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Most people when planning to buy a new conservatory will inevitably have a series of great plans for what it can be used for. Some will consider it as a new dinning room or as a second lounge, others may see it as a TV room whilst some might even see it as an office. Planning what your new conservatory is to be used for can be an exciting thing to do.

For many people, however, once their conservatory has been built the reality of what it is used for (and how often it is used) can be somewhat different. First consider the potential problems. Most people will, if possible, have their new conservatory situated on a south facing side of the house. Whilst this is often recommended to maximise the amount of daylight and sunlight that is available it also comes with a problem. South facing conservatories might let in a lot of sunlight but this can also make it very hot during the summer months. Often temperatures can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius on very hot days! This in effect will render it effectively unusable.

Likewise, if not properly heated or insulated then during the winter months the conservatory might be too cold to use. Don’t forget that most of your conservatory is made of glass which is extremely poor at retaining heat. This will mean in effect that it becomes shut off from the rest of the house to prevent heat from escaping and thus making it in effect into a no-go zone. In turn this will mean that you might also suffer the problem of persistent condensation in your conservatory because of the lack of air flow.

Likewise, many people fail to take into account that if a conservatory has not got a slated roof then when it rains it can be extremely noisy.

All of these factors will mean that often you will not be tempted to go into your conservatory and sadly, then, the reality for many people is that they will tend only to use their conservatory on summer evenings for a couple of hours – a far cry from their original plans.

One big solution to the problem of the underuse of your new conservatory is to invest in an insulated ceiling and have attractive slate tiles installed on the roof. This will help combat the three big problems mentioned above. Firstly it will greatly reduce the noise of rainfall, which can sound particularly loud on the conventional polycarbonate roofs.

Secondly, it will store more heat during the winter if you have an efficient heating system, such as a radiator or under-floor heating, installed as well. In turn this will mean that the conservatory is used more than it ordinarily would be and thus will improve the air circulation, which in turn will help prevent condensation.

The third benefit of having a slated roof installed is that it will also help keep the conservatory cooler in the summer months. Sadly polycarbonate roofs are excellent conductors of heat which is one of the reasons that conservatories can get so hot in the summer months. A slated roof does not absorb anything like the same amount of heat as a polycarbonate roof and thus it will keep temperatures at far more manageable levels.

Buying a new conservatory is, for most people, a big financial outlay and something not to be taken lightly. This is why it is important to think seriously about its ultimate usability in advance. There is absolutely no reason why your conservatory cannot be used for whatever you want to use it for. Similarly there is also no reason why it cannot be used regularly all the year round. To achieve this however it is vital to consider the impact of summer heat and winter cold, as well as noise factors when buying.

It is strongly recommended that when looking for quotations for conservatories that you seek advice from as many reputable installers as possible for the best solutions to the problems mentioned above. If you do and act on this advice you can enjoy your conservatory far more than you perhaps otherwise have been able to do.

There can be little doubt that investing in a conservatory for your home can be a great move. A conservatory will be able to extend your lounge, give you a new dinning room or even be able to function as an office. Not only will a conservatory give you much needed extra space and light but will also increase the value of your property too. If you are thinking about getting yourself a new conservatory then below are a few things to consider before taking the plunge.

The fist thing to consider when buying a conservatory is its location. The vast majority of conservatories are located at the back of houses. However, there is no hard and fast rule for this. Indeed, a conservatory might look better on the side of your house, or even at the front. This will very much depend on which way the conservatory is facing and, of course, it is usually best to have it facing south to maximise the sunlight. Do bear in mind though, that if the conservatory is to be visible from a public highway then you might well need planning permission first before you go ahead.

Whilst conservatories are great in the spring and summer months a lot of people don’t think about what they will be like during the cold winter months. An inadequately heated conservatory will effectively mean that it becomes a no-go zone during the winter and this will also probably mean that it could become prone to condensation and perhaps even mould growth. To prevent this and give yourself a space that you can use the whole year round it is very important that you think about installing an efficient heating system.

A lot of people tend to skimp on this and use a portable heater. However these tend not to be very effective so it is well worth while incorporating a radiator into the overall cost of your new conservatory. Whilst this may be relatively costly you will soon be able to reap the rewards with an attractive (and warm) space that you can use all year long. An effective alternative to having a radiator installed is to go with under-floor heating which will free up the wall space where a radiator would normally go.

Perhaps the next thing to consider when buying a conservatory is the style. These days there a range of different and attractive styles to choose from. You may wish to go for a period looking conservatory such as the Victorian or the Edwardian. Alternatively you may prefer a more contemporary style. Whilst there are no hard and fast rules about this it is important to think about whether the look of the conservatory will be sympathetic to the style of your house. For instance if your house already has white UPVC windows then go for a white UPVC conservatory.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider with your new conservatory is how usable it will be. Many people can find themselves stuck with a conservatory that is often too hot in summer and too cold in winter. As a result they find that their new space is hardly used at all. Again take advice from a range of installers about both its location and heating options. To reduce heat you might want to consider blinds. Whilst these can often be stylish they will also unfortunately block out a lot of light which defeats the whole point of having a conservatory in the first place. Blinds can also be quite costly too.

Ultimately, however, it is always wise to ask around and inquire from a number of reputable conservatory installers. Buying a conservatory is a big step and is best to be armed with as much information as possible before you go ahead and buy.

