For many people having a conservatory built is a reasonably big expense. But often, once it’s done  they find that they don’t really use it enough to justify the cost. Often, this can be because a conservatory gets too hot in the summer and is too cold in the winter.

These problems can be easily solved, by putting in some decent conservatory blinds which provide shelter from too much sun during the summer. They also help to make the room feel cosier in the winter months, but what will really make the difference is putting some form of heating in the conservatory.

You can easily do this by buying one or two plug-in oil filled radiators. This is probably the simplest and most economic heating option. You only switch them on when you need to and they quickly fill the room with heat. Most come with thermostats and with a timer you can set them to come on at certain times during the day.

The other reason people don’t use their conservatories much is often because of the way they are furnished. You need to decide whether the conservatory is there as an extension of the garden or an extension of the house.

To get more use out of it, you might want to set the dining table up in there so that you use the conservatory every day. However, if it’s too far from the kitchen, you’re unlikely to want to walk every meal through. If that’s the case, you might be better off buying some nice furniture to go in there. Of course you can get garden furniture – like rattan chairs – but it may be a better idea to buy a couple of fabric sofas so that it feels like an extra living room and has year round appeal.

There are always plenty of furniture retailers like Harveys Furniture store that have different sales on throughout the year. Shop around online to find which styles you like and then wait for the sales time so that you can get a bargain.

Once you’ve transformed your conservatory into a more useable space, you might find that you spend a lot more time in there.