Conservatories and orangeries are some of the most popular and financially fruitful home renovation projects that are available to homeowners.
Not only do they add market value to your home, both conservatories and orangeries bring in a wealth of sunlight and provide a unique space that enables communion with nature. Adding an orangery or conservatory to your home can increase the value of your house, and is a quicker way to add an extra room to your house in comparison to a home extension.
Both development options undoubtedly brighten up your living space, even during the winter, and offer a room that’s simply a little more romantic than the rest of your home.
Orangeries vs conservatories
The central distinction between orangeries and conservatories is typically found in the roof construction.
Orangeries usually resemble more traditional single story extensions but have what is called a lantern roof.
A conservatory, on the other hand, has a fully glazed roof and tends to visually resemble an airy greenhouse.
Here at Framemaster, we have decades of experience designing and installing bespoke, modern orangeries and conservatories. So, what’s the difference between a conservatory and an orangery? And what is an orangery used for?
We’re well equipped to answer all your queries concerning home renovations. Browse our brochure to explore our latest home improvement projects utilising specialist technologies and only the finest materials. Or, visit our dedicated pages on Framemaster’s Orangeries and Conservatories.
What is an Orangery?
An orangery, similar to a conservatory, radiates your home with natural light, but its hallmark features are its brick-based structure and flat roof. This flat roof typically has a ‘lantern’ feature, where several pockets of windows sit across the roof.
One of the great aspects of orangeries is that they are usually more affordable than a standard extension, whilst still providing a safe, secure, and warm additional living space.
Popularised in Northern Europe in as early as the 16th century, the design of traditional orangeries were unsurprisingly an effort to protect orange and other fruit trees during the winter months.
The warmth afforded by the secure structure along with the plentiful exposure to light meant that they were a perfect indoor environment for plants to blossom. The high price of glass also made orangeries a status symbol in their own right, and even today they continue to conjure up images of expansive stately homes.
What is a conservatory?
A conservatory is known best for being at least 75% glass. They may sometimes have a dwarf wall around the base of the structure, but are otherwise entirely glazed. Ideal for bringing the outside inside, they typically provide smaller, more intimate spaces less than 30 square metres.
They maximise light and, with the advantages of efficiency technologies and strong insulation, modern conservatories look just as glorious and feel just as comfortable as orangeries.
What is a conservatory?
A conservatory is known best for being at least 75% glass. They may sometimes have a dwarf wall around the base of the structure, but are otherwise entirely glazed. Ideal for bringing the outside inside, they typically provide smaller, more intimate spaces less than 30 square metres.
They maximise light and, with the advantages of efficiency technologies and strong insulation, modern conservatories look just as glorious and feel just as comfortable as orangeries.
What’s the difference between a conservatory and an orangery?
Conservatories and orangeries share more in common than not. Modern renditions of the two are often indistinguishable to those of us who are not professional designers. But here are the three major distinguishing factors to keep an eye out for:
The brickwork
Conservatories require only a minimal amount of brickwork to support its foundations, where orangeries incorporate much more brickwork in the forms of entire walls or large pillars. This is all in a careful effort to maintain consistency with the ‘host’ building (the rest of your home) in the style of a typical single storey extension. Alternatively, a glazed conservatory can feel more like a fresh escape into a greenhouse.
The roofs
While orangeries normally boast of a flat roof with overhead lantern windows, the glass roof of a conservatory typically forms a high arch in the style of an A-frame roof. This is often accompanied with complimentary features such as turrets, eaves, and gables for a more ornate appearance.
The living space
Orangeries and conservatories have differing size limitations. The historical connotation of orangeries as grand, ostentatious additions to country estates does endure in the sense that they tend to be more appropriate for larger scale extension plans. Still, conservatories provide wonderful additional living spaces that maximise natural lighting for those precious, smaller scale renovations.
Conservatories and orangeries with Framemaster
With so many great qualities to be found in both orangeries and conservatories, it is worth considering both in your next home improvement project.
Contact us at Framemaster to begin customising your dream renovations. Our expertly skilled team utilises 3D visualisation technology to ensure your ideal designs are being fully realised from the moment of its conception. But whether you have all the details already in mind or not, our staff can’t wait to speak to you and are available to arrange a free, no obligation quote today.
