For about 300 years conservatories have been a popular addition to many homes in Europe, and recently they have also become a growing trend in the United States. If you have an extra space on your property and you’ve been thinking about installing a conservatory, you’re going to need a proper planning.
Location
If you don’t have a lot of space available, it won’t be too confusing to choose the right spot for your conservatory, but if you have free spaces all around the house, then you have to choose the best location, and it could be confusing sometimes. Consider which direction you want the conservatory to face, whether facing the sunrise or the sunset, or maybe there is a certain scenery that you want to enjoy from the conservatory.
Permission
Find out whether or not you will be needing a permission to install a conservatory on your property. Even though it’s not required in most areas, but it’s best to make sure during the planning.
Design
This could be the most exciting part of the planning. While there are so many different styles to choose from, picking the right one for you is actually not too difficult, because there are a couple of methods that you can use to narrow your options:
1. Consider the period of your house
Depending on the design style of your house, you can determine the right kind of conservatory you can install. If you have a house with a classic design, then a traditional style conservatory will look great. However if you have a new property with modern design, you can choose a minimalist, clean style conservatory with modern lines.
Victorian and gable fronted styles are great examples of traditional conservatories, while a Georgian style is a great example for a modern design conservatory. Some conservatory design styles are even suitable for both, like a P-shaped conservatory.
2. Consider the size of your house
Remember that a conservatory is an addition to your house, so it’s not supposed to dominate it, and it relates a lot with the size of the conservatory compared to your house. Some conservatory styles require a larger space, like P-shaped conservatories, so they’re not suitable for relatively small houses. On the other hand, a Georgian or Victorian style conservatories can suit smaller homes just fine.
Structural Frame
This is an important part of your plan that has a great impact on your conservatory. The most common materials used for conservatory frames are PVC, aluminum and timber. Your conservatory frame material will affect the insulation, aesthetic, expense and maintenance of your conservatory.
Glass
Glass is a vital material for a conservatory, there are many different types of glass you can choose for your conservatory. Self-cleaning glass is quite a popular option these days because it requires minimum maintenance. There is also a self-cleaning glass that comes with solar control properties, so you can keep the conservatory warm in the winter and cool in the summer. You can even buy solar control that you can apply yourself to make your conservatory more thermally efficient.
This artilce was written by Tim Tav with the help of Craymanor, builders in the UK. Find out more about them here – http://craymanor.co.uk/services/conservatories/