Orangery vs Conservatory: Which Is Right For You?

You can never have enough space at home. When the point is reached where internal spaciousness has practically disappeared and no amount of decluttering seems to be helping to restore it, you should either move to a bigger place or inject space with the installation of an orangery or conservatory.

The current precarious state of the housing market is encouraging lots of homeowners to neglect moving and take up the option of an orangery or conservatory installation.

But which extension are you best pumping your money into? There’s no set answer – it all depends on which of the two forms of extension you prefer.

A little bit of background information on orangeries and conservatories may help you make up your mind.

Orangery

You can tell an orangery from a conservatory by the brickwork used in the base and walls used to build this stunning structure. The roof attached to an orangery is also extremely prominent and most typically a ‘Lantern Roof’ and the sections of glass that feature in its design are generally quite prolonged.

Many fans of the orangery are won over by the way an orangery offers a more natural looking extension of a house compared to the way some conservatories are very obviously a retrospective add-on. The choice of brickwork for an orangery needs to be spot on though for it to look like an authentic extension.

Glass is less dominant in an orangery than a conservatory but you might like it for exactly that reason as less glass means you get extra privacy when relaxing inside your extension.

Conservatory

If you’re willing to compromise your privacy a touch for lots of transparency and the most beautiful views of your garden, a conservatory is what you are looking for as it contains so much glass.

The whole purpose of a conservatory has dramatically changed over the years. When first developed, conservatories would be a setting for growing plants and herbs, but nowadays you can use it as everything from a delectable dining area to a place where you can keep fit without splashing out on expensive gym membership. Scenarios like these are possible thanks to the modern conservatory being constructed from thermally efficient frames and featuring thermally efficient glass.

There’s also a very wide range of conservatory styles available (several of these styles are included in our product line), so you shouldn’t have a problem finding an appropriate style for yours.

Have a look at our Living Spaces page to see a number of orangeries and conservatories that Orion has been responsible for building to help discover which most takes your fancy.