s always worth a quick call to your local planning department – but for a straightforward roof upgrade on an existing conservatory, planning permission is rarely needed.
The cost of installing a Leka roof system will depend on the size and shape of your conservatory. It will also be affected by whether you choose to have roof windows and spotlights installed during the fitting process.
Leka roof installation prices start at just £5,000, making converting your conservatory into a room a far more efficient investment than building an extension. For an accurate cost of Leka roof installation on your existing conservatory, contact us for a quote.
Get a quote for converting your conservatory to a room →
Converting your conservatory into a room by adding a solid roof such as the Leka system can make your property more appealing to a buyer.
When a buyer views a property with a glass or polycarbonate roof, they are likely to be aware that it is a flawed space. Although it adds extra space to the home, these traditional conservatories are generally unusable for half of the year.
Whilst some buyers will be put off by conservatories which can’t be used throughout the entire year, you also may find that some buyers are even considering the costs of removing the conservatory or converting it into a room themselves. They will factor this into the price that they will offer for your property.
Adding a solid tiled roof to your conservatory will give it the same value as an extension as it becomes a room which can be used throughout the year. Not only will converting your conservatory into a room appeal to buyers, but it may also add value to your property.
You can use a conservatory as a bedroom, but only once it’s been properly converted. A standard glass or polycarbonate roof makes a conservatory too cold in winter and too bright in summer for comfortable sleep. With a solid insulated roof, blackout-friendly plastered ceiling and good heating, a converted conservatory can work well as an occasional guest bedroom. Bear in mind that if you remove the external doors separating it from the house, building regulations approval will be required – particularly important for rooms people sleep in.
Yes – converting a conservatory to a sunroom is one of the most popular conversions we carry out. A sunroom keeps the light, garden-facing feel of a conservatory but with the solid roof and insulation of a proper room. Adding roof windows to a Leka solid roof gives you the best of both worlds: plenty of natural light without the greenhouse effect of a fully glazed roof.
The majority of conservatories are exempt from building regulations, providing they retain the external grade separating doors. If you want to remove those doors, you’ll need to seek building regulations approval from the council. You may find that you need to upgrade the insulation in the rest of your home to offset the heat loss through your conservatory to gain building regulations approval if you remove the external grade doors.
Many people invest in portable electric heaters or install radiators to keep their conservatories warm during the winter months. However, a more cost-effective solution is to install an upgraded conservatory roof which helps to retain the heat. This will reduce your energy bills and increase the energy efficiency of your conservatory, meaning that you won’t need to dig out that electric heater. For more tips, read our guide on how to make a conservatory warmer.
Conservatories are one of the most popular ways to add additional space to your home in the UK. However, they aren’t always energy efficient and are renowned for being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer.
Upgrading your conservatory roof to the Leka roof system can increase the efficiency of your conservatory, helping it to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the year. This conservatory conversion can give you a practical space that you can enjoy in every season.
If you’re thinking about turning your conservatory into a room, contact us today to discuss upgrading your conservatory roof to the Leka system.
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We are based in the Wirral but serve the surrounding areas, see the following pages for more details about our services and where we offer them:
conservatories Liverpool, orangeries Liverpool, conservatories & orangeries Chester, conservatories & orangeries Wirral, conservatories & orangeries Warrington, conservatories & orangeries Southport
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Registered address: Pure Conservatories, 9 Harrison Close, Eastham, Wirral CH62 8FA | Tel: 0151 327 8095
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