Conservatories make wonderful additions to our homes. However, messing up the construction transforms them from beautiful extensions to hideous eyesores. To help you, these are the top 10 mistakes to avoid when building a conservatory.

1. Choosing the wrong Style Conservatory

Your new conservatory needs to look like it belongs as part of your house. When browsing designs, it is easy to choose your favourite without taking the time to think about how it will look in the greater context of your home. To avoid this, be particular about which styles and designs you browse before coming to a decision and do not let yourself be distracted when you see something else you like.

2. Ignoring the Landscape

Before you ever build your conservatory, you have to prepare the ground. That means clearing and levelling not just the area the conservatory occupies but the surrounding space as well. The last thing you want after your new conservatory has been installed is to look out on a desolate wasteland surrounding it. You need a garden and it needs to be planned in advance. Think about how your conservatory is going to fit into its surroundings and how you can blend it into its environment.

3. Forgetting About Furniture

When planning your conservatory, you need to think about the interior as well as the exterior. Ask yourself which items of furniture you want. Couches and chairs can go almost anywhere but if you want a large item like a bookcase then you need to have a solid wall for it to back onto. The key is thinking about how the furniture looks when on the outside looking in.

4. Forgetting About the Rest of the Ground Floor

For a conservatory to be a true extension of the home it must merge perfectly with the rest of the ground floor. A new conservatory requires new flooring, extensive wiring, plasterwork and more. These elements can be better incorporated if adjustments are made to the adjacent rooms so that they enhance your new conservatory.

5. Making Planning Assumptions

Make sure you know the ins and outs of getting planning permission. If you get it even a little wrong, you may have to demolish your brand-new conservatory right after finishing it. There are several factors that determine whether or not you require permission including the size you want the conservatory to be, whether your home is listed and how close your neighbours’ homes are. Do not make assumptions and get in contact with a company who can tell you for sure.

6. Forgetting Temperature Control

In the past, conservatory owners had to suffer through blistering heat during the summer and frigid temperatures during the winter. Thanks to more modern advancements this is no longer an issue. Solar-controlled glazing means that the windows restrict the flow of heat in both directions. This prevents too much escaping during winter and too much entering in the summer.

7. Disregarding the Interior View

Conservatories make for beautiful additions to a home and to a garden in particular. However, one of the best things about owning a conservatory is being able to look out at your garden from inside. You need to think about where the doors and windows will be placed in advance with regards to the garden view. The tallest windows are next to useless if your view is obstructed by a particular tree or another large object.

8. Underestimating the Important of Maintenance

Maintenance is an inevitable part of any garden. Given enough time the weather will damage everything so make sure you choose the most resistant materials you can. This means opting for aluminium instead of plastic guttering and researching all the other materials that you are using. Always talk to the manufacturers and make sure to discuss the life expectancy and warranties for everything you purchase.

9. Literally Cutting Corners

Using less space means your conservatory will cost less. It also means that you end up with a cramped space that is not fit for purpose. It may not even be capable of holding the furniture you intended. Figure out how much space you want in advance and stick to it. Try to ignore the cost where possible since the short-term benefits that come from saving money will be far outweighed in the long term if you have the perfect space instead.

10. Not Doing Enough Research

You must take the time to do your research in advance. Deciding you want a conservatory and then just buying one of the first things you see is likely to end in disaster. The same is true when choosing which conservatory firm to work with. You need to research a variety of firms to find the best one and then conduct the same level of research on their products. Any time and work that goes into this stage will pay back dividends in long-term happiness and will likely save you money too.

If you follow the above tips your conservatory will be a wonderful place to spend time and enjoy your new space in your home.

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