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Are Glass UPVC Conservatories Cold?

An extension is always a great addition to any home or property and while it’s a handy space, it also helps to enhance the visibility of the garden. If you plan to extend, the choice is yours as you can develop a customized design to give you the much desired appearance as well as function. However, in order to give more natural light to a single storey extension and for a more modern look, so many homeowner’s wonder the viability of glass roof. The short and quick answer to this question is yes, but will this lead to a trade off when it comes to heat loss?

If you’ve had the chance of making use of a poorly designed conservatory, you’d be in a better position to explain how weather affects the living space. Due to fact that glass is being used, heat becomes very difficult to retain as it easily leaves the conservatory. However in the summer, this quality can actually be helpful as conservatories without the right glass or the appropriate vents can heat up in just an hour or even less. Overall, all these are extremes a glass roof extension wouldn’t suffer but there are still a few things to be learned.

First and foremost, glass needs to insulate the space, it’ll never perform as good as a flat roof when you make use of a cheap glass. Then secondly, the installation of the glass roof extension has to be designed and carried out for your unique home or property by a specialist due to the fact that both size and direction would have to be put into consideration. This way, your UPVC conservatory wouldn’t have to so cold and unusable especially during the winter months.

• The rules only apply to houses – flats and maisonettes are not included
• Only 50% of the area of land around the original house can be covered by extensions, including conservatories, and other buildings
• You mustn’t build the conservatory higher than the highest part of the original roof
• Where the wooden conservatory comes within 2 metres of the boundary, the height at the eaves can’t exceed 3 metres
• A rear wooden conservatory can’t extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by more than 4 metres if it’s a detached house, or more than 3 metres for any other type of house
• For side extensions, for example a lean-to wooden conservatory, it can’t exceed 4 metres in height and can only be up to half the width of the original house

Conservatories are one of the best options to create more living space in your home. If you thinking about building a hardwood conservatory in your home, then you’d probably like to know exactly how much it’s going to cost you. The truth is, just like many other home improvement efforts, the cost of constructing a hardwood conservatory is dependent on a wide array of elements. While it is crucial to budget for your extension, it is also quite important to note the immense value a top quality hardwood conservatory can add to your home.

Hardwood conservatories look a lot elegant and luxurious, and is surely a necessity for all homes with character ( or a period property). With relative ease and effortlessly, they appear far more superior to any other materials you can think of, even using similar styles. However, a drawback to hardwood is the high maintenance requirements and the fact that they must be treated and painted every couple of years in order to maintain their aesthetic appearance. No one likes a flaking and weathered frame sitting in their compound. Despite this drawback, hardwood offers a wide range of styles and options. If you are building your own then you can bespoke the joinery styles for the carved frames, multiple colour options and lots more.

Amongst the best hardwood types for building conservatories are elms and beeches. They are very common due to their ability to increase the stability and durability of conservatories. An average hardwood conservatory kit will cost within the range of £10,000 to £20,000.

Apart from the good looks of hardwood conservatories, it also brings about a plethora of benefits which the owner can enjoy. Not only does it add more living space to your home and beautifies it, but also goes a long way to add great value to your home. It's a big task doing a DIY conservatory so make sure you are fully prepared before you start.

What Is The Difference Between A Conservatory And An Orangery?

If you’re looking to build an extension for your home, one of the first things that comes to mind is the type of structure that would best suit your property. When it comes to glass extensions there are two major varieties which includes the traditional conservatory and the orangery, but there are usually a lot of confusion over the differences of these two varieties. With the growth in popularity of glazed extensions, the differences between the two structures are becoming more and more thin. However, the main difference between a conservatory and an orangery is the number of glass incorporated. Conservatories are fully glazed structures featuring a low brick base wall, meanwhile orangeries are grand brick structures with with glazed roofs. But as a result of innovations of over the years in glazing, the difference has changed a bit.

Here are some of the major differences between a conservatory and an orangery.

✓ Orangeries are generally best suited to traditional-styled homes or with older property making use of matching stone or brick in construction. Meanwhile for a more recent or modern property, a conservatory will be the better option to add the flair to your property.

✓ Conservatories tend to be larger than orangeries, therefore if you want a smaller extension, an orangery would be your best bet.

✓ Orangeries are typically rectangular in shape and is traditionally a more regular building meanwhile a conservatory can be shaped to suit your needs. With an conservatory, you can get a T-shaped, L-shaped, curved, double ended and lean-to extensions to suit your preference.

✓ An orangery usually possess a flat roof at the edges with a glazed lantern section right at the centre. You can also find more luxurious orangeries having two or more lantern sections. However, when it comes to the roofing, conservatories generally have more options. Some are gabled or pitched, others are lean-to with a plethora of choice to finish off the roof.

Are Solid Roof Conservatories Any Good?

If your old old glazed conservatory roof is starting to yield to the elements, perhaps it’s time to starting putting your money where your roof is. In recent times, most homeowners in the UK are now opting for the solid, tiled conservatory roofing alternative and for a good reason. If you’re also wondering if solid conservatories are of any good, then you’ve come to the right place! In the article, we’re going to discuss whether or not solid roof conservatories are a solid worthwhile investment and reasons for the stand.

Firstly, let’s look at what wrong with the normal conservatory roofs. Despite the fact that these are the cheaper alternative, it must however be said that they’re lacking in terms of insulation. A bad insulation can only mean discomfort all year round - winter will be cold and draughty and summer, stuffy and baking.

Solid roof conservatories, on the other hand, are made from special material that resembles traditional roof tiles but will only have a fraction of the weight. They’re able to deliver a much better insulation than a glazed roof which implies comfort all year round. What’s more? They’re very easy and quick to install, and as a result of their lightweight, you can easily transport them and use them for an underlying structure. The solid roof conservatories are a worthwhile investment which also provides the following advantages:

✓ It helps you save money. If they actually cost more, how can they save money? The solid roof conservatories provides many benefits but the most obvious one is improved insulation. And when a space is properly insulated, your heating bills will be significantly reduced. Hence, saving you some money.

✓ It also improves the safety of both you and your loved ones.

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.

What Is A Conservatory?

A conservatory is basically a structure constructed on a property that’s usually attached to the side of a home. It’s a room as well as a greenhouse that’s constructed with the help of a wide range of materials which includes bricks, wood, glass and polycarbonate. A conservatory is typically built with a great amount of glass which enables it to offer huge amount of sun and light. During construction, the idea is always to muster sufficient sunlight for the plants while also enabling a cosy room within the structure especially during the cold months. Generally, conservatory extensions’ walls are made of over 50 percent of glass, while their roofs are usually made up of more than 75 percent glass.

Thanks to the advancement in technology, conservatories have also greatly developed over the years. They’ve significantly evolved from the usual luxury greenhouses to normal and everyday home extensions. Conservatories have also grown to become very energy-efficient while also providing super comfort to the extent that they’re now being used throughout the year. And while it’s formerly known to be an occasional room, it’s now more of a home’s extension.

Legally, conservatories are usually covered by what’s called the permitted development rights which exempts them from both planning permission and building regulations. The conditions below form the legal definition of a conservatory to differentiate it from an extension.

✓ Below 30 square metres in size

✓ Constructed at ground level

✓ Separated from the main building by external walls, doors or windows.

✓ Possesses its own stand alone heating system

✓ The glazing as well as fixed electrical fittings are in compliance with the relevant building regulations.