Mr & Mrs Dickinson live in a beautiful riverside detached home in Yorkshire and had an existing conservatory with a polycarbonate roof that was in need of updating. The footprint of the conservatory was large but with only one radiator, and outdated roof and glazing technology, the space was underused as it was cold for much of the year. The conservatory had been opened up to the house and the poor insulation qualities meant that the adjoining rooms were also cold for much of the year.
After consulting with their local installer, Yorkshire Warm Roofs, Mr & Mrs Dickinson chose a complete rebuild to transform their conservatory into a modern, energy efficient extension. As the shape and size of the conservatory provided a fantastic sociable space, the footprint was kept virtually the same, just changing the Victorian style facets of the conservatory to angled corners on the new extension.
Explaining more about the aims of the project, Mr Dickinson said: “Our old conservatory was a great size but was in need of updating to make it more usable year-round in terms of temperature, as for much of the year it was just too cold to use. The polycarbonate had also begun to look dated, and we wanted to make the space feel more like a proper room. The insulation qualities of the Ultraroof tiled roof really appealed to us. Yorkshire Warm Roofs talked us through the options available to us and ultimately, we had to choose between replacing the roof or a complete rebuild – we chose the latter.”
Where the old conservatory had full length glazing on all elevations, Yorkshire Warm Roof’s new design features a mix of bi-fold doors and windows, which allow the new extension to be opened up to the garden, brings in lots of light, but also creates a more room-like feel. The old polycarbonate roof was replaced with a stunning L-shaped Ultraroof with grey tiles and two full length glazed panels to draw in huge amounts of natural light to the room below.
The resulting new living space is a fantastic example of how a conservatory transformation can change a tired space into a modern, energy efficient extension. The large light-filled room is open plan to the dining room and kitchen (via a hatch/bar area) and is filled with lots of comfortable seating. The glazed panels in the roof draw in lots of natural light so the space always feels bright and welcoming and is the perfect spot to enjoy views of the river that runs alongside the garden. The plastered Ultraroof interior means that the space now feels like a continuation of the home and its outstanding energy efficiency credentials means that the room is usable all year round.
Commenting about their beautiful new extension, Mr Dickinson said: “Our new extension is brilliant – I come into it and it’s now warm and the house is no longer cold which is the main benefit for us. We have bi-folding doors which we hope to use many times in summer to open the space up to the garden. The customer service from Yorkshire Warm Roofs was excellent and we would absolutely recommend Ultraframe roofs having seen how our old conservatory has been completely transformed.”
