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Conservatories have long been a favourite home improvement with homeowners, and there are no signs of that trend going away. And because of that, they add value to homes.

Wooden conservatories add value to your home just as any other type would. In fact, in some cases a wooden conservatory will add more value to your property than a uPVC or aluminium one, for example if your home is a period property. A wooden conservatory will fit in keeping with the rest of an older property, so buyers will prefer a period home with a wood conservatory over a uPVC one.

It’s important to remember that wooden conservatories cost more than uPVC ones, but that does mean that they will add more value. They look more stylish than uPVC conservatories and may last just as long with the right care and maintenance, so if a wooden conservatory would complement your home much more than uPVC they’re worth looking into.

A wooden conservatory will set you back anywhere between £25,000 to £60,000, so factor this in when you’re thinking about how much value it will add to your home. It’s also worth thinking about the other things that will have an impact on the value it will add to your home, such your property’s location, whether conservatories are a common addition to houses in your area, the general look of your home and whether the conservatory would take up a large part of your garden. If you’re unsure whether a wooden conservatory will add enough value to your home, you could speak to a surveyor or valuer to give you their opinion before you start any work.

• The rules only apply to houses – flats and maisonettes are not included
• Only 50% of the area of land around the original house can be covered by extensions, including conservatories, and other buildings
• You mustn’t build the conservatory higher than the highest part of the original roof
• Where the wooden conservatory comes within 2 metres of the boundary, the height at the eaves can’t exceed 3 metres
• A rear wooden conservatory can’t extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by more than 4 metres if it’s a detached house, or more than 3 metres for any other type of house
• For side extensions, for example a lean-to wooden conservatory, it can’t exceed 4 metres in height and can only be up to half the width of the original house

It always an exciting decision to extend your home, be it adding to an existing room or building a new one all together. However, the problem starts when you realize there are so many options giving you a tricky challenge of knowing which to choose or where to start. There are great differences in renovations between homes, but a common question that remains is whether to go for a conservatory or an orangery.

There are large array of differences between the styles and knowing a thing or two about the special attributes is definitely a great way to get started. Let’s have a look!

• Orangeries are generally best suited to traditional-styled homes or with older property making use of matching stone or brick in construction. Meanwhile for a more recent or modern property, a conservatory will be the better option to add the flair to your property.

• Conservatories tend to be larger than orangeries, therefore if you want a smaller extension, an orangery would be your best bet.

• Orangeries are typically rectangular in shape and is traditionally a more regular building meanwhile a conservatory can be shaped to suit your needs. With an conservatory, you can get a T-shaped, L-shaped, curved, double ended and lean-to extensions to suit your preference.

• An orangery usually possess a flat roof at the edges with a glazed lantern section right at the centre. You can also find more luxurious orangeries having two or more lantern sections. However, when it comes to the roofing, conservatories generally have more options. Some are gabled or pitched, others are lean-to with a plethora of choice to finish off the roof.

• Due to the fact that orangeries are made of more brick than glass when compared to conservatories, they usually provide more insulation than their counterpart. If your goal is to use the extension during the winter months, then constructing an orangery is the best bet.

The short and simple answer to this question is yes, just like other new extensions, you must have a foundation done for your lean to conservatory. In order to transfer the building’s weight to the floor safely, there’s a need to construct a foundation. Without it, the structural integrity of the extension would be heavily compromised. What’s more? While there’s no minimum depth requirement for a lean to conservatory, there are multiple factors that can affect the depth as well as type of the foundation. Let’s take a look!

• The nearby trees. What trees do is to absorb water from the soil which can affect the foundation significantly. When water is absorbed from the soil, the soil shrinks which affects the foundation’s strength. The size as well as type of the tree will determine the extent of the water absorption from the ground.
• The soil’s suitability. The weight that each soil can withstand varies and even more so, when environmental factors have more effect on certain types of soils than others. For instance, chalk is able to drain water away relatively easily which means that nearby trees will only have a little effect on its quality. Clay, on the other hand, shrinks when drying and also retains a lot of water. This means that nearby trees will have huge impact on clay soil which will compromise the structural integrity of the lean to conservatory. Therefore, since changes to clay mostly occur to about 0.75m depth, foundations on the soil should be constructed deeper to compensate.
• Undisturbed ground. Before the foundations are laid, there’s a need to identify grounds that hasn’t been built on and this usually takes a depth of about 1m (this figure may vary especially in regions where drains have been laid).

If you don’t want to go down the route of changing the roof on your conservatory, you can make your conservatory warm by adding curtains or blinds. Blinds are the best option since you’ll be able to fit them to your conservatory roof as well as the windows. There are plenty of options available, from Roman to Venetian blinds, and you can install them yourself if you’re feeling confident. Otherwise, there are plenty of blinds installers that will be able to fit them for you.

When it comes to boosting the value of a property, there are a bunch of home improvements one can make to increase a property’s value. One of these improvements that can add to both the value as well as saleability of a home is a lean to conservatory. So exactly how much value does a conservatory add?

According to several studies carried out, a lean to conservatory should add anything within the range of 7% to 15% of the average property value in the UK. This equals thousands of pounds which ultimately translates that home and property owners can recoup some or even all of their cost of investment in the extension with relative ease. However, in order to determine the exact value added, you’d have to calculate the value of your investment. These includes determining the amount of money the lean to conservatory will cost including installation, the current value of your property as well as the amount of value the conservatory will add to your property. Doing this will help you determine how wise the investment in a lean to conservatory will be.

At present, the average price in the UK stands at about £240,000 and according to the experts, lean to conservatory should add with the range of 7 percent or 10 percent of that price in terms of value. In other words, the value of your property can rise by close to £17000. And if the total cost of building the lean to conservatory is about £9000, that means you’ve made a profit of up to £8,000. Besides this, there are also some other significant values and benefits offered by installing a lean to conservatory which includes more living space, aesthetic appeal and many more.

If you’ve ever looked into different types of conservatories, you’ll see that wooden conservatories are not the cheapest. However, that’s not a reason to dismiss them as an option for your home.

Wooden conservatories can cost anywhere between £15,000 to £60,000. While this may seem expensive, they are often a much classier option for your home and are ideal for period homes and those in a conservation area where uPVC might not be permitted.

If you choose a hardwood conservatory, you could see your conservatory last over 15 years. Most uPVC conservatories will only last around this time, and as they get old they can look shabby; it’s common for the frames to discolour in the sun. With good maintenance, wooden conservatories can look fabulous for years. Wood naturally retains heat too, so ensure that you use low-e internal glass which reflects heat back into the room and you’ll have as warm a conservatory as any.

When you weigh up all of the pros and cons of uPVC conservatories compared with wooden ones, you might come to the conclusion that wooden conservatories aren’t that expensive when it boils down to it. Although the initial cost is higher, you’ll get a better-looking conservatory that works with both modern and period properties and will look elegant and tasteful for years to come.