Types of Conservatories

There are several types of conservatories that variate based on their roof shape; their number of window and wall sides and their slightly different applications based on how they allow light to pass through them and the different functions this results in them having. At Trendguard, we install only the most prestigious conservatories to you. Knowing the numerous types of conservatories will help you to consider all our conservatory options when finalising your design. Equally to our windows and doors, our conservatories are bespoke for you, as well.

Edwardian

Designed and proportionately the most popular conservatory design during King Edward VII’s reign in Britain up until the First World War, Edwardian conservatories are designed to maximise the space they can provide by being rectangular, whilst also requiring more room than other conservatories so that its roof design can be properly utilised – making them ideal for homes with larger gardens.

These types of conservatories can either be joined to a house on their own, or they can be hip-backed, (where two Edwardian conservatories are joined back-to-back) which results in the conservatory having four roof facets which forms an apex to emulate the conservatory having a separate, conventional roof to the house.

Gable-end

Designed to maximise the amount of light which passes through it, gable-end types of conservatories are also rectangular, and are built with an up-right roof, as opposed to a sloping one, which arguably adds an aesthetic grandeur to the property as the roof will likely stand taller than the other roofs on the different types of conservatories.

Alongside its function as a social space for activities such as afternoon tea or even yoga, gable-end conservatories are also every effective for storing plants in which require a warm climate and a lot of sunlight to photosynthesise and survive. Our gable-end conservatories are optimised for those green-fingered individuals who want to liven up their gardens and social space with exotic plants; for the people who want their personal social space to be as prestigious as is the rest of their property and for those who are looking for something in-between.

Lean-to

Typically built as an attachment to a property, lean-to conservatories are the most affordable types of conservatories; optimised for properties where building space is limited to a few feet (although they can definitely be constructed as much larger conservatories). These types of conservatories – similarly to gable-end conservatories – are designed for multi-use, and its simple design means it will not date the property to a particular period in time.

Lean-to conservatories are not only attachable to any property type, but they are also versatile enough to be suitably built onto any side of the property! Many detached houses have lean-to conservatories built at the front entrance, as opposed to the back (of which a Victorian conservatory may be more appealing). In contrast, terraced properties with a limited, narrower back garden space could have a smaller lean-to conservatory installed which could act as a small leisure space for keeping small, indoor plants to purify the air of carbon dioxide whilst natural light brightens the room for you to relax and read, for example.

Victorian

The historically oldest, and most prestigious conservatory available, Victorian conservatories became popular in the British Isles in the latter part of the 19th Century after becoming reclaimed from the Renaissance period when it was found that different types of fruits (berries, citrus, drupes, multiple fruits and pomes) imported from hotter climates and atmospheres including Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania could be grown on the colder regions of the European continent provided they were kept in a warm environment whilst being exposed to as much sunlight as possible.

This was achieved by older Victorian conservatories by allowing sunlight to pass through them, in addition to the single glazing windows easily letting heat pass through them which made the windows themselves hot to touch which again leads to more hot air circulating the inside of the conservatory. To read more about the history of conservatories, please click here.

Our modern Victorian conservatories use the same, traditional, prestigious design that we recommend for older properties and homes built to resemble traditional architecture of the 19th Century. The only difference is the improvement in the materials we use to build them: all our conservatories use uPVC double glazing as a standard for the glass and doors. This makes them incredibly energy efficient, and exerts a far greater capacity to regulate the inside temperature of the conservatory itself by having an insulating glass membrane layer.

At Trendguard, we recommend our conservatories to anyone for a number of reasons, such as: creating a transitional space between your property and your garden; avoiding the lengthy process of needing to obtain planning permission to create additional room space in your home and adding a potentially greater return value that it will bring to your property compared to how much it costs to install.