Lean to conservatory - is it possible to make it useable year round?

5 years ago

Hi, We're doing a 2 storey extension on our house and as part of this we've planned a small lean to conservatory/orangerie on the back of the kitchen diner, with a glass roof and walls/bifold doors, so we can enjoy the garden from inside. It would be South facing which I know can be a problem for conservatories/orangeries. It is planned as 2.8m width (to be bifold or sliding doors) and 90cm length extending out into the garden, with a lean to style glazed roof at a pitch angle (of 35 degrees), so with higher ceiling than the rest of the extension where the ceiling height is lowish as it's within the constraints of our ex 1950s council house type house.

But I think we may want the impossible... we'd like it to be...

- useable year round (ie not too hot in summer or cold in winter.)

- have curtains to make the walls cosy in winter evenings

- have blinds for the roof to reduce glare on sunny days (integral within the glazing would be best but I can't see anything online for this - the only integral blinds I can see are for wall windows or roof veluxes).

- bifold or sliding doors

- look modern i.e. not UPVC

I have seen tinted / low E glass and self cleaning glass and these seem nice but not convinced the tinting would be enough to reduce the glare/excess heat problem of being south facing.

I've wondered about trying to put in a tiled roof with veluxes but our original designer said the roof size would be too small (the sloped roof would measure 1.1m and would be at a 35 degree angle). Looking online perhaps we could fit in veluxes which would be a better solution?

Any thoughts or tips? Anyone know anything which could work off the peg? Or are we looking at commissioning something bespoke?

And what do people think about a roof with velux style windows (if we could fit them in) versus a glazed roof?

thanks! Jenny

ps photo of kind of thing we're thinking of (though ours would be smaller and a lean to)

Contemporary Orangery Designs In Kent & Sussex, Buy Now | County Home · More Info

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Emily

5 years ago

That’s not a conservatory it’s a micro extension and really nice. Like it.

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Comments (10)

Emily
5 years ago
If it’s only 90cm deep and you want it “room temperature” then why don’t you have a bay window installed instead?
Jenny Smith
Original Author
5 years ago
Found another photo which is smiliar to what we were thinking of.

Huddersfield Kitchen Extension | The ability, thanks to the … | Flickr · More Info
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I never understood why people don't build their conservatory for year round use. It's all about light and heat control. Automatic sun reflective shades along the roof windows will keep the room from overheating in the summer and even help keep it warm in the winter. Proper wall and ceiling insulation, double or gas permeated triple glazing will keep it comfortable year around with the right heating. Add a wee wood stove in a corner with a simply pipe chimney and you have yourself a lovely winter sun room to brighten your cold winter days. If you live where there is snow, even better. It'll feel like a wee slice of paradise.
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If you were our client, we would first assess which way the house faces in order to understand the direction of the sun and the likely impact on the space in terms of light and heat, plus we would ask what use you intend to place on the new space. It is also the case that with whatever heating - a fully glazed conservatory can seem an inhospitable space in the winter months. Even in the UK heat gain during our short summer is a major consideration and whilst roof blinds can be added - these can spoil the original design intent. A part solid / part glazed roof with fully glazed walls may be the most successful. Attached image of a garden room with a large strategically placed roof light and two fully glazed walls.
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Potentially extension yes, we don't need the space of an extension particularly - but a light/glass dominated entrance way/conservatory is the aim. Perhaps I need to be consulting builders rather than conservatory firms?
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Jonathan
5 years ago
Because this space is so shallow I don’t think it needs any glass in the roof.
Any large area of glass does have the issue of heat gain/loss.

Have you considered building a larger porch or lanai, glazing the first meter of it and then having furniture undercover under the porch.
PRO
User
5 years ago
I wouldn't worry about 'it' being room temperature. It's not a conservatory and there would be no point having internal doors across it making it such. It will be room temperature because it's an extension of the existing room and therefore, that part, and the room it's extending will dictate the temperature in the room. You may not need blinds because the roof height is higher than the existing wall and that will shield the inner room. No problem with curtains, just make sure that whatever you are using as the cross member should be something suitable for a curtain pole.
mattweeksdj
5 years ago
You could have an internal pelmet with down-lights fitted, this will assist with the insulation. Alternatively have you thought about one of the light weight roofs that are now available for conservatory type structures?
Miles Procter
5 years ago
Hi, Reviewing your requirements and now with relaxed planning allowing people to insulate there conservatory roofs. You should seriously consider a solid roof on your conservatory.
minipie
5 years ago
We are going to have a large angled glass area in our extension and we are going to use an external awning (Markilux 8800, I think?) as a shading solution. Near invisible from inside. Not cheap though.

In your shoes I think I would do a solid roof with several velux type rooflights - this will also allow ventilation for hot air and cooking fumes to escape, and you can easily get built in blinds (electric if you like) for velux windows.
Jenny Smith
Original Author
5 years ago
Dear all,

Thanks for all your comments!

Reading through them has helped me work out a bit more about what we actually want. Though we want to be as practical as possible and as useful as possible (ie temperature and glare are big considerations) we also want the wow factor to counteract the main house being a 1950s semi ex council style with low ceilings.

It will be off the dining area, not off the kitchen area, and we already have full planning permission approval. I think it will be worth a fully glazed roof to give that wow factor, IF we can come up with a blind or other system to make it useable year round. It's good to hear the majority think curtains shouldn't be a problem, and downlights too. We're happy to have a little bit of structure so we can have curtains etc.

The external awnings aren't cheap as you say. Think I'm probably leaning most towards something like a "SHY zip blind" motorised system or the lanternlite DIY electric roof lantern (they tell me it can fit onto a pitched roof and ballpark £1600 cost). These are internal motorised ones.

Anyone got any experience with these motorised internal blinds for a larger area? do they work ok?

Next question - is it possible to get self clean AND low-e/tinted/reduced glare glass? Or is it either /or?

Thanks all!
Aurelia Gorman
3 years ago
Hello! Did you complete your conservatory? I’d be so interested to know which company you used and how it worked for all year round? I’ve got a flat I’d like to add a conservatory to and I have no idea where to start!

Lean to conservatory - is it possible to make it useable year round?

Emily

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