Bungalow History in the UK
The first bungalow in the UK was by English architect, John Taylor at Westgate-on-Sea, in 1870. The term ‘bungalow’ originates from India, meaning ‘house in the Bengal style’.
In reality most bungalows were built between the 1930s and 1970’s, with many villages and seaside resorts having large estates of 1960s bungalows.
The styles vary but generally comprise a detached single storey house with living and accommodation rooms all on the ground floor. Common features are low-pitched roof lines on a gabled or hipped roof. Later chalet or dormer bungalow designs include 1st floor accommodation built into the roof.
Other single storey properties, such as cottages, smaller barn conversions, contemporary homes and so on, require similar design criteria to be considered when looking to extend the home.
There are bungalows built according to the architectural movement of the time, such as the Arts and Crafts movement, but the majority of bungalows are of a mid-20th-century construction and modern design.
What conservatory designs should you consider for a single storey home?
Often the most appropriate design would be a contemporary structure. We design luxury Winter Garden conservatories, constructed from aluminium frames and highly insulated glass, real quality at the top end of the range. The advantage is that they offer a light touch structure which sits well with both the modern and period home and allows light to flood into main house as well.
A Winter Garden Extension with reverse pitch roof and bifolding doors
We always have to consider the homeowners sense of style and if they require a more solid-built structure one idea would be what we call the glass box extension. This offers the client a very contemporary take on the orangery, where we introduce modern slim frame sliding glass doors, and flat glazed roof lights to provide lots of light into the extension and beyond.
A wrap-around corner Glass Box Extension with large sliding doors
Will a Winter Garden Conservatory allow light into the home?
It is very important to ensure that the new extension will not impact the natural flow of light into the inner rooms of the property, and so consider where the extension is to be built. A northern aspect means the structure really only receives ambient light, in this case using as much glass as possible with a Winter Garden will not take light away from central rooms. If the extension faces south then shade needs to be considered, this can be provided by retractable roof awnings so that the owners can control as much light or shade as they require.
A Winter Garden Conservatory allows light to flood into the home
What determines the height of a Winter Garden Conservatory?
If your property has a gable end, and this is where the conservatory is positioned, then the choices are more straightforward as the roof line can adjoin the gable wall and this allows more flexibility with heights. Where the extension sits against the roof-line then a good option is to have a reverse pitch Winter Garden roof, with a common shared gutter between both roof lines. As the roof rises to the front the roof is taken away from sight lines, a great option for views over the garden or countryside.
Note that Permitted Development Rights limit the height of a single store extension to 4m and the eaves must not be higher than those of the property. Outside of these parameters then planning consent is required, and we provide a planning application service for our clients.
Getting the design and proportions right of a Winter Garden extension for a single storey property
Each case is different, there really isn’t a one size fits all solution. We offer a no-obligation comprehensive design consultation where our experts will visit, discuss the owners’ requirements, their sense of style and taking the property history, size, and scale in mind we will run through the appropriate design and technology choices. We will then create a proposal to them including a full set of plans, photo-realistic images to fully inform their decision.
A Design demonstrating both reverse pitch and side gable Winter Garden extensions
I want a modern conservatory but is there a better way of extending my home?
Modern Conservatory technology has improved immeasurably over recent years. We source the latest aesthetic and high performance modern conservatory products throughout Europe and bring them together to create thermally efficient luxury Winter Garden extensions, which are perfect for extending living spaces. An additional benefit is that they are pre-manufactured, so most of the work done is off-site, and installation times is a matter of days.
But if our clients wish to just have a garden room, where they can enjoy sitting outdoors protected from the weather there are other very good looking and functional alternatives. A Veranda or Pergola Glass Room might be just the job. As stylish as they are practical, they come with frameless sliding glass doors or screen blinds that keep the wind and rain at bay. The Veranda can have a glass roof or canopy that slides out of the way. The Pergola has motorised blades that open to provide light or shade as necessary. The added advantage is that construction work is far less and oftentimes these structures can be fixed on existing patios.
A Veranda Glass Room with frameless sliding glass walls
A modern Aluminium Pergola with side screen blinds
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.
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