Economic experts and moneysaving publications have reported this week that old and dated conservatories are having a detrimental affect on the value of peoples homes.
Estate agents say conservatories and orangeries built during the 'conservatory boom' of the 2000s are now seen as dated and energy-inefficient by the majority of buyers. Some are even refusing to view homes with them attached.
Chris Hodgkinson, managing director of the House Buyer Bureau, says a conservatory that's likely to get very hot in summer and very cold in winter can devalue a home by as much as £15,000 as it is 'effectively useless'.
'A buyer will ultimately factor this in when putting in an offer on your home, reducing the price you are likely to achieve.
On the assumption that a good conservatory can add 5% to the value of a property, a bad one could see as much as £15,000 wiped off in the opposite direction based on average house prices, he claims.
James Powell, of the York estate agent Hunters, says homebuyers are now hunting for well-insulated extensions instead.
'We're seeing people turn their conservatory into another room or taking the traditional glass or plastic roof off and replacing it with a proper roof,' he says. 'They are just quite unusable otherwise.'
SolarFrame are Yorkshire’s specialists in transforming old and tired conservatories into insulated, versatile living spaces that can be used all year round.