Conservatory
Extra Space
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Joys of dealing with an Architect
Recently I was approached by a local builder who was consrtucting a single storey flat roof extention.
The Architect who designed the extention has specified a Roof Light in the roof to provide natural light.
In addition she has specified an all Aluminium Roof Light with Triple Glazing.
Most Conservatory roofs while Aluminium based have uPVC top caps, and internal cladding, however I was able to source an all Aluminium structure and showed some samples to the said Architect.
It was a little more expensive than other roofs available, but we agreed a price.
The roof duly arrived and was fitted in 2 days. Now the fun started.
First she did not like the design despite signing off on the design plans.
Secondly she objected vigirously to the Tie Bars, which are a structural requirment, to prevent the roof spreading in extreme wind or under the weight of four feet of snow.
Various attempts were made to have us take out the Tie Bars all of which were unsuccessful.
Realising that an Architect is not a structural engineer I decided that me best line of defence was in engineering data.
I contacted the roof suppliers who forwarded a statment that the Tie Bars were required, I downloaded all of the Certifications, and tests that the suppliers had conducted to obtain BBA Certification, and I downloaded reports of extreme weather conditions to which the roof may be exposed.
I gave all this info. to the Architect with a warning that is she insisted in tampering with the structure, that all warranties would be void.
So the roof is now in place three weeks, the householders are happy, the builder is happy, and the Architect has enough Structural detail to keep her in reading for a while.
''To each his own''
The Architect who designed the extention has specified a Roof Light in the roof to provide natural light.
In addition she has specified an all Aluminium Roof Light with Triple Glazing.
Most Conservatory roofs while Aluminium based have uPVC top caps, and internal cladding, however I was able to source an all Aluminium structure and showed some samples to the said Architect.
It was a little more expensive than other roofs available, but we agreed a price.
The roof duly arrived and was fitted in 2 days. Now the fun started.
First she did not like the design despite signing off on the design plans.
Secondly she objected vigirously to the Tie Bars, which are a structural requirment, to prevent the roof spreading in extreme wind or under the weight of four feet of snow.
Various attempts were made to have us take out the Tie Bars all of which were unsuccessful.
Realising that an Architect is not a structural engineer I decided that me best line of defence was in engineering data.
I contacted the roof suppliers who forwarded a statment that the Tie Bars were required, I downloaded all of the Certifications, and tests that the suppliers had conducted to obtain BBA Certification, and I downloaded reports of extreme weather conditions to which the roof may be exposed.
I gave all this info. to the Architect with a warning that is she insisted in tampering with the structure, that all warranties would be void.
So the roof is now in place three weeks, the householders are happy, the builder is happy, and the Architect has enough Structural detail to keep her in reading for a while.
''To each his own''
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Poor Ventilation
As I show customers around my Conservatories, a comment often made its Too Hot in Summer and Too Cold in Winter, in a Conservatory.
Too Hot.
Any Conservatory under direct sunlight will take in the available heat gain, and if no ventilation will overheat.
This can be a problem if you are away from home all day and the Conservatory is locked up. Night Vents on the windows allow a flow of air while retaining security. A temp. controlled Roof Vent will allow warm air to escape. But ventilation and plenty of it is the solution, plenty of top opening vents in windows, open as many as needed to create a cross flow of air through the room.
Too Cold
Like any room in your house heating is required in Winter. Heat loss through the glass will add to your bills however with recent improvments in glass technology, things are improving.
I use a soft coat Low 'E' glass with Argon filling in the cavity. This gives the glass a U value of 1.1 which is a vast improvment on older double glazed units, which may have a U value of 2.5.
Triple glazed is also available as is Krypton Gas in the cavity, its now possible to get U values down to 0.7
Walls and floors need to be correctly insulated as well, so the days of Too Cold are a thing of the past.
Too Hot.
Any Conservatory under direct sunlight will take in the available heat gain, and if no ventilation will overheat.
This can be a problem if you are away from home all day and the Conservatory is locked up. Night Vents on the windows allow a flow of air while retaining security. A temp. controlled Roof Vent will allow warm air to escape. But ventilation and plenty of it is the solution, plenty of top opening vents in windows, open as many as needed to create a cross flow of air through the room.
Too Cold
Like any room in your house heating is required in Winter. Heat loss through the glass will add to your bills however with recent improvments in glass technology, things are improving.
I use a soft coat Low 'E' glass with Argon filling in the cavity. This gives the glass a U value of 1.1 which is a vast improvment on older double glazed units, which may have a U value of 2.5.
Triple glazed is also available as is Krypton Gas in the cavity, its now possible to get U values down to 0.7
Walls and floors need to be correctly insulated as well, so the days of Too Cold are a thing of the past.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Conservatory V Sunroom
Often I am asked the difference between a Sunroom and a Conservatory.
Apart from the obvious Price difference, there are practical differences.
Location. The amount of direct sunlight to the site will be a defining theme. A north facing site is not suitable for a Conservatory, as it will benefit little from heat gain.
A south facing site is suitable for a Conservatory as it will benefit from heat gain, and if properly ventilated will be a valuable addition to a home.
Use. You should consider a Conservatory as being practical to use for 9/10 months of the year. In the coldest time of winter heat loss will make the Conservatory harder to heat.
A Sunroom however when properly insulated and heated will be like any other room in the house with the heating on in winter.
Price. A practical decision to be made depends on funds available, as a rule of thumb, a Sunroom will cost about E 10,000 more for the same amount of space.
So if available funds dictate a Conservatory, living space will be achieved at an affordable price
Apart from the obvious Price difference, there are practical differences.
Location. The amount of direct sunlight to the site will be a defining theme. A north facing site is not suitable for a Conservatory, as it will benefit little from heat gain.
A south facing site is suitable for a Conservatory as it will benefit from heat gain, and if properly ventilated will be a valuable addition to a home.
Use. You should consider a Conservatory as being practical to use for 9/10 months of the year. In the coldest time of winter heat loss will make the Conservatory harder to heat.
A Sunroom however when properly insulated and heated will be like any other room in the house with the heating on in winter.
Price. A practical decision to be made depends on funds available, as a rule of thumb, a Sunroom will cost about E 10,000 more for the same amount of space.
So if available funds dictate a Conservatory, living space will be achieved at an affordable price
Conservatories, Good Idea ?
Need extra space, Conservatory or Sunroom, what are the facts.
A Conservatory is an extention which allows natural light to continue to enter the original home. A Sunroom which has a solid roof may cut off natural light to the original home, depending on the configuration.
A Conservatory is an extention which allows natural light to continue to enter the original home. A Sunroom which has a solid roof may cut off natural light to the original home, depending on the configuration.
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