Conservatory Vs Extensions

The fact is, adding an extension to your home is the modern and fashionable way of adding space to your home in the 21^st Century. Firstly there is the flexibility, creating awe inspiring living space with contemporary bespoke designs. Secondly, the increase in usability and function, allowing for the solid walls to be used for storage and appliances, greatly improving the use of the room and making it part of the house as opposed to an add on; thirdly the insulation that comes from having solid walls making for a warmer, quieter, pleasing environment, that all in all is a more appealing space to have in your home.....A huge consideration, looking on in to the future, is that a SIPS extension will also help target the eco issues of today.

Conservatories on the other hand are a dying breed, lending themselves to the problems associated with heat loss - the frustration of never being able to maintain the correct, comfortable temperature; renowned for either being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer!! They add to the huge carbon footprint of the UK, with the level of glazing increasing Co2 emissions; substantially increasing the homeowners heating bill with most of the energy going towards heating up the garden!

This idea of tacking on a glazed area to your house became soo popular in the nineties as a hassle free option to gaining more space. Gone are those days, and here are the days where the future is firmly fixed on reducing carbon emissions and focussing on conservation of fuel and power. The additional building regulations seen in Part L1B has changed all ideas that a conservatory can be erected simply with no need to get the planning office involved. In fact, 60% of conservatories will need planning permission, exemption only being allowed if

• The conservatory has a floor area less than 30m²

• The existing walls, doors and windows in the part of the dwelling which separates the conservatory are retained or, if removed, they are replaced with windows, doors and walls which meet energy requirements
• The heating system of the dwelling is not extended into the conservatory

If the conservatory does not fit these criteria then it has to meet the same energy requirements of an extension as stated in Part L1B in the building regulations.

The concern of crossing the threshold in to planning permission if you opt for an extension over a conservatory is misconceived. An extension can be deemed as a conservatory if 50% of the walls and 75% of the roof are glazed and therefore they can be exempt from planning if they meet the criteria as set out above.