Conservatories for Bungalows
Conservatory designs for bungalows
Conservatories have always been popular amongst home owners in the UK. However, unlike double storey houses, bungalows have a height restriction aspect that makes owners think it unique in the type of conservatory extensions that can be made to fit with a bungalow.
The good news is that this is not strictly true and there are a variety of conservatory designs well suited for bungalow owners. So they need not worry about being excluded from enjoying a conservatory on their home.
Below is a look at some of the designs and options available for bungalow owners.
What conservatory design best suits a bungalow?
Almost all conservatory designs can be custom made to suit the bungalow’s specification. Adapting a particular conservatory roof and frame to fit the existing property is not a big feat of engineering, just a matter of common sense and skill.
You could argue that the most commonly used design for a bungalow is the lean-to conservatory. It offers a modern aspect to the home combined with a touch of simplicity and adaptability that makes it perfect for bungalow specifications. It has the ability to be customised easily to suit the home needs without losing the visual appeal.
The roof of the lean-to is low pitched and is angled only in one direction (usually away from the property) and this low profile roof design is one that does not put the top of the lean-to conservatory at a greater height than the lowest level of the property roof (the level of the roof gutter).
The uncomplicated nature of the lean-to roof also tends to make it cheaper than other styles of conservatory roof.
A couple of other adaptations could be a gullwing lean-to or even “wrap around the corner” of the property with an “L” shaped lean-to.
The other way to have a bit more headroom is to reverse the angle of the lean-to roof, making it slope towards the house instead of away – but you obviously need to make sure the guttering between the house and the conservatory is very effective in dealing with rainwater runoff (a box gutter could be useful here).
Alternate conservatory styles for bungalows
Typical UK conservatories are very rarely free standing are most often constructed making use of one wall of the existing property.
For bungalows with hipped roofs, the height of that wall is obviously single storey, but if you have a gable-end, the wall has a much greater height available and any type of conservatory design can be attached to the gable-end.
So if you have the space at the gable-end, this could be the ideal location to build.
For consideration as a permitted development, the height of the conservatory must not exceed that of the highest part of the roof. That element of planning requirements is what may be leading many bungalow owners to think that their only option is for a lean-to conservatory with a low profile roofline.
However, this is just not the case
A solitary Victorian style conservatory might look a bit “odd” attached to the low eaves of a bungalow, but if you have enough room in the garden and are going for at least a medium sized room, you could try a T-shape Victorian conservatory built at right angles to the house (see picture opposite).
This way, the vaulted section of roof of the conservatory does not interfere or “clash” with the roof of the bungalow as it is the low level roof section which gets attached to the house.
If you are of the mind, and have the budget, you can combine the work of installing a conservatory with making some changes to the main roof.
As you can see from the image on the right, this owner has “t-shaped” the house roof. This roof modification has facilitated the addition of a very nice Gable conservatory with a fancy ridge and dwarf walls.
The high ridge line gives a huge amount of headroom and makes the room light and airy. If you look closely, you can see double roof vents fitted to the full glass roof, that also features double glazed “solar control” panels.
Just another example of what you can do with a little imagination.
Edwardian & Georgian conservatory designs for bungalows
Both of these designs can have hipped roofs and therefore offer more headroom, and as such give a much better feeling of space than a lean-to.
The rooflines themselves, are not that high and, with some sympathetic styling, they look very nice fitted to a bungalow.
As touched upon before, if you have a conservatory roof style that sends rainwater back towards the exiting property, make sure the gutter adjoining the conservatory to your bungalow is more than capable of dealing with the flow effectively.
Using a dwarf wall conservatory design for bungalows
Dwarf walling is just another name for low level solid walling used in conservatory designs. It can come up to 2 to 3 feet in height (about 8 courses of brickwork above the damp course membrane).
A lot of homes use brick, but it could be stone, rendered concrete blocks with pebble-dash or even an Alpine finish – it’s up to you.
One thing you get with dwarf wall conservatory that you don’t get with full glass sides is an internal window cill. An internal window cill is very handy as a place to display your potted plants, picture or other ornaments.
What benefits do bungalow conservatories bring?
Extra space
Bungalow conservatories provide a home owner with additional space for uses such as leisure, as a children’s playroom, a kitchen extension or for living room use. What’s more, they are a really cost effective way to get extra valuable room in your property.
Property value
The re-sale value of your bungalow could well rise as a result of adding a well-built conservatory to it. As we all know, other than location, living space is a really important factor in placing value on any property. A bungalow with a conservatory gives more space to put to different uses.
Natural light
A conservatory will enable you to enjoy natural light, simply because of the amount of glass used in the conservatory construction. Even on the cloudiest of days it can make a remarkable difference to the home.
What does a conservatory for a bungalow cost?
Bungalow conservatories prices, as with conservatory prices for any type of property, vary according to size, design and specification.
But if you take a 3×3 conservatory size as a guide (metres) and you have it professionally installed, you could find prices ranging between £6,000 and £10,000, depending on the design chosen (lean-to, Victorian, Edwardian etc.).
What is the conclusion?
As you can see, bungalow owners are totally not excluded or overly restricted when it comes to conservatory extensions.
All you have to do is to figure out what you want by checking out the many options available and then choose the one that suits your circumstance best.
