The conservatories of yesterday are now more readily known as the sunrooms of today. Well at least that is what home conservatories are more commonly called. At one time a conservatory would have been made out of metal and glass. If you think about the old style green houses or even a glass structure that you would had seen at a park, then you are talking what used to be called a conservatory.
With the cost reduction and improvements that have been made with building materials, today’s conservatories have become much more popular among the average homeowner. If you ever drive down a interstate in Florida and peer into peoples backyards, you will see just how popular these glass structures have become. Of course Floridians call them sunrooms, and so do just about everybody else.
The original intent of the conservatory was to protect rare and hard to grow plants. They were simply greenhouses. Sometimes, and you can often see this in movies, the glass structure is used to house not just plants but also animals. It allows you to have your own little jungle.
If you live in a large city they probably have a botanical garden this is housed in a conservatory. Many cities raise money by renting their public conservatories out for auctions, parties, and special events.
Conservatories come in all shapes and sizes. There are very large ones that are domed shaped and rather small ones that are simple squares.
It is not unusual for a typical homeowner to use a conservatory as a sunroom. They’re uses vary form growing houseplants to adding an "outside" room to a house. They do make a striking and interesting extra room.
There are cheap conservatories that you can purchase completely assembled and ready to be installed or there are plenty of cheap diy conservatories. It is all up to whether you want to do some of the work or leave it to the professionals.
In either case, home conservatories will make your house more attractive, give you added living space, and bring light and some of the outdoors into your home.