Conservatories & Outdoor Rooms

Published : 01/06/2008 | Author: The Property Mag

People who have conservatories will tell you they can’t live without them. Humans love light and nature, that’s why conservatories are so desirable. Coupled with the opportunity to create a verdant garden inside and the attractions are pretty clear.

Conservatories come from colder climates, countries with short, cold days in winter and long, marginally warmer days in summer. So the original conservatory was designed to protect frost-averse plants and people. In the frost-free Cape and altogether more tropical Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, uses for conservatories differ somewhat. Yes, they can still harbour lush displays of plants, but they are equally likely to be places to dine, swim or simply lounge.

The original intention of the European conservatory was to ape the warming effects of the glasshouse. Trouble is the SA sun burns substantially stronger and longer. So, lesson one for conservatory design in South Africa is, install ample and efficient ventilation and blinds. Opening roof lights and windows are essential, providing through flow to extract hot air as it rises. Sliding doors can also help. Those essential blinds can be motorised or mechanical. And they should be inside the glass roof and made of canvas or a similar material.

Tinting can also reduce heat by up to 90 per cent, if applied to the roof. And although you can alternate opaque and transparent panels in the roof to cut down heat, you will cut down light of course. Fascinating fact about conservatories you didn’t know: roof glass gives approximately double the amount of light that the equivalent coverage of vertical glass does: something to do with the angle of that African sun, presumably.

Sun and light is exactly what conservatories give you. And you can also moderate the related heat by locating your conservatory carefully. Go for east, west or even south facing. Often, there is no choice involved, as you will likely want to place the conservatory between, say, house and pool, or house and lawn. But, again, all the tricks mentioned above can be used to temper the heat and glare.

Styles also differ. The traditional Victorian semi-circular design is still popular and suits period houses best. More squared off and angular versions suit more modern architecture, as does frameless glass that provides spectacular sweeps of view without interruption. You can even have your conservatory over two storeys, using double-volume space to grow tropical trees and the like. But the most popular varieties remain the white-painted aluminium multi-panelled designs beloved of Victorian England.

For flooring and furnishing, the options are only limited by what you want to do in the conservatory. Carpets are not a good idea if braais, plants, pets and condensation (almost unavoidable at certain times of year) are going to be regular visitors. Slate or tiles are the most popular choice, along with rattan or cane furniture.

And keep it casual; it would be odd to put your best antiques into your conservatory, if only because extremes of temperature and light are not always expensive fabrics’ best friends either. As conservatories are often the bridge between house and garden, traditional garden furniture, wood, aluminium or iron, also suits them just fine.

The cost? Well, conservatories don’t come cheap. Wood and PVC are cheaper than the recommended industry-standard aluminium, the latter being the lowest maintenance and the toughest too. But you won’t find a conservatory any cheaper than adding on any other type of extension to your house, and if you go for top-end fittings and finishings (like motorised blinds and travertine floors) probably more. See the costs box for more details.

So what does the conservatory add to your house? Space, light, warmth in winter - all in a room that is an extension of your living area and adds absolutely as much value as (if not more than) any other additional room would. And if you look at how often conservatories are used to sell houses, you can’t help but think that they must be an important differentiator for buyers. The romance of the outdoors indoors. Given the choice of a house with or without a conservatory, what would you choose?

Safety You can protect a conservatory with a cat-friendly beam. Put trellidors on the doors and burglar bars on the opening windows if you must. According to Four Seasons Conservatories, breaking the 4mm toughened glass used in their conservatories sounds like a rifle shot - not subtle and very messy. Remember, too, that conservatories are mostly at the back of houses, which are generally more secure anyway.

Braai Rooms A South African variation on the conservatory is the braai room, where the primal need to make fire and cook meat (hardwired into the South African male psyche) reaps rich rewards. Year round braaing on tap: indeed, a bar is often nearby. Braai rooms are usually separated off from the house, or at least off at an angle to a lounge or dining room. And their chief feature is a built-in braai, usually of some stature. This is the focus of the room’s entertainment purpose and presumes smoke and heat - the latter not unwelcome in winter. Sometimes glazed around and occasionally above, the same general advice with regard to furnishing and ventilation applies as with conservatories, only more so due to the smoke. A chimney that draws properly is a must.

Costs Four Seasons Conservatories, Colin Esselar estimates that you need to spend from R2500 to R4000/m2, depending on finishes. Aluminium, tinted glass, motorised blinds and vents with a tiled floor would take you to the top-end of that scale. For a 25m2 conservatory of that nature, you are looking at R100 000, but remember it’s now a great selling feature! Lapas and gazebos are considerably cheaper.

Arthur Quinton Darryl Croombe www.aquacor.co.za

Beautiful Structures www.beautifulstructures.co.za

Cover Frameless Glass www.coverfg.co.za

Four Seasons www.fourseasons.co.za

Lucas Quality Thatchers www.thatchers.co.za

Michael Scallan Architects +27 82 895 5700

Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen www.saota.com

Petersen’s Furniture www.petersens.co.za

Rudolph Lennard Architects www.rudolphlennard.co.za

Written by: Giles Griffin for the Property Mag