Grow a winter garden | Alex Garden

A conservatory offers a cozy place with great views any time of year. It protects against atmospheric agents such as wind and rain and at the same time gives the feeling of sitting outdoors. It is not for nothing that many property owners over time want to add a winter garden. However, anyone planning such an extension to their home has a lot to consider. The most important thing is to find the right conservatory for you. In this blog post we will give you an overview of the different types of conservatories and tips for planning your glass extension.

Types of conservatories

Not all conservatories are the same. In fact, there are different types of conservatories, each with different functions. For example, there is a significant difference between a winter garden and a summer garden. You can find out what it is here.

Warm conservatory/residential conservatory

The warm conservatory, also known as a living conservatory, is the classic version of a conservatory and is designed as a heated area that can be used all year round. It connects directly to the living room and thus expands the total living space of the house. Warm conservatories are available in fully enclosed versions or with a door leading to the garden, meaning they can be seen as a transition between home and nature. If you want to build a winter garden, you should definitely consider its orientation for the right incidence of sunlight or light.

Cold winter/summer garden

The cold winter garden is an innovative, unheated variant of the winter garden. It is also called a summer garden because it is a glazed extension of the terrace and therefore can only be used in the warmer seasons. The cold winter garden is usually separated from the living room. Its internal temperature always adapts to the external temperature thanks to sunlight. However, since it retains heat for longer thanks to the glazing, it can be considered a climatic buffer zone between the house and the outside.

Middle Wamer conservatory

If you want to grow a conservatory but can’t decide between a cool conservatory and a warm one, a mix of the two is probably right for you. A medium-warm conservatory can be used as additional living space as desired. During the winter and transition months it can be heated to between 12 and 19°C and used as a cold conservatory during the summer.

Conservatory planning: here’s what you should consider

If a winter garden is built together with the entire house, the architect responsible for the property takes care of the correct design of the winter garden. As a pure cultivation measure, your conservatory should be equally well thought out. You should reflect in particular on these four aspects:

• Type of use: How you want to use your conservatory determines all other aspects of the design. Therefore, first decide what you want to build a winter garden for: for growing plants, as an additional living space, dining area, glazed terrace for the summer or as a mixed form.
• Orientation: The correct orientation of your conservatory is also very important. Depending on the incidence of light or the incidence of solar rays and the duration of the irradiation, the conservatory heats up more or less. The location should therefore absolutely be planned taking into account the respective intended use.
• Measure: Once you have determined the type of use, you can decide how much space you need in the conservatory. Plan how you would design the floor plan of a room in your house. And in no case should you count too little. If you want to renovate your conservatory later, every square meter could be useful.
• Accessibility: If you plan on growing the conservatory towards your garden, a step could be beneficial. However, if it borders a road or you want to put a hedge in front of it, access from the outside is also not necessary. Again it depends on the type of use.

Shading and ventilation options

If you live in a glass house, you should not skimp on shading. The so-called “greenhouse effect” occurs in every glass building. Conservatories are no exception. The sun’s rays also penetrate through the glass of the extension and heat the interior. To prevent your conservatory from turning into a sauna during the summer, you should provide ventilation and shading options. But be careful: in the winter garden there is no “either – or” because ventilation and shading work best when combined.

Shading options

Sun protection should be installed in such a way that the sun does not heat the conservatory too much. The most elegant solution for winter gardens are glass panels with an insulating function, capable of reducing the amount of solar energy transmitted by up to 20%. Furthermore, common sun protection solutions can also be applied. You can find an overview in our blog post “Effective sun protection for windows”.

Ventilation options

When it comes to ventilation, you basically have a choice of one thermal ventilationin which the heated air is released through the ventilation fins transversely, diagonally or through the roof cladding. The alternative is this motorized ventilation through a ventilation system that extracts heated air from the conservatory. Many ventilation systems can be operated automatically or manually and, if desired, replace the air.

To build a conservatory you need a building permit

Adding a conservatory is a large building project and therefore requires planning permission from the relevant building authority. After planning the construction, you need to submit a building application and all the necessary documents. Please take care of this in good time, as the processing time can take up to four months.

Rötzer tip: Information on building permit costs and associated documents can be found in our blog post “Applying for a Building: What you need to know to apply for a building”. [Link folgt, wenn online]

For further reading

Would you like to admire nature all day from your conservatory, but only have a view of the lawn? Then create a natural garden. Flowering shrubs and flowers not only make the hearts of garden owners beat faster, they also provide important nutrition for bees and butterflies. In our blog post “Creating a natural garden – a piece of nature for your home” you will find lots of tips and inspiration for your natural garden.