Conservatories For All

One of the most popular conservatories for sale on the market today is the lean to conservatory.  In surveys carried out with conservatory manufacturers, they receive more enquiries and orders for this type of conservatory than for other conservatory types.

Lean to conservatories are simply-constructed structures of square or rectangular shape, which make the most use of their floor space.  A conservatory or sunroom of this type is not an elaborate structure in comparison to a Victorian conservatory for example.  Victorian structures usually have three to five front facets and elaborate décor and trim as part of the design.  These conservatory types also have a simple sloping conservatory roof that is easy to clean and maintain.

There are various reasons why homeowners might favour a lean to structured conservatory.

• In a booming or buoyant property market couple often start out on the property ladder by purchasing a small residence and as their families get bigger, they trade up to a larger property.  However, when the market is slow many of these homeowners find that they are unable to attract a sufficiently good offer on their home to be able to move.  They are then possibly in the difficult position of wanting more space for their growing family without being able to purchase a bigger home.  The answer to this problem is to build on to their existing residence.
• Per square metre conservatories are recognised as being excellent value, in comparison to a traditional builder’s extension.  Some people would assume that conservatory prices are lower because conservatories are not as strong or as energy efficient as a solid block building.  However a quality conservatory built on proper foundations can be every bit as durable and long lasting as a regular home extension and can in fact be better insulated and more energy efficient.
• Due to their no-nonsense style and simple method of construction, lean to conservatories are better value per square metre to purchase than many of their counterparts.
• If you would like to build your own conservatory, then a DIY lean to conservatory is probably the best and simplest style of conservatory to take on.  Manufacturers produce kits for DIY lean to conservatories along with detailed instructions to enable home improvement enthusiasts to complete the project.  You can purchase a kit for a uPVC conservatory or for one made from aluminium or a wooden conservatory.  Lean to conservatory roofs for example are simple sloping roofs with little complications by way of design or construction.
• Conservatories as a whole are very versatile structures and given that a lean to conservatory has a regularly shaped floor space it is more versatile than most.  Homeowners use these structures as offices, living areas, dining rooms, kitchen extensions, garden rooms, as a lean to greenhouse and even as hot tub areas.  A properly located sunroom will fit well into most house plans.

One of the main factors to give consideration to when building a conservatory is that you should not scrimp on the foundation work and site preparation.

Many people make the error of thinking that a sunroom is a light-weight structure that does not need a very deep foundation.  It is true that a sunroom comprising mainly of glazing may not have the same bulk or weight as a bricks and mortar structure, but if you want a conservatory to be structurally solid for many years, it need to be solidly supported underneath and attached firmly to the main residence.

One of the best locations to source a quality conservatory that may be very good value is on the internet.  From your own home you can compare prices and consider which manufacturer is giving you the best deal.

If you are flexible ragarding the kind of conservatory you would like you could wait until you see that a manufacturer is having a conservatory sale of certain lines.  If you want to restrict your search to a particular area or country, simply enter ‘lean to conservatories UK’ or ‘lean to conservatories Ireland’.  In this way you will be able to locate conservatory manufacturers that are reasonably close to your address.

It is said that one of the most attractive features of an Edwardian conservatory to the homeowner is that it is one of the conservatory styles that is most like an existing room space.  This may seem like an unusual accolade to receive, but when you consider its merits you can appreciate what is being said.

Edwardian conservatories are unpretentious in style, and because of this they are able to make more use of space than other conservatories fashioned differently, that perhaps put more store in looks over substance.

A typical conservatory of the Edwardian period is square and flat in their plan shape and they have a flat frontage also.  This seeming lack of artistic vision in the design of the structure overlooks the fact that the best way to optimise your floor space is to have a regular and uncluttered space, without any fancy corners removed that may look well, but cost the homeowner dearly when it comes to furniture placement.

Because of their excellent use of floor space, the use if one of these conservatories is an excellent idea if you do not have a very large garden and wish to minimise the amount of floor space or garden / patio space you take over with your new extension.

Edwardian conservatory prices are all of the more competitive also due to the fact that there are few frills involved in a conservatory of Edwardian design.  If you want a conservatory with trim and heavy décor then you would be better off to consider purchasing a Victorian style structure, as it was during this architectural period that ornate design was in fashion.

Due to its straightforward floor plan and design an Edwardian style conservatory is very adaptable and can be used for almost any home function ranging from a dining room, to living room to a playroom or office.

To advance the description of Edwardian conservatories somewhat we should mention here the existence of what are called Edwardian double-hipped conservatories.  These are of the same structure and layout as  regular Edwardian sunrooms or conservatories, with the only difference being in the conservatory roofs.  If you have a situation where a residence has windows at a height, which would be compromised by the presence of a conservatory, then you can build a structure with a double-hipped roof.  This means that while a regular Edwardian conservatory roof slopes upwards to the residence, in this case the roof is sloping downwards again at the rear and in this way it lowers the point where the conservatory is connected to the residence.

An Edwardian conservatory is accepted as being stylish and yet unpretentious and is a very practical addition to any home.  Timber conservatories were the most common types of conservatories in the past, but now you can build a aluminium, timber or uPVC conservatory in the Edwardian style, depending on your preference.  If understated elegance is your thing, then you could do a lot worse then choose this style of conservatory for your extension needs.