Why A Conservatory May Be Better Than An Extension

If you have some space in your garden or to the side of your house, you may be considering an extension. Having extra square footage in your home can really make a difference to your lifestyle. Sometimes you need an extra room for dining or a playroom for the kids. Perhaps you have some musical hobbies, and you need a practice room that won’t disturb the neighbours. Whatever you use it for, having extra space in your home can be very liberating.
Some people extend their house to make the kitchen bigger and better. Others need some additional living space or another bedroom. Some areas require that you submit plans of your intended additions. This can be expensive and take a long time to do. There may be lots of building regulations and other red tape to get through before you can even begin building. You would need to recruit a professional architect to design the space. Finding a good builder is another obstacle. All in all, it may be too much hassle.

For most areas, planning permission is not required for a conservatory. These are simply built up to your external wall. They come in the form of pre-designed kits, so you are unlikely to need to recruit a professional architect. Perhaps even more conveniently, it is possible to put them up on your own with the help of some in-the-know friends. While it could be better to enlist a builder, this isn’t always necessary. Some conservatory companies include assembly in their price list.

Some people don’t like conservatories because they are too cold in cold weather and too hot in hot weather. They are made almost entirely of glass that exacerbates these problems. If you add too many shades or blinds, the interior room they are attached too may become too dark. You would need to put the lights on, making the house less energy efficient. When it rains, it can be so loud, you would not be able to hear the TV or carry on a normal conversation.

There are ways to reduce some of these problems. Conservatory roof tiles provide more insulation and cut out much of the rain noise. They can usually be added to any conservatory or installed at the same time as your new conservatory. Cooler in summer and warmer in winter, having tiles can be very beneficial to your extra room.

A formal extension allows you to increase the size of an existing room, whereas a conservatory needs to remain self-contained. It is usually accessed from your existing back door. You can then add doors from the conservatory onto the garden. Because you are not removing any doors or walls from your home, there is less risk of something going wrong with your property. However, you will find it is a little darker inside than it was before the conservatory was attached. Whichever choice you make to increase your living space, enjoying the extra room usually increases the value of your home at the same time.