HOW TO CREATE A ROOM YOU CAN USE ALL YEAR ROUND

A successful sunroom offers a space that you’re able to use at any time, regardless of the season. The following factors are essential considerations for creating this year-round flexibility:

VENTILATION

A fresh supply of air is essential to ensure your sunroom doesn’t turn into a scorching sun trap on a summer’s day. Openable windows and wide doors are a step towards achieving this. Roof vents or trickle ventilation in windows can also provide passive background ventilation. “Westbury roof lanterns are equipped with automatic vents that open when the room reaches a certain temperature and close as it becomes cooler or starts raining,” says James Upton.

HEATING

Given the extent of glazing in your sunroom, it may be possible to rely on solar gain to heat the space. However, you’d have to make sure you were using the right glass spec so you didn’t run the risk of overheating the zone. Underfloor heating is a smart space-saving option — especially if lots of large windows mean that there isn’t much wall space available. Electric panel heaters would provide a quick blast of heat when you needed it, though running costs for electrical systems tend to be higher. Infrared is another option worth considering.

If you’re incorporating an open-plan sunroom that is likely to become a central hub of the property (for example, a kitchen-diner) you may consider running your central heating system into the new sunroom. This solution will be more labour intensive and Building Regs approval would be required.

THERMAL EFFICIENCY

Glass is generally considered a poor insulator — even double and triple glazed panes can’t match the thermal performance of solid walls. However, the thermal performance of glazing has come on in leaps and bounds since the ’80s. This means modern doors, windows and roof glazing are capable of retaining enough heat for your sunroom to be comfortable all year round.

Plus, incorporating other construction materials (brick, block, timber etc) for the walls and roof means you can pack plenty of insulation in to prevent heat from leaking out via the building fabric.

AN OVERHANG Overheating and glare were design challenges the team at WGP Architects faced when designing this glazed extension (right). The solution was a sleek phosphorous bronze overhang, which slants upwards away from the glazing at the back of the house. OPEN-PLAN Ultraframe’s Classic Conservatory has been connected to this home to provide a bright and roomy openplan layout (below).