Conservatories, which are also known as greenhouse in different parts of the world are low-cost, natural, Eco friendly and beautiful extension of your house. Although these are regular feature in many UK homes, the trend is catching up fast across the globe, specially countries/states with prolonged winter months, or north-northern hemisphere.
The innovation in the industry and mechanization of part manufacturing made the cost of building your own conservatory easier now a days. You can go to you tube search a few videos, I found this one very interesting, talks about building your own conservatory in 2 quick days, cool! There are ordinary people like you an I who successfully installed DIY Conservatories at home. One such video is here, a lot to learn from for the novice.
Some FAQs while building your own conservatory
Do I need special permission from authorities? – Mostly no, unless you building it as a separate unit or making it bigger and taller than original house structure. Or if its going to encroach on property boundary in any way.
How do I get matching parts? – Mostly suppliers sell parts which you only need to assemble in your garden. You do need to do digging, nailing, etc though. I honestly feel two persons can finish the work in a week. With the assumption that both persons have strength and tenacity as I.
Is there any building regulations? – Conservatories are classified as temporary structures, and as such do not generally have to conform to Building Regulations. There are certain restrictions though, I would advice you to consult a property consultant before deciding.
Benefits of having a conservatory
- Low cost extension of house where guests can be accommodated. During winter months this place provides comfort without added energy cost to heat it up. A conservatory is like an extra room int he house.
- Adds up to the property value. It definitely increases the curb appeal. If I get to choose between two similar adjacent house, I’d go for the house with a conservatory, it’s a no brainer actually.
- You can enjoy nature, I know my wife SMB loves to have a garden room to sit and read in. Unfortunately in our apartment home I can not set it up but this would be in my wish list till we have one in our own home.
- If you’re planning to build one, don’t get it built by your contractor/builder. These things now come in ready-to-assemble packaging. Believe me, you’ll save a lot of cost that way. Additionally it can be set up real quick without leaving a mark on your outer walls or garden.
Readers, do you have a conservatory, tell us how did you go about building it and how comfortable you are because of it?
Thanks for the tips! I was worried about getting permission from the HOA in my area to build an extension to my home. Knowing that I only have to worry about that if I plan on making the extension larger than my house. I want a much larger area to put in a gym and home theater, so my extension will end up being bigger than the original house. Now that I’m more aware of the requirements for getting permission from my local HOA, I’ll be sure to do that before starting on my home extension project.
Wow that’s quiet a large project to take on. hopefully you are not taking away too much vacant space from the lot.
These are some really good things to know if you are considering adding and extension to your home. I like that you talked about how you will need to building restrictions in your area. It is nice to know that for the most part you normally don’t need any more permits to build one. It still would be smart to check before you start building.