A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing A Conservatory

Conservatories are a beautiful, airy part of a house, perfect for giving you an outdoor aura, even when the weather isn’t up to scratch. If you want to increase the value of your property, consider installing one. But, with so many designs, sizes, and suppliers, choosing a conservatory baffles many homeowners. Careful thought and planning is needed before settling on this home addition. No Payne Roofing takes you through four main things to consider when choosing a conservatory: Purpose, available space, heating, ventilation, and roofing. Remember, you will also want to make sure you update your home insurance to reflect your new addition.

 

Available Space and Purpose

The space at your disposal will determine the size and design of your conservatory.  If yours is a big home, a capacious design such as the generous T-shape conservatory with its central projection, or a P-shape cone with its faceted ‘Victorian’ elements, could be perfect, but they would typically swamp a small house. Apart from the available space at your disposal, what’s the intended purpose of the extension? Do you want your conservatory to serve as a dining area? A playroom? Or an office? While the bayfront of the Victorian-style conservatory provides an elegantly shaped sitting room, if what you want is a dining space, a rectangular design or a square one would be a better pick. The purpose should therefore also play a role in the choice of design.

 

Heating

Your feline companion will tell you there’s nothing more inviting than a warm floor. Most conservatory floors are either stone or ceramic. Without correct heating, your conservatory floor will always be cold and uninviting. Yet, after a hard day at work, there’s nothing cozy about sipping a glass of wine while staring up at the stars, as you listen to some sweet background music, while your feet are freezing from stepping on icy ground. By all means, you should work to ensure the stone on the floor is warm enough to soothe your feet. Under-floor heating is an effective way to heat the floor of your conservatory. If you choose to go for underfloor heating, ensure that all the cables are completely covered with screed. Regular inspection will help you spot and repair any worn out cables.

 

Roofing

Your wants and needs should dictate the roof style. For instance, if your priority is durability and privacy over natural lighting, you will want to settle for a solid roof not glass or polycarbonate roofing. Improved thermal efficiency is one of the key benefits of choosing a solid roof for your conservatory. Tiled roofs offer fantastic thermal performance and are a great option if you’re also conscious about your heating bills. The added layers of insulation in the roof structure allow you to enjoy your sun lounge all year round. Additionally, compared to glass glazed and polycarbonate roofs, solid roofs have improved acoustics meaning they will create a quiet and calm living space. This is also a fantastic opportunity to add some solar panels. However, if you are looking to have a clear view through the roof and stylish modern aesthetics, nothing can beat glass roofing. Polycarbonate, on the other hand, limits the sun’s glare effect of bright sun. This material is, however, noisier in heavy rain or hail. As you can clearly see, each roofing material has its pros and cons so the choice to go with either depends on your needs and preferences. Of essence when you settle for a roofing material is to get a highly reputable roofing company to do the installation. The length-of-service your conservatory will offer will significantly depend on installation so you want to get this done correctly.

 

Ventilation

To enjoy a comfortable environment throughout the year, you need your conservatory to have adequate ventilation. Well installed roof vents will let in fresh air whilst keeping the weather elements’ out. You could also consider installing a roof fan or an air conditioning unit.

 

As William A Foster correctly put it, “Quality is never an accident but a result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution.” When installing your conservatory, you will want to go with these profound principles. Poorly done conservatories look like glorified greenhouses stuck on the house with little regard to size, style or aesthetics. You obviously wouldn’t want yours looking this ugly, so make sure you have it installed by an experienced roofing contractor!