Ideal conservatory specifications

June 16, 2010

The ideal specifications for a conservatory is really dependent on it’s location, intended use and of course personal preference, however in general, the following guide provides the most important factors to consider.

Style – Choose a conservatory style that most suits your home and try to avoid any over-the-top design that doesn’t fit in with your property.

Size – Make sure that your conservatory is large enough to serve it’s purpose but not so large that it looks out of proportion on your home.

Colour – Choose a colour that closely matches your existing or proposed new windows and doors.

Frame Glazing – There are now many different glazing types to choose from. For convenience, consider self cleaning glass and for comfort and energy conservation, consider thermally efficient and solar control glass. This will help keep your conservatory more comfortable all year round.

Roof Glazing – Again, consider thermally efficient, self cleaning and solar control glass or polycarbonate. Remember, a glass conservatory roof will normally allow more glare than most polycarbonate roofs.

Heating - Due to the proportion of glass in the typical conservatory, adequate heating during cold spells can often be more difficult than with other rooms in the house. Often, a single radiator or heater is not enough and should be aided by a secondary heating source such as electric underfloor heating for example.

Blinds - Fitting blinds provides privacy, helps reduce heat loss through the windows and guards against heat and light which can damage furniture.

Furniture - If your conservatory is to be used as an additional living area, then you’ll need to furnish it. Choose comfortable furniture for relaxing, socialising or watching TV, just as you would in your main living room.

If you follow this guide, you’ll not go far wrong and it will enable you to get the very most out of your conservatory.


A quick guide to conservatories

August 18, 2009

conservatory guideWelcome to this quick guide all about conservatories .

I have been in the conservatory industry for over 20 years now and have decided to create this blog to offer my expert views and insights in to the world of conservatories, as well as providing many useful resources for home owners looking for ways to add space to their homes, therefore here’s a quick guide.

Let’s start with furnishing your conservatory.

Conservatory furniture is one of the most practical and effective ways of enhancing any conservatory and after dealing with many suppliers over the years, I can confidently recommend Haddon House.

With over 20 years experience and a range of over 30 cane and wicker furniture products, I have always found Haddon House to be the most helpful and the most competitively priced suppliers of conservatory furniture that I have ever had dealings with and you can see their website at www.haddonhouse.co.uk and request a free brochure there.

Conservatory heating is without doubt one of the most important things that should be considered when planning conservatories as it will make your new room far more comfortable and usable all year round.

One of the most effective ways of heating a conservatory is electric underfloor heating. I have installed this in my own conservatory at home and can honestly say that it is one of the best decisions I have made, it really is very efficient and reasonably economical to run.

The company I used for my own conservatory is actually called Floor Heating and you can see their website at www.floorheating.com.

Again, this is a company that I can strongly recommend as their prices are the lowest I have ever come across and the staff there are very knowledgeable and helpful.

Flooring for conservatories is really a matter of personal taste, although tiles are most suited to electric underfloor heating which performs extremely well in my own conservatory.

Finally, most people eventually install conservatory blinds to reduce the heat build up and glare which occurs through the large areas of glass that conservatories typically consist of.

To be honest, I have dealt with several suppliers of conservatory blinds, all of which have provided me with a very efficient service and quality products.

I would say my favourite supplier is Thomas Sanderson as they always seem to be bringing out great new products and have a massive range of blinds to choose from.

Thomas Sanderson also offers a free brochure which can be requested at their website, www.thomas-sanderson.co.uk.

I you find hope this article useful and that you enjoy reading the advice I am able to offer from my long experience in all aspects of the conservatory industry.

I will be offering further valuable advice in future posts but in the meantime, anyone needing advice or having questions about any of the subjects I cover are most welcome to contact me.


Conservatory Furniture

May 5, 2009

The History of Wicker Furniture

Quality Furniture for Your Conservatory

Using wicker and cane is a genuinely ancient craft, items such as naturally woven chests were crafted some 2,000 years BC. Slightly more recently Moses, as a baby was placed in a woven basket and new born babies still use Moses baskets today.

Rattan and cane are the chief source deriving from wickerwork, wicker meaning ‘small, pliant twig’- deriving from the Swedish word ‘wika’.

Wicker, cane and rattan furniture have been in and out of fashion for centuries, and although associated generally with conservatory furniture it is currently enjoying a trend for being in vogue again, particularly for the conservatory and as dining room furniture. Rattan has a unique beauty when seen in a completed item. Traditional skills are still used and these combined with the natural elements, produce uniquely crafted furniture items.

Manufacturing Wicker / Cane Furniture

Wicker, cane and rattan are essentially the same – spiny climbing palms that can attain lengths of over 185 meters as they reach for sunlight through the jungle canopy.

Rattan and cane can be challenging collect to harvest. After gathering the raw material there is quite a lengthy process before it turns into a beautiful piece of furniture. The wicker after collections is boiled in water to kill off any creatures or insects that might still be alive from the jungle.

The canes are then ready to be peeled and stripped of outer skin. Often with much cheaper furniture, cane is used unpeeled, which has quite a rough bumpy finish. For a much more attractive and quality finish, the skin is peeled. Firstly this is done by hand, to get rid of big pieces and then by machine, which strips the edges and leaves a smooth rounded pole. The lengths of cane are then graded according to thickness and age. Our own furniture manufacturers use only the best grades of cane, producing top quality and long last furniture…  Read More >>

Read full article at: http://www.2furnish.co.uk/wicker-conservatory-furniture


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