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Design DilemmaWindows
rish_datta

Too Much Glass??

Rish Datta
5 years ago
Hi, I need some advise on the back extension of my house. The architect has put in a lot of Windows and although it looks good I am concerned that:

1. My house will become like a greenhouse and get extremely hot in the Summer.

2. Would loose heat in the winter as glass may not be as efficient as brick.

3. Security is compromised as all it takes is for someone to break a pane and they're in; plus a would be thief can see the whole ground floor.

Points 1 and 2 are more of a concern as point 3 could be solved by simply putting up curtains/blinds.

My house is in London and South West facing.

3D render of the plan attached.

Any advice or experiences from anyone that has similarly large expanse of glass would be really appreciated!
Featured Answer
  • PRO
    OnePlan
    5 years ago
    It looks like a good use of solar displacements have been put into the design too - that should help with the overheating. Maybe ask the architect to talk though these with you - so you get more of an idea how each works in your case . ( overhangs and pergola ) you may find that they have designed retractable shade awnings onto the pergola too !
    Looks a lovely design to me - in my professional opinion !

    • Comments (20)

    • kikiamack
      5 years ago
      I like the design, but if the apex window is for a bedroom, I would just like to point out that an awful lot of people with similar windows post to this forum saying they haven’t got a clue how to block out the light so they can sleep. It might be something that can easily be sorted at design stage, with integrated blinds or something, but it seems not so easily added after.

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    • Rish Datta
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Thanks One Plan for the reply. Im keen ro maintain my grass area in the garden so was thinking of not having the pergola. By not having it do you think the inside of the house will still be ok from the heat?
    • Rish Datta
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Thanks Kikiamack for the comment. Yes it is for the bedroom and thank you for making me aware of the potential issue with that! Sometimes you get carried away with how the design looks and forgot about some of the practical aspects!
    • tezz4
      5 years ago

      I love your design but l would be concerned about cleaning all that high glass - unless you use self cleansing materials. I tend to steer towards practical choices just to make like simpler.

    • honeypoppet
      5 years ago

      My uncle has a house that is entirely glass at the back (ground floor) - it does get hot in summer if you don't have blinds but if you do then it's fine. Also, as regards to heat loss, they were expecting to have a lot but actually had the opposite - they hardly had to turn the heat on last winter (through the snow and all!). I'd go for it - looks lovely.

    • Rish Datta
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Thanks honeypoppet. Great to get feedback from personal experiences!
    • J
      5 years ago
      My last house had alot of glass. It was a slimmer version of your lower floor. We had a retractable sun shade like your rendering. The original house even though it was in sunny Australia was a 100 yr old dark and cold terrace with no natural light. So I think I went a little overboard on the windows. The room often felt like it was an outbuilding. I had concrete floors and a featured steel frame which added of course to the industrial look.
      I never felt you could just smash the glass and break in. The glass is so thick when your using these sized sheets. I was more concerned about the full ceiling height sliders; being able to lift them off their tracks and break in that way.
      I moved before I had a chance to dress the windows. But they where really needed. I had to consider where the curtain stack was going to go. In my case, the glass end of the L was a complete glass wall. So the curtain was going to block some of the glass, so I felt it was wasted to have gone that full width. In hindsight I'd have liked that wall to be mostly solid with a bump out squared contemporary window seat. That wall was facing due west and we had external motorized Venetian blinds, and due to the sun ithe blind was rarely pulled up fully.
      The glass was a little bit of a pain to keep clean compared to regular walls. It was noisier with the hard surfaces. But the solar gain was great in winter and it made our narrow house feel so much larger. And as the hedges and garden was filling out it was looking great.
      Lastly we lived on a corner block and at times it felt like we didn't have enough privacy.
      Hope that helps.
    • Barbara B
      5 years ago
      3/4 of the ceiling and one wall is glass in our kitchen. It’s fine in winter, never cold. It’s a large room with just one radiator and no underfloor heating. In summer though it gets hot. I think it could use more windows to ventilate the space better. But this glass structure was installed in 2007-08 and am sure the technology would have moved on. I would check the glass manufacturer’s credentials re heat loss and whether the glass can reflect solar rays and such so it doesn’t get super hot. I would just make sure to build in enough ventilation and figure out how you are going to do curtains or window blinds or panels now so you can build that into the design if you need it (some glass manufacturers can make the glass like a mirror externally so people can’t see in but I reckon that is über expensive). Also think about a bug screen which can roll back into a casing. We love having our bi-fold doors open but feel we have to be in the room when they are open because we have lots of neighbourhood cats and foxes in the area. It’s a lovely design. And I would keep that deck and pergola, lovely to sit out there in the nice weather. Good luck with it!
    • Natalie Tan
      5 years ago
      We have floor to ceiling sliding doors all around our lounge and dining room. No concerns re. security, but it was pretty hot before we installed motorised roller blinds with 95% uv blocking. We live in Singapore (on the Equator- average daily temperature 30C), and just the addition of those blinds worked wonders. And we really do love the beauty of the floor to ceiling glass. I agree with the previous comments that you can control the heat in the summer, and you will love the extra light in the winter (I remember British winters too well...)
    • artisan_1
      5 years ago
      I can’t stand dirty windows so with all that glass I would have to employ a full time window cleaner!
    • tezz4
      5 years ago

