Save Time and Hassle with a Luxury Winter Garden Conservatory

Adding a conservatory is one of the most popular ways to add space, style and value to your home.

This is the improvement age, at least as far as our homes are concerned. With rising stamp duty and a stagnating property market, the number of people who moved house in 2017 was around half as many as ten years ago. These are the findings from one of the UK’s largest banks, which says that instead, people are choosing to up-size by extending their existing homes.

The options for doing so are simple – up, down or sideways. Loft conversions are an ever popular way to squeeze in an extra bedroom and basements are the choice of the super-rich, but it is whether to choose an extension or conservatory that causes the most debate.

Today, it is not simply a question of deciding on a more expensive extension that will blend seamlessly with your home or a lower cost conservatory tagged on to the back. By opting for a bespoke conservatory, you can, in fact, enjoy the best of both worlds.

Reduced hassle

A winter garden conservatory is considered a “permitted development” which means that under most circumstances, it does not require planning permission. This is subject to certain conditions in terms of size: the conservatory must not “dwarf” the rest of the house, and must be no more than 50 percent the size of the original construction. Also, it must not extend higher than the highest part of the existing roof, or beyond the principal elevation of the property.

Under Permitted Development for a large extension you are allowed to extend the back of your house up to 8m for detached and 6m for an semi-detached or attached property. It is a simple process to apply for these extensions and less of a burden than a full householder application.

There could be additional conditions if you live in a conservation area, a national park or other designated land – under these circumstances, you should always check with your local planning office to be clear on the rules.

In fact, speaking to the planning office is never a bad idea, just to be on the safe side. However, the fact is that with a conservatory, there is far less bureaucracy than there is with an extension.

Reduced cost

A bespoke conservatory is, by definition, unique to your property, and the same can be said for an extension. Under these circumstances, costs can vary enormously depending on size, style and materials used. However, one thing is certain, and this is that on average, a conservatory works out far cheaper than an contemporary glass box extension. In part, this is because there can be fewer administrative costs with regard to planning and building regulations.

In addition, a conservatory will generally not require such deep foundations, meaning further reductions in costs and on site building time is reduced.

Increased style

An extension might be very handy, but most look like exactly what they are – an afterthought appended onto the back of a house. Most stick out like a sore thumb and few would win any design awards for style or beauty.

Where an extension can, then, seem like something of a blot on the landscape, a bespoke conservatory, such as the one pictured above with Rolf Benz furniture, adds an increased air of style and sophistication to your home. And that can only be good news if, at a future date, you do decide to put the house on the market.

If you need help to decide on which is the best solution for you and to meet your budget contact us and speak to one of our experts who would love to help you out.