Adding a conservatory to your home can be the simplest way of adding space to it as well as being the most cost effective way of doing so.
With the right design, size and position and by using materials that complement your property, you will be adding a room that will add to the value of your home and be the envy of friends and neighbours. And the space you create is often a much better option than moving home to get more space, with less inconvenience and expense.
Historically, conservatories were great places to spend time in during the summer but cold, draughty places during the rest of the year. Modern conservatories however, have the advantage of better insulation, double glazing and under-floor heating that together provide an ideal place to work, play, dine, relax and entertain 365-days a year.
If you have a growing family a conservatory can be a wonderful space between the home and the garden where young children can play without dragging dirt inside to carpeted rooms.
If you have young children you will need to check that toughened safety glass is used at lower levels to avoid accidental damage and breakage. As your children grow older the conservatory can become a space where they can do homework, play music and invite their friends.
And with the right design and furnishings, your conservatory can quickly revert to a room where older members of the family can enjoy themselves when the children have gone to bed.
Kitchen conservatories make a great home extension as the kitchen is often the place where the family congregate. If you have a small kitchen, adding a conservatory as an extension will allow you to move tables and seating into it while keeping the cooking and washing area within the existing space.
You will have to allow for sufficient ventilation to allow steam and heat from cooking to escape and in a south-facing conservatory, blinds to shade the conservatory may be necessary.
If a kitchen conservatory is not suitable, creating a space close to the kitchen that can be used as a breakfast or family eating area may be a better solution.
Families that eat together, stay together, so it ’s important to have a large and pleasant space where all the family are happy to spend quality time together and where they can talk about school, work or the little problems that they sometimes face.
Alternatively, you may be looking for a room that will allow you some peace and quiet to relax in, away from the family, the TV, music and noise. Separating the conservatory from the rest of the house by well-insulated single or double doors can help you create an oasis of calm and tranquillity, especially if you have garden views or further landscapes to enjoy.
Add a few indoor plants – as conservatories were originally designed for – and you will have a space that is ideal to relax in, alone or with friends.
If you work from home either permanently, or for a few days each week, finding a suitable place to work in undisturbed can be difficult. Often home offices are consigned to a converted small bedroom or box room, but access to them through the house is not always suitable if you have visitors.
However, a conservatory as a home office creates a great space that is separated from the rest of the home, domestic noise, children and other disruptions!
With care in its design you can create a multi-function space that’s an office during the day and a dining area or lounge at night. A large desk can double up as a dining table, files can be hidden in fitted cupboards and with wi-fi and laptops, big computers rarely get in the way, although you may have to find somewhere to hide printers or fax machines.
Visitors, if you have them, can enter via the garden and not directly through the house and you can take a break during the day with a walk in the garden, or just take the phone outside to chat.
With access to light and sun you’ll feel more productive, in which case the investment in a home office conservatory will soon pay for itself!
Entertaining Room Conservator
Conservatories make a great dining room and spaces where you entertain friends.
At lunchtimes you ’ll have created an al fresco dining area you can use all year round. In the evenings you can dine under the moon and the stars with just their light and candles to illuminate the space. The soft lighting and intimate atmosphere will help conversation and the wine flow late into the night.
In summer you can use an adjacent patio or deck area to enjoy an aperitif or post-dinner drinks. In winter specifying the appropriate insulation materials, double glazing and heating will let you entertain even on the coldest days.