MODERN CONSERVATORY EXTENSIONS TO SUIT YOUR PERIOD PROPERTY OR CONTEMPORARY HOME IN LONDON AND SURREY

The thermal images demonstrate how the two main heat loss areas are the eves and corners. Adding insulated pelmet to the eves and insulated pillars and corner posts significantly reduces heat loss – it’s the equivalent of wearing a scarf and gilet body warmer!

As a rule of thumb, the higher the square meterage of pillars, posts, abutment wall and dwarf wall, the less heating you will require (and the warmer you will be in the evenings and winter). In addition, the lower the U-value (heat loss calculation) of the wall, the better – so the wall material is crucial. Design-wise, pillars, posts or abutment walls have the added benefit of fitting in to the design of your home.

When building conservatories, the industry norm is standard A-rated double glazing for the wall glass and Pilkington active blue glazing for the roof. However, both of these can be upgraded, should you wish to be even more comfortable in your conservatory all year round.

Heat block glass in the roof will prevent most of the heat escaping and still let in 17% of the sun’s heat – just enough to warm you in any season without overheating.

Specifically, we’d recommend a blue tinted, triple-coated, double-glazed unit for the roof (2 x premium low e-soft coat and 1 x heat reflective coat), and a double-coated clear coat for the walls (1 x low e-soft coat and 1 x heat reflective coat).

We recommend maximum insulation in your walls and the floor. This will prevent cold zones and improve heat retention.

Timber posts are particularly thermally efficient. Alternatively, if you’d prefer a more contemporary look and feel, consider using polystyrene-filled aluminium abutment walls, pillars and corner posts. These represent the equivalent of 23 tog quilts with a U-value as low as 0.16 (10 x warmer than standard double glazing at 1.6).

The Ultraframe Loggia or Durabase engineered walling products are our recommended superior aluminium alternatives to stone or rendered pillars and corner posts. The former offers a contemporary aluminium look and the latter uses brick or stone cladding (slips), which is laid on to prefabricated walling in the factory. This retains even more heat than timber or traditional walling, is particularly strong and has the added benefit of being slim in appearance.

Part solid/part glass is an appealing mid-way option between a solid felt or pitched roof, and a typical all-glass conservatory roof. This option is increasingly popular for a few reasons: firstly, they look great, and secondly, they offer outstanding heat retention due to the high degree of insulation. Part solid/part glass roofs are easily achieved with either timber roof beams or modern hybrid conservatory roof systems.

Our recommended roof system brand is Ultraframe. They manufacture several leading roof alternatives including the Ultraroof380, the Livinroof, Loggia columns and top-specification glazed roofs.

A thermally efficient alternative to a standard wet base and brickwork is a structurally engineered dry base system. Where a wet base involves digging up much of your garden before laying the footings and a concrete floor, a dry base is made up of a prefabricated steel girder floor with insulated timber flooring laid over the top.

The walls of a dry base are made up of insulated aluminium which are plastered on the interior and rendered, brick clad (using slips) or stone clad externally. A dry base looks and feels just like a regular solid base in every way and has the added benefit of being prefabricated, thereby causing minimal damage to your garden.

This system is even used commercially – for example, McDonald’s and Burger King use dry bases for speed and consistency on site, yet the buildings look and feel like standard construction in every way.

Advantages of a dry base system: