With over 30 years experience in designing and creating bespoke oak conservatories and orangeries at Timberpride, we understand that an oak frame is not just an addition to your home, but an investment in product quality. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the key factors that influence the cost of an oak conservatory or new oak orangery, helping you make informed decisions for your project.
What is an Oak Frame Conservatory?
An oak frame conservatory is a type of new glazed extension that uses a solid oak timber structure to support large glass panels. They provide an open, light-filled area that brings the outdoors in, making them a popular choice for those looking to expand their living space. Oak conservatories are perfect for a range of uses, from bright dining areas to home offices or garden rooms.
What is an Oak Frame Orangery?
An oak frame orangery is an extension similar to a conservatory, built with solid oak beams and large glass windows. Originally designed for growing fruit like oranges, orangeries offer a warm, light-filled space that feels like a natural extension of your home. Today, orangeries are often used as kitchens, dining areas, home offices, or relaxing living spaces.
Factors Affecting Oak Conservatory Cost
What goes into the cost of an oak conservatory?
Size of the Conservatory
Larger conservatories require more oak for the frame, more glazing panels, and extended labour time, all of which increase the budget. Smaller, more compact conservatories can be more budget-friendly, but larger spaces provide more flexibility in design and function.
Type of Glazing
Single glazing is the most affordable option initially, but for a conservatory, double glazing is better for insulation. Double glazing is more energy efficient, achieving a U value of 1.2, which both satisfies architects’ requirements and leads to long-term cost-savings. This is especially the case for a fully glazed conservatory.
Groundworks and Site Conditions
Groundworks can be a significant proportion of the cost of a build, but it is critical that they are done correctly. Some soil types will not support weight easily and sloping ground will add to the complexity of the solution, so it is important to build this time and cost into your plans. It is however worth remembering that an Oak frame will be significantly lighter than a steel or masonry structure, so the foundations can often be simplified if you choose Oak.
Thermal Insulation
Modern solutions such as multi layer foil insulations are particularly efficient, ensuring your Oak frame stays cosy even in winter. When summer arrives, good ventilation, roof vents, blinds, and photo-chromatic glass help keep the space cool and comfortable. Together, these solutions provide year-round comfort while reducing long-term energy costs.
Design Considerations
The same shape and size of oak structure can be made with flamboyant details like decorative trusses at one price or simple functionality at another, with many options in-between.
It is important to openly discuss both the desired appearance and budget as there is nearly always a way to find the balance between aesthetics and cost, this is at the heart of every successful frame project.
A design consultation with oak specialists like Timberpride is a great way to explore these details and how they can affect the overall cost.
How Much Does an Orangery Extension Cost?
When it comes to cost, orangeries and conservatories are influenced by many of the same factors—size, glazing, ventilation, groundworks, and insulation all contribute to the final price.
The main difference is in the roof. Orangeries typically have a solid, tiled roof with a glazed roof lantern—a glass feature set into the centre of the roof that allows natural light to pour in.
Because of the tiled roof and roof lantern, orangeries generally offer better insulation than conservatories, helping to keep the space warm in winter and cool in summer. However, these features can also make orangeries more expensive upfront than conservatories with fully glazed roofs.
That said, there’s plenty of flexibility in the design. Your new oak orangery doesn’t have to follow traditional styles—you can choose a fully glazed roof for more natural light or stick with a tiled roof for extra insulation.
Supply Chain and Material Costs for Oak Extensions
How do material costs impact the final quote for your conservatory?
Sourcing Oak
The cost of the oak components can vary depending on whether the oak is locally sourced or imported. While imported oak may be less expensive in some cases, local oak comes with lower transportation costs and no overseas delays. All Timberpride Oak has minimal transport miles and is from well managed British woodland. The income generated from our timber sales gives a motivation to forest owners to re-invest in their woodland.
Supply Chain Issues
Supply chain disruptions, such as material shortages or fluctuations in global prices, can affect the cost of oak and may cause delays. However, Timberpride sources all its Oak in the UK which can mitigate some of these risks and we are not affected by price fluctuations caused by exchange rate.
Oak Grading
Structural oak beams are visually graded by our in-house qualified grader, checking for things like slope of grain, knot size, splits, distortion, and any signs of fungal decay. Based on these checks, beams are assigned structural grades: D24, D30 and D40. Whilst D24 oak is now legally allowed to be used in the UK, we prefer to treat anything below D30 as a grade fail at Timberpride.
A D40 beam is stronger than a D30 and can, in theory, support the same load with a smaller section of timber. While this might seem like a good way to save money, smaller beams are more likely to warp as they dry, and reducing the section size may lead to the structure bouncing when you walk across the floor. We often use larger sections than a structural engineer has specified in order to accommodate the joint details required, this can negate the need for the higher grade. So, choosing the right grade is more nuanced than simply what looks best.
Learn more in our blog post on D30 and D40 oak.
