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The difference between orangeries and conservatories

14 October 2013

If you're planning an extension to your house, you've probably heard the terms "orangery" and "conservatory" thrown around and wondered what the difference was. After all, to the untrained eye they can look pretty similar. Both were originally intended to help plants survive the cold weather, and both have large areas of glass that help the room get lots of sunlight. These two types of home addition have similar purposes - to create a space with a pleasant view and plenty of sunlight that is still protected from bad weather.

Although they might appear similar, there are some key differences between an orangery and a conservatory. The main difference is in the walls. A conservatory's walls are mainly glazed. The windows may rest on a low wall called a dwarf wall, or they may go all the way down to the floor. As a result, the conservatory is almost completely enclosed only by glass.

By contrast, the walls of an orangery are mainly brick, although there will still typically be large windows. Unlike a conservatory, where the walls themselves are made up only of windows, an orangery will at least have solid brick piers at the corners and may have full-fledged walls. Fundamentally, an orangery is much more like a regular extension to the house, while a conservatory is more like an area of enclosed patio.

Similarly, the roof of a conservatory and the roof of an orangery are very different. Like the walls, the roof of a conservatory is entirely glazed. An orangery roof, on the other hand, has a flat, unglazed segment around its perimeter, with a large skylight in the centre.

Although an orangery does provide a greater degree of privacy than a conservatory, as well as being better-insulated by its thicker walls, its design naturally reduces the amount of available light compared to the light in a conservatory. Its view also won't be as good, since the brick walls will obstruct it in some directions.

Perhaps more importantly, an orangery is a much larger, more complex and more time-consuming project than a conservatory. Because of the wide variety of different materials involved, an orangery will typically cost much more than a conservatory and require much more in the way of construction skills. Quicker, more cost-effective and easier, a conservatory provides the same benefits as an orangery but at a greatly reduced cost for the homeowner.