Please tell me how to survive in a West facing kitchen

[Sunsetsarehellinmyhouse]

I'm losing the plot.
It's actual torture.
Every time it's time to cook dinner from June to early Sept I am on the brink of a meltdown after an hour in my west facing kitchen. The back wall that faces the sun is 8 foot wide and all glass. Glass back door. Glass big window. No actual wall.
The sink is underneath the window, facing the setting sun.
The length of my kitchen is 10 foot and there's nowhere I can stand to escape the sheer intense heat burning into my kitchen from 5pm onwards as the sun lowers until it is directly opposite my kitchen.
I sweat. I wince. I wear sunglasses inside. My legs get sunburn from standing at the hob or worktops as the sun penetrates in to the room.
I can't cope.
I can't cook and wash up earlier in the day cos I'm at work.
I can't cook later at 8pm once the torture is over because my young DC need dinner at 5 or 6 pm latest.
If I leave all the washing up till 8pm by then I'm doing bedtime with DC and don't get back downstairs till gone 9pm and by then I'm knackered with a headache due to the intense heat torture of the kitchen earlier on.
HTF does anyone cope with a tiny box sized west facing kitchen with a glass back wall?
Blinds don't make it any better because I need the glass door and window open for ventilation otherwise I can't even stand in there.
I feel like crying.
Never thought about this when we viewed the house in November.

Your windows have to open inwards though

cantilever Awning is the only thing that works for us. And aircon. Shade from the outside makes such a difference. Looking to fit an electric awning to do the job

This could help on windows, I'm thinking of using it to shade plants as even they can't cope with this heat. Premier Netting have lots of different types.

Shade netting https://premiernetting.co.uk/products/80-shade-netting-for-privacy-1m-1-5m-or-2m-high-by-the-metre?variant=49680095707471

Other options
https://premiernetting.co.uk/collections/shade-netting-mesh

I’m the opposite and have an east facing kitchen and I hate waking up in the morning knowing what’s going to hit me- I suffer from migraines so always wear sunglasses indoors during the summer months. Having said that, other than blocking off the windows with heavy curtains/blinds, I recently bought these from Ikea and they’ve massively helped- they genuinely filter the light making it less blinding. I’ve altered them so they hang beautifully (on a tension rod).

I hear what people are saying about putting things on the outside of your windows so that the sun doesnt actually hit the glass in the first place, but now Im imagining all these houses with big designer windows and bi fold doors that presumably cost a fortune, ending up looking like a shanty town with duvets, sheets and green netting draped over it.

Our conservatory roof is glass, which I love, I dont want a solid roof but it obiously gets hot in the summer in the day, we are north facing, but all the solutions I see would block out light, like bespoke fitted blinds.

Ive ordered one of the half parasols that I found earlier, Ive been looking for a long time for a tiling half parasol and in previous years didnt find any that tilted. This means (my grand plan is) that I can tilt it so it semi shades the roof of the conservatory on the side the sun is on.

This is why I shake my head when i read "I would never buy a house with a north facing garden"

To be fair, a south-facing garden is nicer for 90% of the year 😃And now I have my foil and suction pad blind up, I'm all set for the heatwave... 😅😂

I know you've already had lots of excellent suggestions and this may have already been mentioned. Have a look for the washing pole,festoon lights diy. You could adapt with 4 pots and an awning, this way you can drop 2 to create an angled awning that could be adjustable during the day as the sun lowers. Should be fairly cheap to do, certainly cheaper than a fixed awning. The other thing is to freeze big bottles of water and put them in front of a fan, surprisingly effective AC.

A lot of UV film will block heat with only a slight tint, but totally transparent UV blocking film does exist (I'm abroad so don't have a link for you in the UK) - not as high-performance as those with tints, but still really helpful. Obviously for a conservatory roof you really need a company to do it for you.

ETA: I mean heat-blocking not UV-blocking, of course

We have special glass in the roof, dont ask me what it is, it blocks as much heat as it can, I cant remember the specifics, keeps heat in but doesnt let heat in, or something like that. Doesnt sound right does it!!

I have a similar issue. We have a 6x2m glazed roof plus lots of glass doors, full height windows. It’s unbearable. This year I bought tension rods and ikea sheer curtains and that lets a breeze in whilst reducing the light. I also made temporary glass roof blinds that look pretty rubbish but we were quoted 6k for the roof ones alone and have no money. It’s still ridiculous in here but it has improved it a bit.

if I had spare money I’d be getting proper blinds fitted plus air con installed.

Blinds really help

We must all move to Greenland. Lots of land to spare and cool temperatures. And I would put Trump's nose out of joint with his crazy plans for the country.

I can't add anything to the suggestions for the house, but I can for your little baked patio.

Garden Centre. Giant pots, big pots, medium pots, peat free compost, some aquatic compost, some stones and top soil mix, lots of thick sticks (old fashioned beanpoles), twine, wire, hook eyes. I'm assuming you already have a hammer drill and thick pliers, plus some gloves and a step.

First things to get in are a grapevine (create a wire path attached to hook eyes to guide it up and across) and rosemary (the heat will help the scent emerge), along with one giant pot with no drainage holes that you'll drop a filter/pump into, together with some aquatic plants - because you have bare concrete, you can actually risk growing several types of mint without it taking over the entire street.

Fill in the gaps with pots full of other plants that love heat - thyme, oregano, chillis, tomatoes.

Soon enough, you'll have a canopy of vine leaves (maybe even some grapes), the sound of water - and with the stones, a way for any visiting birds or other wildlife to get back out again - the smell of rosemary/thyme/oregano and the sound of bees wandering in and out of their flowers, some things to add to salads so your non-cooking cooking tastes better, iced mint tea and something resembling nature instead of a purely human construct that denies the existence of anything living.

And this is why the ubiquitous bifold doors are such a stupid idea. Who wants to live in a glass box?

This.

That sounds unbearable. As well as trying to reduce the heat and glare using blinds/awnings etc., I'd change how you cook.

When it's really hot I don't use the oven. Could you try slow cooker meals, air fryer, things you can cook early in the morning and pop in the microwave at dinner time...basically anything that avoids standing in a hot kitchen for too long. There are loads of recipes online.

We’ve gor a sail shade over our east facing huge kitchen window and it really helps

Honestly try a shade sail . It’s cheap you put it on an angle and ueasy to put up from your wall to your roof or whatever. It’s not the absolute solution but it will give you some shade asap. Don’t cook anything hot. Films on windows.

I’d really like a grapevine shade but could you explain how to create it again (for an absolute beginner with no skills at all ) please and if you don’t mind !