Affordable Orangery Design
Conservatory design options have developed rapidly in the last decade, with advances in quality of structural products and glazing materials meaning that a properly designed and specified conservatory can provide an attractive room that can be enjoyed all year round. Quality conservatories can provide most of the benefits of a solid roofed extension, but with that all important additional benefit of allowing in natural light, especially important in the room that leads in to the conservatory.
However a number of homeowners still crave a room that has a more solid, substantial feel than a conservatory, but still want as much natural light as possible.
These clients have typically looked at the option of a traditional Orangery. The appeal of an Orangery is its classic looks, and especially the internal pelmet that runs around the edge of the roof is very popular. Usually an Orangery also has a considerable amount of brickwork, with brick piers between, and parapet brickwork constructed above, the side frames.
Whilst a traditional Orangery is a great option, and can make a really good investment on the right home, it is a far more costly project than a conservatory.
The additional costs of a traditional Orangery start with the fact that it requires Building Regulation approval, incurring drawing and local authority fees. Then there is the basic construction, which is more akin to the construction of a solid roofed extension. This is because the roof section, called the cassette, is braced off the internal wall, it is in to this cassette that the glass atrium style roof is installed. Clearly the cassette needs to be structurally proven and consequently it is the roof on a typical Orangery where much of the financial investment is required.
It has long been a goal, to be able to offer the benefits of an Orangery, but at a more affordable price. The essential elements that need to be included in the specification are the internal pelmet around the roof, able to be plastered and to accommodate sunken eyeball lighting. Also an Orangery needs to have a substantial external appearance at the eaves level. Of course all this needs to be structurally proven, to give everyone confidence in the longevity of the project.
The new Orangery Style Conservatory design achieves the benefits of an Orangery, but at a far more affordable price.
It is based around a structurally proven double hipped Edwardian conservatory, so it can be manufactured in any size or design and from uPVC, aluminium or hardwood. It can even accommodate a Victorian bay section. For structural reasons and to copy the external look of a traditional orangery a larger eaves beam with aluminium cornice is installed externally. This hides the gutter and gives a really solid look externally. Internally the all important roof pelmet is constructed, into which sunken eyeball lighting can be installed, which is then plastered. Of course the external walls can be built in any required design, but typically an Orangery Style Conservatory will feature brick piers between the side windows.
A Orangery style conservatory differs from a traditional Orangery in just two ways, the internal plastered cassette sits under the glass roof, rather an outside, and there is an aluminium external eaves section rather than parapet brickwork. There may even be cases where this slightly slimmer look is preferable.
For a home extension with a solid feel and lots of beautiful natural light, but at a far more affordable price than a traditional orangery then the new Orangery Style Conservatory is a great option. It also does not require Building Regulations which makes the construction process quicker and more convenient.
For clients looking to improve their existing conservatory it may be possible to retro fit the internal plastered pelmet section, and in most cases an entire new Orangery style conservatory roof system can be installed on an existing base and frames, transforming a typical conservatory into a really classy modern style Orangery. conservatory roof replacement