South facin gardens and extensions

[ParkingIInPlainSight]

Looking at a house with a large due south facing garden.

The downstairs is typical 20/30s semi. Lounge at the back, small breakfast room and small kitchen. I think an extension would work. I rather fancy the ubiquitous bifold doors. Would it just turn into s greenhouse?

Photo of back.

We have a south west facing garden with two sets of patio doors across the back of the house. It could be hot indoors but we built an oak-framed gazebo attached to the house which gives us the best of both worlds - lots of light inside, a great place to sit outside and keeps the heat down in high summer.

We had an 80s conservatory on a southwest facing garden. It was a greenhouse. We put a roof on it and it was cool enough to take out the doors between the conservatory and kitchen dinerer. We did put a lot of blinds in though.

I think I’m a bit concerned that we’d spend s lot of money on glass and a view of the garden and i5 would be too hot to sit and look out, or we’d have to have lots of blinds....

Why not make a sunroom extension instead? A solid roof, but glass walls. That way you get to balance letting in as much light as possible while controlling temperature by insulation. Bifold doors would work.

Also consider where your weather comes from. Here in the SE, it mostly comes from the SW, so a S-facing extension gets a lot of rain. Being in a conservatory while it's raining can feel like being inside a drum during a military tattoo! A tiled roof will muffle the noise.

My first thought on seeing the floorplan and large garden is to add a 3-4m deep sunroom across both lounge and breakfast room windows and knock down the wall between kitchen and breakfast room to make a large kitchen-diner.

jellyslice. That is what I was thinking of. So that shouldn’t get too hot.?

Prevailing weather comes from west. We’re in the north west. Rarely get anything from the south...

I thin the house would be unbalanced if we didn’t extend upstairs a bit too.

I did a single story extension on a much smaller house and have bifold doors opening onto south facing garden - it is the BEST thing! Honestly cant say how much I love those doors.
I posted on a thread about people who don't want to be outside all the time in good weather. I dont do heat or sun well at all. So I have the doors wide open, can sit in the shade inside but feel like I'm in the garden.

The feeling of the room changes completely with the doors open and like all the naff property shows say " it brings the outside, in".

When the sun shines on a cold day the room heats naturally and you get to enjoy the garden from inside.

Much more sociable than patio doors because on a hot day with the doors open, the sun seekers can sit outside on the patio and sun avoiders sit inside but all part of the same group.

And when it is sweltering you will have the north facing rooms which will be cool.

I ummed and ahed about the cost but that was 10 years ago and never regretted it for a moment.

We have a south facing extension, it is warm but pleasant. It has a normal slate tile roof. Our neighbours have the same set up but with a glass roof, and theirs is way too hot.

So I always imagine it's the roof style that makes a difference.

I really love ours, it is part of our (extended) kitchen/living area and it is so bright and sunny and we spend a lot if time in it.

But don't get a glass roof!

We have double French doors, which I like (but is oldfashioned I guess!)

I guess I should have said that mine is in a open plan kitchen / living room so like Solitude when at home, we are in there most of the time so get the benefit throughout the day and across the seasons.

Rafferty that's what I'm hoping for - the hackneyed 'bringing the outside in'!

We are deciding whether to buy something now and save up to do the work or save up and buy something that has already had it done. I think I'd rather have the benefit of a garden and a slightly smaller house than the slightly bigger house with a yard that we have now.

DH just wants to stay where we are!