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If you’ve been thinking about adding an extension to your home for extra living space, then you may have thought about adding an orangery. These are customizable extensions to your home that sit somewhere between a conservatory and a regular home extension. 
 
Orangeries are often labelled as home extensions due to their uses, but they often don’t require planning permission and are much cheaper. In this post, we’ll be explaining what orangeries look like so you can decide if you want to plan one for the future. 

STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES 

Orangeries are usually confused with conservatories, but there are some very big differences that separate the two. For starters, conservatories don’t use brick bases, or tend to have very small brick bases. Conservatories typically use a lot of windows as well, on both its walls and its roof. They’re usually T or P shaped, and often even circular in nature. The roof is often pitched and they’re designed to be rooms that blend the outdoors and the indoors, hence the use of large windows. 
 
On the contrary, orangeries typically have a flat roof with a central roof lantern to let light in. This is one of the biggest characteristics to remember when looking at orangeries and their differences to conservatories. They might even have a second lantern if the orangery is big enough. Foundation-wise, orangeries have larger brick bases and don’t always utilize larger windows. 

MATERIAL USAGE 

Conservatories are typically cheaper due to the use of uPVC. This makes them look a little cheaper and also gives them their inexpensive quality. 
 
On the other hand, orangeries are typically made with hardwood timber, oak or pine. They can also be made with uPVC as well, but orangeries will always have a solid brick base on top of a solid concrete foundation. 
 
You’ll often see that an orangery doesn’t use as many windows either. This is because the majority of the light will come from the central roof lantern instead of relying on ample windows. You might even see that an orangery only has a couple of windows, such as from the doors. They rely a little more on artificial lighting and are built more like extensions to the home. 

INDOOR DIFFERENCES 

Orangeries are typically much more home-like. They can be used for things like adding another kitchen, you can use them as a dining room or they can even be treated as playrooms for the kids. Conservatories, on the other hand, are usually a bit smaller and are treated as rooms for relaxation and not treated as a typical extension. 
 
As a result, you’ll often see just furniture inside of a conservatory, but an orangery will have places for storage, tables, seats, decorations, plants and many other things that could function as a part of a regular home. They might also blend into the rest of the home and give it an open-plan feel that merges with the kitchen or living room. 
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