Conservatories For All

If you are looking for a conservatory for sale then you will already have decided that your property needs one.  There could be various reasons for this.  You may need the extra living space for a living room, dining area, a kitchen extension, playroom or study.  In fact there are a huge range of uses that a properly placed conservatory can be put to. 

Before you start looking in a conservatory sale at the various types of conservatories for sale, there are a few actions that you can take that will make your job of selecting the correct one easier.

One of the first things that you should consider is the use that you want to make of the additional space that you will have.  Some homeowners decide to perhaps purchase a sunroom in a conservatory sale  or build a conservatory without having a clear idea of its intended use and this can lead to problems such as having a conservatory built in the wrong location or it being the wrong size.

When you have a clear idea of what you are going to do with your conservatory when it is built, you can get ideas of the styles of conservatories you favor by looking at other conservatories built in your area, browsing through home design magazines and looking at internet conservatory sites all the time narrowing down the type and style of conservatory you favor.  This could end up being a Victorian or Edwardian conservatory, a sunroom style or even a bespoke conservatory that you design yourself or with the help of an architect.

There is also the option of purchasing one of the many used conservatories for sale on the market, which could be available on internet sites such as eBay.  If you are not in a particular hurry to get a conservatory you will from time to time come across manufacturing companies that are holding a conservatory sale in order to sell off excess stock.  A conservatories sale such as this can throw up some really good bargains if you are willing to be flexible as to the style of structure you want.

Before you really commence your search and commit to spending money on a conservatory, it is always best to check out whether or not you will require planning permission for the conservatory that you have decided you would like.

Conservatories are in the main constructed using one of three structural materials.  They are aluminum, uPVC and hardwood .  Wooden conservatories are suitable in some situations and other materials are better in other locations.  in fact each of these materials has advantages over the others and it is best to take your time and select which ever material suits you best.  With regard to glazing there are many different options available to you when it comes to choosing a glazing for the conservatory.

Conservatories prices vary hugely, depending on whether you want a standard glazing or whether you want a glazing type that has special properties, such as self cleaning abilities, or heat reflective capacity.  Again choosing the glazing is a matter of personal choice after careful consideration of all of the options.  Conservatory roofs in particular need to be considered when you are looking at your glazing options.

The main thing to keep in mind is that you should not be rushed into purchasing a conservatory, simply because you are in the middle of a warm spell, or because the summer is fast approaching.  Do your research, consider your options carefully and look at the various choices of conservatories for sale.  In that way you are more likely to end up with a conservatory that is beneficial to your home and family.

If you are considering building a conservatory onto your home, then there are a variety of factors that you want to take into account.  When you are finished you want to have a quality conservatory that will bring a new dimension to your existing residence.  In order to do this homeowners have to plan ahead and make decisions with regard to the style and shape of the conservatories they want, the size they require and the materials that they want it to be made of.

Above all you need to choose a supplier and installer that is trustworthy and reliable.  The glazing that you select for your sunroom is also important and  you should get a double glazing quote for the structure that you propose to build.

In this article we will discuss these aspects of building conservatories and help you through the decision process.

One of the most important items that you have to consider when you are intending building a conservatory is whether or not you need planning permission.  As a rough guide you can look around at your neighbours and if some of them have a conservatory built onto their property, then the chances are that you will have no difficulties with the planning department.

Do not take anything for granted and it is also advisable that you do not leave this aspect of the project to your supplier / installer.  If you are in doubt about the necessity of getting planning, contact your local council and ask.

There are many different styles of conservatories, and Victorian Conservatories and lean to conservatories are just two types, albeit two of the most popular types on the market.  Each conservatory style has advantages that may suit your residence or way of living.  An Edwardian conservatory for example, makes better use of floor space than a Victorian conservatory.  You can consider the shape of the conservatory you desire under this heading also.

Conservatories come in many different sizes.  They can be added on to the rear of your residence, or may be wrapped around a corner to the side and rear of the home.  The size is whatever you want it to be, but obviously planning permission again raises its head.  The bigger the project you are contemplating the more likely it is that you will require planning.

You can construct a conservatory from many different materials.  Traditional types of conservatories were constructed from metal and timber and these products are still in use today, with a hardwood conservatory being a quality option, but in more recent times uPVC conservatories are more popular, due to their durability, thermal capacity and the fact that uPVC conservatories are relatively inexpensive to construct.

The materials that your conservatory and particularly your conservatory roof, is constructed from will be terribly important, as you will be hoping to be able to use the conservatory in the colder winter months and for this reason it will need to be properly insulated.

One of the most important factors that you have to get right is the choice of supplier and installer that you are going to select.  Ask any neighbours and friends that have and a conservatory added to there property if they would recommend their installer.  Create a short list of suppliers and installers that you have heard good reports about.

Go online and know your facts before you start dealing with conservatory salespeople. And do not rush into deciding who will get your business.  If you have building experience , or are a seasoned home improvement enthusiast, you may consider a DIY conservatory, however you really do need to have some idea of what you are about.

