Conservatories in the West Midlands

Birmingham and the Black Country have dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and large post-war estates, with gardens of every size. A lean-to suits the tight terraces, and an Edwardian or Victorian conservatory fits the suburban semis. The black-and-white towns of Shropshire and Herefordshire suit a timber lean-to or an orangery.

The region is a guide to typical UK weathering, so uPVC and aluminium both last well here. Timber is the better choice on the listed and timber-framed houses of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Ask for a quote in each material, because the gap between them depends on the profile.

Rainfall in the West Midlands is close to the national average, so any properly fitted roof will do the job. The choice between polycarbonate, glass and a solid roof is mostly about how you use the room. For living in all year, a solid or heavily insulated glass roof is the better buy.

Green Belt around the conurbation limits outward building, so a well-designed conservatory is a popular way to add space. French doors and sliding doors are the usual choice, and bifolds appear on the larger orangery and extension projects. Ask for the same specification on every quote.

Birmingham and the Black Country hold dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces alongside some of the largest post-war municipal estates in the country, much of it now owner-occupied. Cavity walls are the norm in the interwar and later stock. Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire are rural and older, with timber framing common.

Extensive Green Belt rings the conurbation and limits what can be built outward, so extensions and loft conversions carry more weight here than new outbuildings. The black-and-white timber-framed towns of Shropshire and Herefordshire hold heavy concentrations of listed buildings, where repair in traditional materials is usually the only route, and Ironbridge Gorge is a World Heritage Site with correspondingly tight control. Birmingham and Coventry both have conservation areas covering substantial areas of terraced housing, where materials and window styles have to be matched.

Close to the UK average for rainfall, sheltered from the worst of the Atlantic weather by the Welsh mountains. The Shropshire hills and the Staffordshire moorlands are wetter and colder than the conurbation. Nothing here is extreme, which makes the region a reasonable guide to typical UK weathering.