      Hydrophobic or hydrophilic glass can solve the cleaning problem but then cost becomes another issue. And there is a reflectic coating that can help during the day but with lights on at night the effect vanishes.

    • Rish Datta
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Thank you to everyone that's so far contributed/responded. Really appreciate the effort.
    • Juliet Docherty
      5 years ago

      Surely this all depends on the aspect?

    • Rish Datta
      Original Author
      5 years ago
      Hi Colourhappy, the house is South West facing.
    • PRO
      Croydon Window Company Ltd
      5 years ago

      Looks stunning

    • Juliet Docherty
      5 years ago

      Gosh it's going to be roasting. I would consider making the decked area like a lush small garden so you can provide screening and shade. Not necessarily with a pergola, just like a small tropical jungle with lots of height.

    • PRO
      Design Spec Ltd
      5 years ago

      Hi there,

      This looks like a very exciting project! We always recommend UV reflective glass whenever you are planning a heavily glazed extension or new house. This not only prevents excessive heating but also protects your interiors from bleaching!

      We would love to see the finished product when complete.

      Design Spec

    • PRO
      Ikonografik Design
      5 years ago

      1. My house will become like a greenhouse and get extremely hot in the Summer.


      Yes, this is a real risk. As part of the Building Regulations package a SAP calculation will need to be completed and a separate sub-calculation that assesses heat gain also completed. If the heat gain calc doesn't pass you may have to introduce shading, use heat reflective solar control glass [usually tinted] or reduce the amount of glass. Regardless of what the calc says I'd recommend using solar control glass as it always gets hotter than you think. Another option to consider, assuming you are installing MVHR [mechanical ventilation with heat recovery], is summer shut off function so the heat exchanger is not used so cooler air introduced.


      2. Would lose heat in the winter as glass may not be as efficient as brick.


      Shouldn't be a problem as new modern windows [possibly triple glazed?] are very energy efficient. Although not as good as walls, roofs etc. they are very good. The whole house average energy consumption is also calculated so if lots of glass other methods are used to compensate such as more insulation elsewhere or better heating / energy sources.


      3. Security is compromised.


      Might be a problem so ensure all glazing, windows and doors are PAS 24 / Secured by Design standard for entire assembly, frames, locks and glass etc. Laminated security glass etc.


      High performance solar control glass with enhanced security performance = expensive glass etc.


      The design looks nice and would lend itself nicely to timber frame construction. Good luck!

    • PRO
      User
      8 months ago

      First of all, the 3D render looks great. The amount of light you would be getting is amazing.

      Now the issues you mentioned:


      1. My house will become like a greenhouse and get extremely hot in the Summer.

      RAA response: you can get now all sort of glazing, including the one that won't let the sunshine come through that much. Obviously the glazing is a bit more expensive.

      2. Would loose heat in the winter as glass may not be as efficient as brick.

      If it is triple glazed A++ rated glazing, then it should be fine, as long as you have enough Argon in between the glazings

      3. Security is compromised as all it takes is for someone to break a pane and they're in; plus a would be thief can see the whole ground floor.

      Security and privacy, is always a concern. You can get a toughened safety glass and maybe some shutters or blinds as you mentioned.

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