All of the above points are very relevant when you are considering building a conservatory.  There are plenty of self build conservatories out there if you are into home improvement and feel you have the ability to construct your own.  There are also many quality conservatories to be purchased – you just have to find the one that is suitable for your needs.

Selecting a conservatory for your home should be all about you.  There is a variety of different types and styles of timber and uPVC conservatories on the market, some of which we described in ‘Selecting A Conservatory Style – Part 1‘.

Here are more of the most popular types and styles of conservatories people favour today, whether they select to build a bespoke sunroom or a sunroom that they select in a conservatories sale.

Pavilion Conservatories
The pavilion conservatory has three sides and a square or rectangular footprint.  It can also be called a gable or gable fronted conservatory. It is a simply designed structure, which most normally projects from the house at right angles.  The roof slopes at each side to a central ridge point which, when it comes to the outer side of the conservatory, it leaves a side that is similar in appearance to the gable of a house, with a vertical instead of a sloping conservatory roof.

Good use of floor space, generous ceiling height and excellent light capacity due to the large glass area to the front are features of a pavilion conservatory.  These conservatories can give a great sense of presence to a home.

Orangeries - The Ultimate In Conservatory Luxury. Image courtesy of www.marston-and-langinger.com

Gull Wing Conservatories
The gull wing style of conservatory has 3 sections normally to the front, (a centre flat section and an angled section on each side).  The centre section can be stretched to suit the size of conservatory you require.

This type is also known as a stretched front Victorian conservatory and the fact that the Victorian style is often evident in these conservatories gives them an attraction.  Also the angled corners can give a softer look to gull wing conservatories as opposed to lean-to conservatories.

P-Shaped, T-Shaped, B-Shaped and L-Shaped Conservatories
With some conservatory manufacturers you would be forgiven for thinking that there was a spelling competition in progress at times.  Simply put, the letter used to denote the type of conservatory, indicates the shape of the floor area, hence a P-shaped conservatory has a floor area shaped like the letter P, etc.

You can have a Victorian P-shaped conservatory or an Edwardian T-Shaped conservatory and so on. Other names to describe these types of conservatories would be ‘link’ or ‘combination’ conservatories.

The advantage of these types of conservatories is that they can be combined to suit your individual needs.  For example a P-shaped conservatory could consist of a lean-to conservatory with a Victorian conservatory appendage which gives you the utilitarian advantages of the lean-to section coupled with the decorative look and ornate features that the Victorian portion would bring.

Lantern Roof Conservatories.
A lantern roof conservatory adds a finish to a large conservatory.  It comprises a second roof as such, set up into the first roof, with the two roofs being separated by a row of windows.

The advantage of such a feature is that it gives height to a conservatory and allows in extra light and can let in extra ventilation also if this is incorporated into the design.

Orangeries
Orangeries are not conservatories as such, but in the present day, the name is used to evoke a type of traditional conservatory that would be from the lean-to family of design.

Bespoke Conservatories
Do not get confused. When a conservatory manufacturer tells you that you can have a bespoke conservatory, it really means that you can have whatever design you would like for your own conservatory, but if it is outside of the conservatory templates that they have in stock, then you will pay, possibly quite a lot more, for the pleasure.

This is a nice alternative to be able to have designed for your home.  Your individual tastes will be accommodated with regard to all of the design features you would like to see incorporated into your conservatory.

Hopefully these short description of the different types and styles of conservatories are of help to you in choosing the type of conservatory you might like.  You might find some more useful ideas regarding conservatories at ‘A Dozen Conservatory Tips – Part 1‘ and ‘A Dozen Conservatory Tips – Part 2‘.

Edwardian Conservatories. Image courtesy of www.suffolkconservatories.co.uk

Old Victorian Conservatories. Image courtesy of www.oakconservatories.co.uk

Victorian Style Conservatories - Interior. Image courtesy of www.pshomeimprovements.co.uk

Edwardian Conservatories. Image courtesy of www.conservatorydesign.co.uk

There are many different types of conservatories on the market today.  For a description of Victorian conservatories , Edwardian conservatories and other popular styles of conservatories, have a look at ‘Selecting A Conservatory Style‘.

There are many ways to approach the selecting and building of a conservatory for your home.  We have already listed some tips that may be of help to you in ‘A Dozen Conservatory Tips – Part 1‘.  Here are a few more.

Tip 7: Make the effort to match the materials of your conservatory to your existing residence.  This will help bond the two and make the new conservatory blend in to the property, be it a gull wing conservatory, a gable conservatory or whatever style you favour.  That is not to say that if your existing residence has rattling timber windows, that you should follow suit in your conservatory, there are many beautiful uPVC conservatories on the market, but such things as old brickwork, with a bit of search in your local salvage yard, could be matched and it would be well worth the effort.  If you see en excellent offer in a conservatories sale for a sunroom, be sure that it will fit in with your residence before you purchase on a whim.

