Conservatory Designs - what are the options

Conservatories are perhaps the widest choice of design styles for a house extension there is. From Victorian, to modern glass box. From bespoke to kit. From timber framing to upvc. From single glazing to high tech engineered solar reflective triple glazing. So, how doe the homeowner select what is right for them and their style of dwelling house?

It is not easy and the end result will be very much determined by the homeowners budget and what they are expecting from the added space that a conservatory can provide. Many conservatory designs are selected by the homeowners personal choice rather than what may be in keeping for the existing dwelling.

As a consequence of this there are more Victorian style conservatories bolted on the backs of 1980 housing estate dwellings than there are to actual Victorian terraced properties. That’s not to say that conservatory design style is wrong but simply indicates a homeowners desire for a style choice rather than a matching design for the main dwelling.

A mix and match approach of conservatory design styles like this is often very acceptable and is often expected from homeowners. This is also because many conservatory extensions are built under the sites permitted develop allowances where formal planning permission is not required. This means that many conservatory designs are not checked against current planning policy.

Even when planning consent is required the planner seem to allow a wide design style margin so generally anything goes for most conservatory design options except when the property is a listed building or it is within a conservation area. These protected properties usually require a bespoke considered design approach using timber framing for the conservatory extension rather than a standard bolt on kit.

There is also a growing demand for what many refer to as modern contemporary conservatory designs. These are predominantly flat roofed glass boxes of little articulation or detailing. These are actually more technically challenging to design and build than the more normal framed and pitched roof conservatory designs.