Lean To Conservatory

Lean To Conservatories origins come from the greenhouses that were often built in cold climates against the southern wall. They're meant to soak in sunlight and keep the northern winds from destroying young plants. 

Today the Lean to Conservatory has developed into one of the most desirable and design-flexible additions to a house.  They provide more space by using one wall of the house as a base and enclosing an area around and above it, hence the name: lean to.  Let us start with some simple advantages against disadvantages of building a lean to style conservatory.

The benefits of attaching such a conservatory to your house are many, but many are subjective.  In other words, as much as the benefits may outweigh those of any other type of traditional conservatory, there may also be a few practical disadvantages to a lean-to as compared to traditional conservatories. 

First, in their favor, they allow the homeowner to design them as they wish using less material as at least one wall is already taken care of, consequently lowering the overall cost. 

Second, because they are close to the house they will naturally be closer to heating, electrical points, running water, etc.  This will also help lower the cost of laying pipes and wires for plumbing and electrical work, thus also cutting the cost of building it. 

Also going along with the first point, lean-to styled conservatories are perhaps the most effective conservatories to match the style of the house.  Homeowners can easily match materials, and create a lovely addition to their house that will add to their living space, and create a natural, outdoor atmosphere within a portion of their home. 

Some disadvantages include the difficulty some people have of balancing their house with an additional room.  Most houses are built around a certain balance, with windows, doors, and porches designed to create a sense of equilibrium.  This causes some trouble when a landowner must choose to add to only one side of the house. 

Apart from disrupting the balance, here is a common sense disadvantage: what if you do not have enough space for a lean-to where the available wall is? 

Building such an attachment too close to your neighbors can be uncomfortable and will not provide a sense of privacy for either you or them.  In addition, a drawback to any addition to a house is that further you build out in depth, the further you will need to tilt the pitch of the roofing.  This will not always pose a problem but in some cases it may.

If you are planning to install a Lean To Conservatory, you will need to know a few things before you go shopping. The purpose of your lean to will influence the way you will want the design to be.

For example, if you are building one to provide a shelter for growing plants like a green house, you will need to design it in such a way that it soaks up the sunlight but is also protected from the heat of the day, has good ventilation, etc.

Are you picky about the temperature inside? Then you will want to provide for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, especially if you are planning on using your conservatory as an extension of your home, such as a sun room or enclosed sun porch.

If you only plan on using the conservatory during three seasons, then you might very well forego heating during the winter. As for summer, a nice ceiling fan can make all the difference

In addition, of course you need to know if you want wooden floors, stone, or carpet. Knowing what you want will help you get set up quickly.

You can build your own lean to conservatory if you were adventurous enough and handy with tools. There are DIY kits available that you can use to get the materials and blueprints that you need. But ultimately, it is advisable to leave the building to professionals who specialize in building them if you are planning on some complicated plumbing or electrical work.

However, if you want a simpler one that does not need extras like running water or electricity, you could get by with a little construction advice and your own power tools. To make up your mind, you'll want to price out both options.