Tip 8: Consider very carefully what you envisage the end product to be used for. In your finished conservatory, do you hope to be relaxing in your armchair everyday, reading your newspaper?  Perhaps you see the conservatory as studio or office, or some other place that you can work.  Maybe it is going to be that room that you can cordon off the kids into, so that you can keep a safe eye on them.  The choice is yours, but if you have a very good idea now what you expect from your conservatory, there is less chance that you will make an error with regard to size, style, position of doorways, type of lighting, etc.

The Beautiful Character Of Old Wooden Conservatories. Image courtesy of www.leantoconservatories.com

Tip 9: As well as marking out on the ground the area of the proposed conservatory, try to imaging what it will be like in the conservatory when you are sitting down, and standing up.  Better still get a chair and sit down in the area you have marked out and be sure you will be still able to see all you want to see if for instance there are dwarf walls around the lower portion of your proposed conservatory.  Why not get a few sheets of cardboard and build some imaginary sections of walls if you really want to be sure. Now is the time to get it right.

Tip 10: When your conservatory is completed, you hope to make a lot of use of it and it will be part of your residence for many years to come. Following on from our point above that now is the time to get it right we might say, ‘Spend what you can on building your conservatory’.  There are obviously different qualities of materials out there with regard to uPVC, timber and perhaps most importantly, glazing. uPVC conservatories with quality glazing will protect you and your family from the sun’s harmful rays and also help insulate your conservatory.   Spend the money on insulation now and you will save money on cooling and heating equipment later.

Tip 11: Don’t’ forget that people should insure conservatories adequately whether they are custom built or self build conservatories, in the same way that they insure the rest of their residence.

Tip 12: Ventilation is vitally important to conservatories, both for your comfort and to ensure that there is not a build up of condensation.  There are various methods of ensuring that your conservatory is adequately ranging from the humble vents to luxurious air conditioning.

There are many other suggestions out there that you could consider when selecting and building a conservatory.  A bit of research on different types of conservatories will yield a wealth of information that you will be able to put to good use as you start working on creating your beautiful living space.

Selecting a conservatory for your home should be all about you.  There is a variety of different types and styles of conservatories on the market, and by the time you add in the various construction materials that can be used, the myriad of colours that can be incorporated into the conservatory blinds, fabrics and furniture and all of the other variables involved, the conservatory you end up with on your property can be as individual as you would like it to be.

So what type of conservatory do you think that you would like.  What type of home do you live in? – is it a period or period-style property? What is your homes’ topographical aspect?  If you want your conservatory to be on the sunny facing side of the residence, then depending on whether that is the front, rear or side of the house, this may dictate a certain style of conservatory to you.   Is your home single story or a bungalow type dwelling? – there are conservatories to suit all types and it will often come down to a personal preference.  Whether you decide to build a bespoke conservatory or to purchase a sunroom at a knock down price in a conservatories sale these are all questions you will want to answer.

Below we have compiled a list of the most common types of conservatories as a launching pad for you to start considering which type of conservatory may suit you.

The Pleasure Of Eating In Conservatories - image courtesy of www.tanglewoodconseratories.com

Victorian Conservatories
These are probably one of the most popular and most versatile types of conservatories. It normally has three, or maybe, but less common, five facets (sides) at the front, a bit like a curved bay window and it has a steeply pitched roof and ornate ridge details.

One advantage of a Victorian conservatory (see image) is that the front facets give it a rounded, softer appearance and it can work equally well in a large garden or in a smaller garden or patio where space may be an issue. This attribute is what makes it one of the most frequently seen conservatories. It can also work well in a corner position of a residence, again because the rounded front helps diffuse sharp angles.

Edwardian Conservatories
Edwardian conservatories, (a.k.a. Regency and Georgian conservatories), are similar in style and ornate design to Victorian conservatories, except that they are rectangular in shape, which gives them a strong clean shape, as was preferred in the Edwardian era. The rectangular shape gives Edwardian conservatories (see image) an advantage over Victorian conservatories, with regard to better use of floor space. Confusion can arise when one removes the corner of an Edwardian conservatory to give it a Victorian look.

Victorian & Edwardian Double Hipped Conservatories are similar in style and have the same features and advantages as normal Victorian or Edwardian conservatories. The difference is to be found in the roof design of a double hippd conservatory, where in addition to being sloped at the sides, it  is also sloped at the rear.  This allows it to be incorporated into a building where a standard conservatory would have height restrictions.

Lean-to Conservatories
A Lean-to conservatory is a very uninspiring name and one  that for me evokes visions of a cattle shed rather than a conservatory style, but thankfully when your friends do ask, you can describe it as a Mediterranean style or a garden room conservatory instead.  Sunroom conservatories and sun lounges also come under the  heading lean to conservatory.

The style  of the lean to conservatory is timeless and unfussy, rectangular or square in shape and with a single roof pitch. It has been a popular style since conservatories started being used and is very used still to the present day. Decorative detail can be added to give a more substantial appearance. The lean to conservatory, due to its simple nature, is very flexible and has a modern feel. It can be used in most any situation and makes very good use of ground space.  One additional feature of this type of conservatory is that it is cost effective to build.

For more conservatory styles and types, have a look at our follow on article, ‘Selecting A Conservatory – Part 2‘.