If you’re looking for more space at home, you might be thinking about adding an orangery.
Historically, an orangery would be found on the grounds of a large manor, away from the main residence, and used as a place for orange trees to grow. They date back to around the 17th century.
Nowadays, they’re often regarded as a sort-of cross between a conservatory and a tradition home extension.
So, what exactly is an orangery? And is it cheaper than a conservatory?
Here’s the basics.
What is an orangery?
An orangery is a structure made of bricks, that has a flat(ish) roof and lots of windows.
Crucially, orangeries don’t just have bricks as bases at the bottom – the majority of the building is made of brick.
They can be added to an existing home, like a normal extension – or built as a separate building to the side, with a door connecting to your main house.
But how exactly are orangeries different to a conservatory? After all, they do sound fairly similar.
Well, conservatories are built onto existing houses, usually leading from lounges or kitchens – and have glass walls and pitched glass roofs, with around 75% of the structure being glass.
The base they sit on is made of bricks, but there’s no bricks in the conservatory itself – usually it’s another material such as uPVC, a type of metal or even wood in some case.
Is an orangery cheaper than a conservatory?
Firstly, it’s not easy to estimate prices for any kind of building work.
Checkatrade warns that an orangery can sometimes cost as much as a full extension – although it also depends on the size, of course.
They estimate that the average cost per square metre is around £2,250 – with a typical 4m by 4m orangery coming in at £32,500.
However this can vary depending on a number of factors.
What you’ll be quoted (or end up spending) depends entirely on where you live and how much builders cost in your area, plus how much work you want doing – including the size of your proposed extension.
However it can be worth it in the long run – with research from the HomeOwners Alliance found that garden rooms adds around £36,000 to an averagely valued house in Surrey and the cost to build is approximately around £7,000.
Paula Higgins from HOA told metro.co.uk: ’A conservatory or orangery can add value to your home, if it’s well-built and to the correct regulations.
‘Orangeries and conservatories do not need planning permission as they fall under permitted development rights and you may need a party wall agreement with your neighbour if building close to their boundary.
‘A conservatory is cheaper to build than an orangery as it will not have to meet building regulations requirements as long as it is deemed to be a separate structure from the house. This means a separate heating system and there needs to be an external wall with ‘doors separating the structure from the main house.
But in the era of sky high energy prices, conservatories can look like a less attractive option over the longer term. Even though conservatories may be cheaper to construct, we would advise any owner to take into account the ongoing running costs.
‘With the prominent glass roof and at least 50% of glass in the walls, the conservatory will need heating in the winter and cooling in the summer if you want to use it all year round. When you come to sell, you may find prospective buyers put off by a conservatory and would value a full extension or garden room.’
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.