Category: House & Home

Although days are getting longer and slightly warmer, being in the UK means we often get freak weather patterns and unexpected cold spells. As you’re probably aware already, condensation in a conservatory occurs more frequently in the winter months. The reason being is the outside air is cold outside while your home is nice and warm on the inside.

By not mitigating condensation, we open up our homes to excess moisture and the build-up of mould.

What causes condensation in your conservatory?

Condensation in conservatories is a common problem, but why does it happen, and how can you prevent it?

Here, we’re going to outline some top tips to help prevent condensation in your conservatory.

In the UK, we tend to keep our homes extra warm and cosy in the winter by turning up the heating and keeping the windows firmly shut. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to condensation in your conservatory.

When a conservatory lacks ventilation, it results in moisture build-up in the air, commonly known as water vapour. As the vapour condenses to water by hitting colder glass panes,  a build-up of droplets in the corners of your windows or doors is often visible. These droplets are condensation and can eventually be quite problematic.

Six tips to help prevent condensation in your conservatory

The good news is you aren’t required to make too many changes to help stop condensation in your conservatory. Some steps are more involved than others, but all have their place on our list. Let’s have a quick look at how to prevent condensation in your conservatories.

Ventilation is a top priority!

Keeping your windows open slightly throughout the day with the heating on low will help air pass through the conservatory. We often frown upon draughts in our home, but in this case, they are more beneficial than detrimental. You can also specify trickle vents in the windows when buying a new conservatory. These offer ventilation with very little heat loss.

If you have the budget, you can also invest in a ceiling fan. Doing so will circulate air around the room more efficiently.

Keep the clothes drying rack outside of the conservatory

It might be pretty tempting to dry your clothes on the radiator during the winter months or on a drier inside the conservatory. However, this will increase moisture in the air and consequently cause condensation in your conservatory.

It can be beneficial to dry clothes outside on the line to help prevent this from happening. If you use a tumble drier, make sure there is plenty of ventilation (ideally vented to the outside), so moisture can escape.

Limit how many plants you have to help control condensation in your conservatory

Having a few too many plants in your conservatory can cause humidity in your conservatory to rise. If you’re a plant lover, we understand this tip may be harder to follow than others!

Get hold of a dehumidifier if you can

If condensation is persistent, then purchasing a dehumidifier can make a world of difference. This device will draw moisture out of the air to help reduce the chances of condensation forming on the conservatory’s windows and doors.

Replace your windows

If you are in a position to do so, then replacing your home or conservatory windows and doors will probably be the best option. A sign of poor insulation is the build-up of condensation on windows and doors.  Unfortunately, this can cause moisture build-up and eventually lead to dampness and mould formation. No one ever wants to see or deal with this and it can be a major cause of damage to your home.

Opting for windows with higher efficiency ratings is probably your best bet to reduce condensation and even save on energy bills.  At Elglaze, our team is on hand to help you make the best decision for your home. We have a vast range of windows you can view here.

Replace your old conservatory roof with a solid tiled rooftop

Not only does a tiled roof look more contemporary and appealing to the eye,  there’s also less cold glass for condensation to form on. It will undoubtedly make your conservatory warmer in the colder months and cooler in the warmer months. A win-win situation!

If you’re interested in upgrading your conservatory or replacing an old roof, you can find out more about our conservatory range here.

At Elglaze, we go above beyond to be the best installers of high-quality uPVC and aluminium windows, doors, and conservatories to homes in Cambridgeshire and further afield. It’s always been our aim to offer fair prices for high-quality products.

Let’s be honest; when thinking about planning permissions and conservatories, the lines between the two become pretty blurred. Any building regulation can be a complex matter unless, of course, you are well versed in the planning system.

This post will outline some of the main things you need to consider when thinking about building a new conservatory, replacing an existing one, or upgrading your current conservatory roof. It will also point you in the right direction of some light bedtime reading (the planning portal and government guidelines!) if you wish to learn more about the nitty-gritty requirements.

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Thinking about and implementing home improvements can be a daunting task and an exciting prospect at the same time. There may be some factors you hadn’t considered when weighing up the different options available to you, so here we’ve put conservatories vs extensions head-to-head to provide you with some helpful pointers in your planning preparations. We might be a tad biased in our opinions on conservatories here, but there are still important considerations to be had.

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Garden Studios are becoming ever more popular in the world of home improvements. Not only are these studios stylish and secure, but they can be a practical way to enhance your external living space too. Here we look at five reasons why you should have your own garden studio.

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Picture this – It’s a hot summer day in the middle of July, and you’re looking for a more relaxed place to sit back and read your weekend newspaper. You decide to try the conservatory but are quickly met with a wave of heat reminding you why this isn’t always possible with your current conservatory set up, so you swiftly turn around to find a different spot in the house.

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“We decided to take advantage of the permitted development rights that cover most properties. We felt it was a great space to place a dining room and change our existing dining room into a study for working from home. Our experience was positive, and we now have a beautiful extension to our home that is bathed in natural light.”

Listed here are some things to bear in mind when planning for your dream conservatory;

Option paralysis

There are many different options to choose from when considering your conservatory, make sure you have a vision in mind before beginning.

“When we started our conservatory, we began by looking to build one we had seen in a brochure. However, it soon became apparent when we contacted a specialist that there was so much more that could be offered for a conservatory aesthetic.

“Contemplating different materials, we ended up choosing an aluminium conservatory with bi-fold doors and a skypod from Elglaze – specialists in conservatories, windows, doors, and skypods. The chic, modern look suited our vision for the interior of the conservatory and has become the standout room in our home. Seeing a specialist enabled us to gain our dream conservatory and have the best possible options available to us.”

Get the garden area ready for building

“When we got our conservatory built, we didn’t prepare the garden area that was going to be built upon. Although this isn’t necessary and isn’t required by most companies, it soon became apparent that this would have been a simple way of saving money. Depending on the garden area, it can be a serious amount of work just to get it ready for building. The work that we made our skilled workmen undertake was work that we could have done over a couple of weekends. We could have saved money and prepared the area for the workmen to build upon swiftly, getting our conservatory finished quicker.”

Funding your conservatory

Everyone and their dog has a story about building work that snowballed into more than they considered.

“Having taken all this advice with a pinch of salt, we, unfortunately, had to eat a slice of humble pie. Unforeseen to us, our garden soil was not stable enough to be built upon and further foundations had to be laid down for the conservatory to be built. This delayed building for a couple of days and had our budget, and timeline pushed back. Always have contingency funding to fall back upon.”

Don’t forget home comforts!

“When we were building our conservatory, we got swept away with the structure and aesthetic and forgot simple home comforts. It is an extension of your home and we hadn’t considered electricity sockets and heating. Luckily the team at Elglaze had this covered when planning our conservatory.”

Planning effectively can help your conservatory build to progress smoothly. Seek out a specialist and utilise their expertise to create your vision and add a special room to your home. Elglaze is a perfect choice!

Check out this brand new Conservatory with a pitched Equinox tiled roof and french doors opening out to the garden. This clients garden is immaculate and the white framed glazing and french doors perfectly complement the style of both the outside space and the house itself. Continue reading »