In the economic climate, we’ve all been living under over the last decade or so, the housing market has undergone massive changes. More people are now renting than ever before. We’re in a time where selling a house has become an extremely long, drawn-out process if you can sell your house at all. Because of that, the number of people extending their home, rather than moving, has become incredibly popular.
You can always move up, but the most cost-effective and easiest way to extend is sideways. An extension to your ground floor gives you much-needed space that also allows you to bring the outside in, or is it the inside out? Extending your beloved living spaces, whether that’s the living room, kitchen or dining room, gives you the best of both worlds. The warmth of your house with the views of the garden.
Should I have a Conservatory or an Orangery
When it comes to extensions, your choice often boils down to whether you build an orangery or a conservatory. If you thought they were the same thing, then let us outline the differences to help you decide.
If you’re not sure of the difference, then don’t worry, you’re not alone. The problem is that there isn’t an ‘official’ universal definition of either of those terms. They both do the same job, i.e. giving you additional ground floor space, but the general consensus is that an orangery is constructed with more brick than glazing.
An orangery tends to be brickwork on the lower half, glazed from that point to the roof. The roof can be tiled or glazed (or a combination of both). Mathematically, you could say that the glass roof typically covers less than 75% of the overall roof area, whilst the glass walls are less than 50% of the total wall area.
A conservatory, on the other hand, is pretty much all glazing, even the roof. Whilst it might have a low course of brickwork as a foundation, it’s predominantly constructed and connected via solid UPVC glazed frames to create a room, attached (obviously) to your home.
Whatever you decide to build, you can design it however you want. It’s your space, so create something that’s going to work for you and your family. As we said, there are no hard and fast rules for creating a space you’ll love. You can mix the design up by using lantern or Velux-style roof windows with brick pillars. There is a certain traditional grandeur to an orangery, whereas a conservatory is much more contemporary.
A conservatory is a more modern approach. Advances in glazing technology have moved a long way from the ‘too-cold-in-the-winter’ and ‘too-hot-in-the-summer’ mentality that was prevalent when they first became popular. If you’re happy with it, then you’ll enjoy the extra space you’ve created for years to come.
We hope that our blog has been helpful if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01604 946669 or alternatively head over to our contact page to fill in our online enquiry form.