Light and luxury: why you need an orangery
As homeowners, we often dream of having that extra space within our property, for work, leisure – or even to just get away from the rest of the family! Although you’re not happy with your current amount of living space, moving home can be an overwhelming thought. Luckily, for a lot of us, there is a much more convenient and affordable way to create more space – without summoning the moving vans! Orangeries are fast becoming the new architectural trend when it comes to the property market – and we can see why! With a name like ‘Orangery’, and the history behind them, who wouldn’t want a little bit of luxury in their very own home. But what are the benefits to investing in an orangery? We’ll be discussing the rewards of orangeries to help you decide.
What is an Orangery?
Back in the 17th century, Orangeries were originated by wealthy aristocrats for the sole purpose of, yes you guessed it – growing oranges.
As the temperatures in Northern Europe weren’t warm enough to support the growth of citrus fruits, families living in luxury would install orangeries as an indoor space to let in natural light. This would allow for oranges and lemons to grow in a climate similar to their countries of origin, giving them an environment in which to thrive.
Nowadays, orangeries are much more commonly used as a stylish home-space, allowing for extra room within the home, with sky lantern windows to increase natural light. Orangeries are quite often mistaken for conservatories or traditional extensions, however, orangeries are a perfect mix of the two. With the solid brick structure of an extension, and the glazed glass roof of a conservatory you really can have the best of both worlds.
The benefits of an Orangery
Orangeries have many great advantages, proving the reason behind their popularity for hundreds of years. Here are a few of our favourites:
More Interior Space
Installing an orangery is a cost-effective way to maximise the space within your property, without having to put your home back on the property market. The most common complaint when talking about homes is not having enough room to move – especially when we begin to create a family. Moving home is an extremely overwhelming, expensive, strenuous task, and it’s often not a necessary step.
A lot of homes have a surplus of exterior space which can be put to good use. If you’re finding you don’t need as much back garden room as you initially thought, why not use the extra scope to create your dream home instead?
Decreasing Overall Heating Bills
Yes, we know it’s a large investment, but we couldn’t help but mention this benefit.
Due to the nature of the structure, orangeries actually absorb heat into the home. Pairing your brick structure with triple glazed windows can result in an actual saving on your yearly energy bills. Of course, due to how much an orangery costs, we wouldn’t recommend building an orangery for this reason alone.
During the hotter months, the multitude of windows and large exterior doors can also allow for you to cool down your home quickly and efficiently, by allowing air to flow quickly through the structure. Not to mention it being a great space to enjoy nature and natural light all year round, without being disturbed by harsh outdoor elements.
Increasing Natural Light
Natural light is well-known for its benefits on our health and mood day-to-day. And with a swift and sudden increase in work-from-home jobs, a lot of us are definitely not seeing enough of it. Orangeries are the perfect investments for those who are looking to let natural light flood into their abodes, all year round!
Even though they’re most often brick in structure, orangerie’s lantern-window embellished roofs allow you to maximise the amount of light within your property, thus creating a knock-on effect in the surrounding rooms. The more natural light within your home, the bigger and brighter the interior looks – a grand illusion!
Boosting Property Value
It’s always a good idea to consider the future when designing your home, in case at some point you decide you’d like a change of scenery and location. As well as being a fantastic investment for yourself and your family, an orangery can dramatically increase the property value of your home.
In fact, our old Location Location favourite, Phil Spencer, reckons that the average orangery can add anywhere between seven to eleven percent onto the overall value of your home. Allowing your property to sell in a higher price bracket, and making it more desired by potential home-buyers. There are plenty of places you can get bespoke orangeries in the UK which will make your property unique therefore boosting property value.
Zero Planning Permission
Most orangery builds don’t actually require planning permission from the council compared to traditional extensions, which means less fuss and time wasted when it comes to improving your home. However, it is always worth doing your research before splurging on such an investment.