Conservatories are wonderful spaces to spend time relaxing, especially during the spring and summer months. However, during the winter months they tend to be used by many people less frequently. It is during this period that some conservatories tend to suffer from condensation. In this article we look we at what you can do to minimise or get rid of condensation in your conservatory.

What is condensation?

In scientific terms condensation is simply the conversion of matter from a gas phase into a liquid phase. Normally it is seen when air turns to water vapour. This tends to happen when warmer air becomes cold quickly, such as in the early morning when we witness the formation of dew on our lawns or, as with inside a house, it hits a cold surface such as a window pane.

A common place for condensation to take place in the home is on glass surfaces. This is because glass becomes much colder than other surfaces in the home. In short the warmer air inside the house meets the cold air outside and turns into tiny droplets of water. Clearly, conservatories have a lot of glass in their construction which makes them especially prone to condensation.

One of the main causes that tend to make this happen is a lack of air flow through the conservatory. Because conservatories tend to be used less during the winter months, and the doors will often be closed for long periods of time, air inside the conservatory will remain static. This means that the moisture in the air of the conservatory remains trapped causing condensation on the windows. If this is not addressed then eventually the condensation can result in mould growth, something clearly most people want to avoid.

How to prevent condensation in your conservatory

Fortunately there are several small steps that require very little effort to help reduce condensation. For instance, whilst you are cooking why not have a window open slightly. This will remove a lot of the airborne moisture in the home and reduce the chances of condensation occurring.

Plants are also often a cause of condensation. So if you have plants in your conservatory then why not move them into the main part of the house during the winter months? You will be surprised at how much this can reduce the condensation levels.

By the same token, avoid using your conservatory to dry laundry as, again, this will produce a lot of airborne moisture.

These simple steps can all significantly reduce condensation levels. However, they may not remove the problem entirely. More effective methods of reducing condensation are to keep the conservatory at a reasonably warm temperature for long periods of time as well as keeping the space as well ventilated as possible. This will help to prevent the air turning into moisture and settling on the glass.

Whilst having a heater installed in your conservatory will definitely help. However, this is not usually an ideal solution as running a heater may be expensive, especially if the conservatory is not being used whilst the heater is on. Perhaps a better solution to a heater is to install a dehumidifier. This will absorb a lot of the moisture in the air before it has a chance to settle on the windows and the roof.

It is also important that your conservatory is fitted with appropriate trickle vents as these will extract the water vapour without compromising the heat in the conservatory. You might also want to think about leaving the door of your conservatory open for periods of time as this will greatly improve the air circulation and flow.

Finally, if you are now thinking of having your conservatory refurbished then it is well worth thinking about having the windows and the roof condensation proofed. Many conservatory companies these days specialise in fitting materials that are far less prone to suffer condensation so it is worth asking around for advice. Having your conservatory condensation proofed also means that it will remain as warm as the rest of your house and therefore you can continue to use it throughout the cold winter months.

They have been round for centuries and most have one in our pocket or purse at some time or another. The ubiquitous door key has been the staple way of locking and unlocking the entries to our homes for longer than most of us can remember.

But could new technology be about to make the much loved door key a thing of the past?

Many people are now opting for electronic locks and using a keypads or smart devices to gain entry to a home, office or room. Hotels have been using cards for some while now and businesses generally opt for the better security of having a keypad entrance.

For some while, smart locks have been taking over, replacing manual key and lock door systems. How about a lock that senses your presence through a Bluetooth connection from your mobile phone? Or maybe you want something with more functionality that links to Wi-Fi and delivers the ability to check if your door is actually locked where ever you are on the planet?

There’s no doubt that, if you are going to get a new door fitted in the near future, you are going to have a lot more options to choose from. This tech is not only going to link into things like your smartphone but is going to extend to areas such as cars, work and even some shops that like a better class of customer. It’s all part of the world becoming more interconnected, the Internet of Things where everything has a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to everything else.

One of the new innovations to hit the market is the Linus, where Yale locks have combined with software from Nest to produce a door key that fits seamlessly with new technology. According to The Week, homeowners can:

“…lock and unlock the door remotely, share passcodes with friends or family or household workers, and revoke access at any time. The Linus can be set to activate after a specified amount of time so you never have to worry about whether you forgot to lock up. And it logs information about who comes and goes, letting users keep tabs on what's going on inside their house.”

There’s no worry either if you suddenly find you lose your phone as you can easily revoke that particular device’s authorization and transfer it to a new one, much easier than having to change the whole lock with an old fashioned door key.

With plenty more options on the market, major companies such as Google are also getting in on the act, much of it driven by the concept of the Internet of Things where technology aids us in practically all aspects of our lives. Imagine a device that not only opens and locks your front door, windows and garage but one that can also control your heating systems, turn on lights and even operate cooking appliances.

Are smart keys for doors as secure as people make out? What’s really wrong with the old fashioned metal key anyway? Being more advanced, smart locks have a host of different benefits that can help make your home or business a lot more secure, not least in monitoring access to your premises and informing you of any problems. Normal keys can be lost or copied, locks snapped, whilst smart keys use the latest encryption that should give you much more security.

Of course, there are going to be doubters out there. Over the next ten to twenty years though, when you have a new door installed on your property, the likelihood is that it will come with a state of the art Wi-Fi enabled smartphone locking system. In the end, we’re all going to be connected in new and innovative ways whether we like it or not.