Find a Conservatory Installer you can trust in Hove.

Conservatories and orangeries look very similar, so it can be hard to tell what their differences are. The main thing that distinguishes the two is the amount of glazing they have.

Conservatories usually have a roof that is made up of at least 75% glass. Orangeries, on the other hand, have roofs that are generally less than 75% glass.

Conservatories also tend to have walls that are made up of at least 50% glass. However, orangeries have glass on less than 50% of the wall area.

Orangeries were originally developed to grow oranges in large stately homes. Their mixture of brick and glazing gave the oranges a combination of plenty of sunlight and shelter.

Whilst you may think conservatories are nearly all made from glass, this doesn’t have to be the case. If you live in a built-up area you could have a tiled rooftop to enable extra privacy, use obscure glass and even invest in blinds.Be aware that solid walls are possible but if the conservatory is manufactured with less than 50% of glass, you’ll need Buildings Regulations approval.

How To Tile Conservatory Roof

If you’re thinking about replacing your old conservatory roof with a tiled one, you’d probably want to know how you can go about it. Tiling of a conservatory roof comes with a plethora of benefits with the most significant one being a much improved insulation which helps you save money on heating bills. This activity is also, however, a task that is best done by a professional. It requires working at height which can be very dangerous and also demands a particular set of skills as well as confidence to make the project a safe and successful one. In other words, if you lack any of the aforementioned attributes, then we’d strongly recommend that you call in a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we’ll walk you through the conservatory roof tiling process.

✓ Remove the existing roof. As you would have guessed, the first step is to remove the old existing roof and dispose off in an environmental friendly way.

✓ Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) rafters are fitted so as to develop the structural frame for the new solid roof.

✓ Waterproofing. The next step is to add 100% waterproof sheets under the GRP rafters.

✓ Insulation. Once the waterproof sheets have been installed, it’s then time to fit the insulation boards making sure that there’s a 15mm gap between the boards and the waterproof sheets.

✓ Outer sheets. To minimize the number of roofing bars and increase the conservatory’s efficiency, you’ll have to include the outer sheets at this stage.

✓ Tiling. This is the final step in the process. Add the tiles to the conservatory roof and make sure that they’re firmly secured. This wouldn’t take forever as most conservatories are not that big in size.

Generally, if you want to do a job, you can as well ensure that’s done properly. You may be considering building a small base for an orangery, but no matter how small it is, it just shouldn’t be done to any other than a compliant standard, and that’s whether or not an approval is needed. When it comes to building work which is covered by Building Regulations, you are required to comply (by the law) with the regulations and to make use of one of the two types of Building Control Service available. These includes the Building Control Service given by your local authority or the Building Control Service given by approved inspectors.

Regardless of the service you opt for, you’re going to pay but the preferred service may offer an advice before commencement of the project. The individual carrying out the building work is charged with the responsibility of ensuring total compliance with the regulations. Therefore, if you select to undertake the project by yourself, the responsibility is primarily on you. In the same vein, if you opt for a building company the responsibility would be the company’s, but you should always ensure to confirm this position before commencement of the project. You must also take note that you may be served with an enforcement notice if you fail to comply with the regulations as the owner of the building. So it’s advisable that you choose your builder very carefully.

There are a bunch of elements you may require approval for like the structural integrity, appropriate insulation levels, or the construction of a building over drainage or sewage. In cases where it’s obvious that you’d need building regulations, you can simply submit the building and planning application together at once.

Lean-to conservatories happens to be some of the most versatile and underestimated conservatory styles you’ll find in the market today and little wonder they’re so popular in the UK. Lean to conservatories, also referred to garden sun room, have been an integral part of the English garden for almost a century. Some of the common features of this extension is being spacious, having large expanses of glazing as well as a special low pitched roof. In other words, lean-to conservatories are able to offer extra space while maximizing natural light and can also be easily installed into awkward spaces.

