Conservatories & Orangeries

What is the difference between a conservatory, an orangery and an extension?

At Shropshire Home Improvements , we specialise in house renovations and home Improvements across Shropshire. We are frequently asked what the differences between a conservatory and an extension are. It is rare to be asked about orangery’s, but it still does get asked from time to time. In short, these two items are very different to one another. Due to misinterpretation and the flow of information on the web, lots of people get confused about the both nowadays.

Here at Shropshire home Improvements, when it comes to home extensions, we specialise in conservatories and orangery’s rather than extensions. We frequently remove conservatories as part of our work, to then replace them with an orangery style instead, also building them from scratch completely bespoke to our customers’ needs.

Although the two options are similar to one another, they are not exactly the same. Back in the day, orangeries and conservatories were easy to identify from one another. Now, general misrepresentation means a lot of people think they are the same thing. It’s particularly important you know the difference if you are looking to buy a property or add one of the above.

The short answer

If we were grading the two on a scale, a conservatory would be the least amount of time lasting, orangeries would last the longest.

The Conservatory

Conservatories generally consist of dwarf walls (a low wall) and lots of glass. The glass is typically supported by uPVC structure. They are attached to the existing property, generally to the rear or the side.

Orangeries

Orangeries were built for the aristocracy to grow orange trees. They were made up of bricks and glass. With a more sturdy structure, the idea was to protect the trees from harsh winds and frost, while still maintaining enough natural light, heat and ventilation to enable the trees to thrive.

Unlike conservatories, they can be separate structures altogether, and they are not necessarily attached to the house at all. You find them in Shropshire often, but not on the properties available to the mass market. You are far more likely to find them in countryside mansions or houses with a lot of land, the biggest one we have seen was 8m x 15m!
However they don’t have to be this size, the smallest we have done at Shropshire home Improvements was 2.6m x 5m, still allowing plenty of extra room to the side of the property.

All of our conservatories and orangeries are bespoke and can be tailored to your needs, please see our gallery for some photos of our latest work.

With conservatories and orangeries, we offer a totally free CAD design to help you choose how your new project will look, we can even show you how it would look on your property with the technology we have here.

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    Testimonials

    “An excellent job! I am very pleased with my replacement porch. Although the two guys arrived late they quickly removed the old timber porch and installed the new one without damaging the existing roof and floor. The frame is well sealed and the door and window open smoothly. They were polite and worked neatly and even separated the old double glazing for me. Thank you.”

    Elsie Chesworth

    “Had a new conservatory done so pleased with it the guys were great so polite and tidy would highly recommend this company”

    Karen

    “Excellent job in Coalbrookdale, new door and window all done in one day, highly recommended to anyone. Graham Rowe”

    Paula Jones

    “New windows are great and exactly what I wanted. The team were always helpful and attentive - even working round a family crisis. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.”

    Kate

    “Our ceiling had been raining in and dripping for weeks, I contacted Shropshire Home Improvements and immediately our roof was assessed and within no time at all, workmen were quickly measuring up. We had a completely new roof fixed and sealed making an excellent job, keeping us dry again at an excellent price too. Cannot fault the workmanship or the professional way in which the whole business was conducted. Well done Shropshire Home Improvements. Highly recommended.”

    Kathleen Harvey

    “Totally satisfied with all aspects of the experience. Great customer service. Great attention to detail. Very happy to recommend Shropshire Home Improvements to anyone.”

    Peter Taylor

    “Great service received from the initial consultation through to the finishing of our new conservatory. Everyone fron the salesmen, office staff, builders and installers were friendly, professional and hard working. The finished project is a wonderful addition to our home. Thank you.”

    Jonathan Nettleton

    “What can say, but a huge thank you to Ben for initially guiding me to choose the windows and doors that he, Dan, Anthony and Andy installed yesterday. I have had compliments from neighbours, and friends and family that I have sent pictures to. I am so thrilled with the results. You transformed my sad little house into a home I now enjoy living in. You all worked so hard and still managed to smile and laugh throughout the whole day. Thank you.”

    Barbara Gunton