Adding an extension to your home, whether it takes the form of an extra room such as a conservatory or as separate buildings such as sheds, log cabins or wooden orangeries, takes some significant consideration to ensure it matches the aesthetic of your home.
Over the past year, many people have reconsidered how they use their homes and how much space they need. Roughly a third of the country are currently working from home, making a home office space vital.
Beyond this, it is important to have a place in your home where you can get away, enjoy yourself, embrace nature and have a place to entertain guests.
A well constructed, elegant orangery can help with this. However, there are some factors to keep in mind when building one.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
Typically, conservatories, orangeries and other building extensions do not necessarily need planning permission, so long as they meet certain guidelines.
This is because they qualify under permitted development rights, a legal protection that allows common improvements, extensions and building work to be undertaken without needing to go through the long process of acquiring planning permission.
It is often best to ask your local authority anyway once you have plans ready, just in case your extension fits under exceptional criteria, such as being larger than permitted or if your home is subject to an Article 4 order.
Purpose
Traditionally, an orangery is used as a mix between a conservatory and a greenhouse, allowing for both extra living space and lots of light to allow plants to grow.
Because of this versatility, an orangery can be built around your needs. If you wish to have a garden-facing dining area, it is likely that your extension will need to be larger than a living area, games room or home office.
Think about what you would want to do with your orangery and what furniture would be the best fit, and it will shape the rest of the project.
Size And Cost
It is important to think about the size of your conservatory, not just because of how it will affect costs and whether it will require planning permission, but also to consider how it may affect your garden size.
If you already have a fairly small garden, adding an orangery to it can significantly reduce its size, so there is often a balance between having an extension large enough to be usable but also not so large that you severely encroach on your garden space.
For orangeries in particular, the more space you need increases the cost due to the extra amount of glass you need.
It is worth saving some money for any extra costs, such as to add new furniture, to decorate or to add extra features you think of later such as underfloor heating.
Time
Construction projects often vary in time, due to the size of the project and the amount of hours spent. Make sure to factor in future events, such as holidays or other appointments, as this can affect the completion time of your extension.