Where you position your conservatory or orangery in respect to your property can have quite an effect on how you use it. Two key criteria need to be considered before you agree the designs, 1) the position of your conservatory in relation to the sun, and 2) the position of your conservatory in relation to your property. We will explore both now.

The positioning of your conservatory/orangery in relation to the sun

North Facing

A north facing conservatory or orangery will need a bit of planning if you are planning to use the building all year round. It will receive much less direct sunlight so you will need to consider heating and insulation to ensure it is comfortable to use during the cold winter months.

Less direct sunlight will bring advantages since you will get less of the greenhouse effect enabling you to use the room comfortably all year round (assuming you have heating). So from that point of view it would make an ideal office or something similarly.

So initially a north facing conservatory or orangery may appear like the worst of the four options, but some people often prefer it especially if they are going to put their conservatory or orangery to this sort of use.

East Facing

Since the sun rises in the East, an east facing room is ideal for breakfast rooms. They are perfect for the morning coffee on a balcony experience, but at least with this you are shielding yourself from the weather. In addition, easterly winds can blow quite cold so you would need to consider the heating options to ensure you can use it all year round.

South Facing

A south facing room will get most of the sun for most of the day. This will be a benefit in winter since you will need less heating as what sun there is will come into your conservatory or orangery to heat it. For the rest of the year you need to consider cooling the room to make it comfortable. Things to consider are ventilated windows, air conditioning and folding sliding doors. You may also consider being able to block the sun in especially warm days. This could be done with blinds or partially with solar glass.

West Facing

With the sun setting in the West, a west facing conservatory or orangery is ideal for those long summers enabling you to enjoy the room well into the evening. In some ways it is perfect for dinner parties or just normal dinning. You do not have to contend with very hot midday sun, but it will capture the sun from the afternoons onwards so it is worth thinking about cooling and ventilation.

The positioning of your conservatory/orangery in relation to you property

Rear of the property

The easiest and most common place to put a conservatory or orangery is at the back of your property. Planning permission is easy plus you get the benefit of the garden at the back of the property which is usually much more private than the front or the side.

With a rear facing conservatory you will need to think about access to the garden so the conservatory company are able to construct the building. This is especially relevant if there are extensive ground works to complete. Keep in mind that if there is no access, costs could rise because more manual labour is required, plus you may have to content with materials being carried through the main house.

Front & side of the property

A conservatory or orangery built on the side or front of a building will cause more issues regarding planning permission since most councils will have to consider the impact of the building on the surrounding environment. If your property is set back from the main road or is on its own private grounds this will be less of a problem, you just need to liaise with your local planning department who will advise you on the parameters you need to consider with the design.

Orangeries in this respect can be easier to pass since they are part masonry so will usually be built to complement the look of your existing building.

Of course, when it comes to construction access should not be a problem.