Can conservatory become front entrance to home?

7 years ago

We are about to move from our home of almost 20yrs into what will be the home of our dreams. We are investing everything we own & selling anything not nailed down to finance it so renovations will be done on a shoe-string by ourselves.

My first (and possibly not last) question is can the conservatory on the front of the house be turned into the front door and entrance without looking like a conservatory with a front door?! Any ideas and inspiration would be very much appreciated at this stage. Thanks in anticipation :-)

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Comments (2)

PRO
JLM Architecture Limited
7 years ago
Yes you can, although why would you do that?

There is nothing stopping you using either doors, although in design terms it is my pet hate when I visit a house with 2 doors on the front and no clear distinction as to which one to use.

The conservatory looks Upvc, if you plan to change the doors to something more 'front doorish' then you will find that will not be possible.

For me, I would improve the existing entrance.
Trina Hewi thanked JLM Architecture Limited
Trina Hewi
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for taking the time to respond, I appreciate your expertise. It's one of my pet hates too that the entrance to a house is not clearly defined. This bungalow has 2/3 bedrooms and we need to create another 2 so the plan is to convert the room on the far left into a bedroom (it's currently a large kitchen/diner) and on the far right which is obscured by trees we plan to knock wc/utility room/storage space into another bedroom. In theory the home will almost be symmetrical from the front if we remove the exististing front door and make it good. Where the conservatory has been built lends itsself perfectly to the entry to the home. Ive looked at changing it to more of an orangery that could maybe blend into better or compliment the house whilst improving energy rating.

Sorry, I'm rambling but this house has taken over my waking thoughts and dreams!
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Hi Joe, in case you are still deliberating :-) I prefer the second layout with the diagonal view from the living room to the kitchen. Firstly, the space in the middle will function as a sort of lobby, leading to 3 different areas - upstairs, kitchen and living room so it needs more room to make it comfortable to navigate. It should be able to accommodate more than one person at a time. Also so often front rooms become dead spaces because there is no direct view into this room from the main activity areas of the house which is usually the kitchen/dining area. The view into the living room will allow vitality from the kitchen to flow into this room to enliven it and you also have the flexibility to close it off when needed for quieter moments. I am adopting a very similar layout myself for the same reason and so refreshing to see someone thinking along the same lines. I think the additional cost in beams will be more than worth it in the long run. All the best with your project!
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Can conservatory become front entrance to home?

Comments (2)

JLM Architecture Limited

Trina Hewi
Original Author

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Can conservatory become front entrance to home?

Comments (2)

JLM Architecture Limited

Trina HewiOriginal Author

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Trina Hewi
Original Author