If you’re also thinking about getting a lean to conservatory, then you’d probably want know the numerous benefits that comes with it. In this post, we’re going to consider some of the reasons why installing a lean to conservatory is a smart decision.

1. It’s easily adaptable to most property styles. Possessing simple lines as well as slim slightlines a lean to conservatory can fit several styles of both traditional and modern homes. In fact, the low pitched roof makes the entire structure a lot easier to fit in rather awkward spaces, making them the ideal choice if you’re have limited outside space.
2. It’s very cost effective. This conservatory style happens to be one of the most affordable and cost effective type of conservatory you’ll find around. Due to their simple design as well as structure, both the cost of installation and maintenance can be minimized, saving you some cool bucks.
3. It offers more usable space. Lean to conservatory’s large design and smart design makes it suitable to add an additional usable space to your home or property.

Building a conservatory can be a challenging task. But whether you plan to hire a professional to build your aluminium conservatory or are considering DIY, it’s good to start with a rough idea of how the process works.

It’s essential to begin with a strong conservatory base. The area needs to be measured out carefully and then dug out. You then need to level the earth and pour in concrete. Your damp proof course goes on top of this, preventing rising damp from entering your structure and creating the floor level.

Then, you need to build your conservatory walls. Start by building your dwarf wall, positioning the external sills on top. Next, fix in the frames and hang your doors. Sit your roof ridge on top of the frames, and add the roof rafters.

Finally, you need to fit the glazing sheets and guttering. Once this is all done, your new aluminium conservatory is ready to go!

When you build a new wood-constructed conservatory, or any type of conservatory, you’ll need to dig a trench for the footings. You’ll need to dig to a minimum depth of 600mm and at least 300mm below your property’s damp proof course. When you dig down, you might expose obstacles such as underground pipes.

If this happens, you’ll need lintels for your wood-constructed conservatory. These are usually concrete and protect the pipes or obstructions from being crushed. You may also want to use steel mesh for additional support.

Building Regulations state that if an opening is formed in a wall, the structure above the opening needs to be supported. This will be especially relevant if you’re building a wooden lean-to conservatory. It says that there are two ways that you can use lintels to provide support.

The first way involves using a steel lintel to support both the inner and outer leaf of a cavity wall. It can then serve as a cavity tray that directs moisture from the cavity through the outer skin of the wall as well.

The second way to use lintels is to use two steel or concrete lintels. They support each leaf of a cavity wall construction. You’ll need separate thermal insulation and a cavity tray as well.

Whatever type of lintel you use, it should have a suitable bearing onto the wall at each side. If you’re not sure, speak to the manufacturer of your wood-constructed conservatory, or ask a reputable company to install it for you.

Do You Need Planning Permission For A Conservatory?

Adding a conservatory to your home or property comes with a whole lot of benefits. It provides you with the much needed additional living space within your property, add value to your home and creates a link between your home and garden. As advantageous as it is, one of the major reasons why some homeowners decide against constructing a new conservatory is because of planning permission. If you don’t know what you’re doing the entire process can be very tedious and you definitely do not want to go through the stress of completing your remarkable new conservatory, only to be instructed to have it removed again.

Therefore, as a homeowner, you have the responsibility to seek planning permission before you undergo such construction project and that’s more than enough to make some people reconsider the whole project. In this article, we’ll let you know whether you’ll need to apply for a planning permission.

Generally, conservatories falls into the category of permitted development rights which allows you to complete home building projects without having to apply for a planning permission. However, there are some circumstances where you’ll require a planning permission. These includes:

✓ If the conservatory covers more than 50 percent of the land around the main house.

✓ If the conservatory will be placed on the side of the house that faces the road.

✓ If the conservatory will be higher than the highest point of the main building’s roof.

✓ If the main building is lower than the height of the eaves and ridge.

✓ If the conservatory will be constructed to the side of the house and more than a single storey or it goes higher than 4 metres.

✓ If the conservatory will be wider than the width of the main building, if it’s to be built beside it.

✓ If the conservatory will be constructed at the rear and higher than 4 metres.