The Importance of Budgeting for the Unexpected
When planning your new glazed extension, it’s wise to include a contingency in your budget, maybe 10-20%, to cover un-foreseen expenses. These could include alterations to utilities, such as moving pipes or electrical wiring, or unexpected groundwork, such as additional foundations due to unforeseen soil conditions. While some costs are not predictable, allocating a portion of your budget for contingent expenses ensures you’re better prepared, enabling you to better manage finances and giving you breathing space, during what can become high pressured process.
How to Minimise Oak Framed Conservatory Cost
One of the most effective ways to control costs is by working with experienced carpenters who specialise in oak frame construction. While it may seem that a site carpenter or general builder could make the frame at a lower cost, oak frame carpentry is actually a totally different skill and specialists can prevent delays or mistakes that might lead to higher costs at a later date.
By consulting with professionals who understand how to balance material choices with thoughtful design, you can create a stunning oak conservatory that aligns with your budget without compromising on quality.
Do I Need Planning Permission to Add an Oak Frame Conservatory or Orangery?
Planning permission is often not required for an oak frame conservatory or orangery, thanks to permitted development rights—rules that allow certain home improvements without formal approval. The need for planning permission can increase costs and cause delays, so building without it can be a big advantage.
Whilst some houses have had their permitted development rights extinguished and designations like AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) or National Parks can make things difficult, most houses still have permitted development rights. You are much more likely to be able to use PDR to the rear of your house and the new structure must be lower than the existing house with a maximum footprint as a proportion of the plot and house. We can supply a copy of the guidance notes for PDR, but the best way to be confident is to talk to a planning consultant. If they advise that the project will qualify for PDR you can simply proceed safe in the knowledge that their report will satisfy the Local Planning Authority should someone lodge a complaint.
Once the project is complete it may be worth applying to the LPA for a certificate of lawfulness, this will justify the existence of the structure in the future when someone is running searches for a mortgage.
Conclusion: Are Oak Conservatories & Orangeries Worth the Investment?
Oak framed extensions, conservatories and orangeries are an investment in both beauty and lifestyle. Built properly Oak’s natural durability ensures the structure will stand the test of time. Moreover, an oak conservatory can add significant value to your property, or at very least ensure it sell quickly as most people find the idea of living with an Oak frame highly desirable.
How Long Should an Oak Conservatory Last?
An oak conservatory can last hundreds of years it it is made properly. At Timberpride, we extend the lifespan of our structures by raising the frame by approximately 400mm above ground level on a dwarf wall. This allows the Oak to dry quickly and continue looking its best for generations to come.
Choosing a handcrafted frame also helps to ensure durability. Traditional square joints provide excellent rigidity and rotational strength, ensuring the structure remains strong and stable long-term.
There are many Oak frame buildings in Britain which have lasted up to 1000 years, your Timberpride frame could be one of these.
Bringing Your Oak Conservatory or Orangery to Life
Ready to bring your ideal oak conservatory or oak orangery to life? Booking a consultation with our oak specialists at Timberpride is an easy way to get started.
Our expertise begins long before the first cut is made, starting with the careful selection of oak from sustainably managed British woodlands.
From there, our artisans craft each frame entirely by hand, bringing a level attention to detail unique to traditional craftsmanship.
By carefully examining the grain, texture, and natural features of the wood at every stage, they make thoughtful, informed decisions that ensure each frame is exceptionally strong and long-lasting. This hands-on process not only guarantees structural integrity but also brings out the natural beauty and character of the oak, resulting in a truly bespoke structure.
Get in touch today to take the first step towards transforming your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve answered some of the most common questions on oak orangery and conservatory cost.
An oak conservatory can significantly increase your property’s value, or least ensure it sell more quickly. An oak conservatory offers valuable living space, which can improve your home’s marketability and energy efficiency, providing long-term benefits. Design features like a vaulted ceiling or decorative roof trusses can further enhance the appeal and value of an oak conservatory.
Green oak is freshly cut timber that still contains a high level of moisture. It’s used in oak framing because it’s easier to shape and work with, it will naturally season and harden over time, adding strength to the structure as it ages.
Seasoned oak has been stored for at least a year, before being used. It can be less visually uniform than green oak, as splits and knots may have opened during the drying process. It is also worth considering that any timber merchant who carries a stock of Oak beams for sale will inevitably sell the best beams first, this means that the ones which sit aging for a year or two are the ones nobody want to work with.
Giving an average price is difficult as there is no such thing as an average garden room, the cost of garden rooms depends on factors such as size, materials, design, and insulation. It is however relatively easy to say what can be achieved for your budget, or to give an estimate of costs for a design idea you have for an oak framed garden room.
The main difference between an oak frame conservatory and an oak frame orangery is in the roof design. Orangeries usually have a fully tiled roof, often with a glazed lantern on top, which was traditionally used to let light in to grow oranges, whereas a conservatory would have a fully glazed roof. But both can serve as a glass extension and you can call it whatever you want to, it’s your home.
