Conservatories: The Changing Face of the Conservatory

An Orangery at Xmas Award winning home improvements company Admiral Homespace have noticed a major switch in the type of conservatory that is being asked for by homeowners over the last couple of years.

Twenty years ago options for conservatory design were limited

Twenty years ago, homeowners really had no idea of their options on conservatory design. The only style available was a lean-to garden room with either a thin polycarbonate roof or standard sealed unit glazing.

Once the public became interested en-mass however, new systems companies such as Ultraframe designed a range of more interesting roof designs such as Victorian and Edwardian pitched roofs as well as a hipped roof to create a P Shaped Conservatory.

These conservatory designs were popular for over fifteen years but lately the shine appears to be wearing off. Here at Admiral Conservatories, we probably receive more conservatory enquiries than any other home improvement company in East Anglia. This enables us to spot a trend when we see one.

What people are looking for in a conservatory today

The new fashion for conservatories and garden rooms is two fold.

Bifold doors and tiled roof Firstly clients are requesting a solid or part solid conservatory roof. This can be accommodated by designing an Orangery Roof or by constructing a traditional tiled roof conservatory.

An Orangery is in effect a flat roof with a glazed lantern built on to it. This gives a solid plinth around the perimeter and a flat ceiling for spotlights around the edge of the Orangery.

The glass lantern provides the natural light from above as well as giving a view of the sky. We recommend the use of self cleaning glass in the lanterns as well as Rubberbond lifetime covering for the flat roof.

Tiled garden rooms

Secondly and just as popular are Glass extensions, sometimes called Garden Rooms. Many of the conservatories installed ten to fifteen years ago are too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Bad design has resulted in too few openings and a lack of roof vents in south facing conservatories. All of this has resulted in the more discerning clients asking for an ‘all year round’ glass room.

Building regulations will deem this as an extension and the same rules apply concerning insulation levels and structural stability. At Admiral Homespace we deal with all permissions on behalf of the client and submit SAP Energy reports to building control in order to demonstrate that the garden room is as energy efficient as any other form of extension.

Both of these custom made conservatories are regularly be specified with Bi Folding doors in aluminium or timber. These folding doors enable the whole of the front or side of a conservatory to be opened up to the garden. This creates a modern conservatory design that harmonises particularly well with a minimalist interior look