Improving a cold sunroom

[raven]

Hi there,
We have a sunroom off of our main dining and kitchen area. It is open plan in the sense there are no doors into the sunroom. The windows would be from c. 2005 so I expect they are standard double glazed.
It has a high vaulted ceiling and french doors to a patio. There is insulation backed plasterboard (most likely polyurethane we're told) to the external walls according to the engineer that surveyed the house originally. There are 2 veluxes in the vaulted ceiling.

The whole area (sunroom, kitchen and dining) loses heat very quickly, less than an hour after turning off the heating and the place will start feeling a little on the cold side.

The area wouldn't see much sun in winter (from November to February really) as the sun is too low and there are some trees not too far off.

We're thinking of doing the following before looking into improving glass(costly I expect) or insulation in the sun-room:
1/ Decent double doors between the dining/kitchen and sunroom. At least then the sun-room can be closed off in winter. We might put good double or even triple glazing to these internal doors.
2/ Thick blinds with thermal backing (this is pricey in itself, c. 1500 euro), and curtains over the external french doors area.

We are not overly pushed about using this space during the height of winter as we have another living area.
Would we be better if replacing the window glass instead or improving on insulation first? Replacing glass could get very pricey I would think
Any thoughts, or other ideas?
Thanks!

 

[wbbs]

Double doors I would say is the easiest solution. I have almost exactly the same set up, seldom use it in the winter unless it is a particularly sunny day and I open the double doors to let the heat in. I find draughts come into the kitchen from there and they are coming from the downlighters which are in the vaulted ceiling and most probably not sealed in any way. I have curtains as well over the double doors (it was originally the patio door opening before extension) anyway even with the curtains and the doors the wind last week was causing the curtain to blow.

My doors don't fit great but there is nothing much I can do about it at this stage but well fitting sealed doors should make an improvement.

 

[Sandals]

Have the same issues, we about two christmases ago ordered a double fully glass doors with side frames and three overhead units. Best thing we ever did, husband fitted them himself, cost 1200 to make for wood frames and glass delivered, plus 200 to have the wood sprayed. Door handle, hinges, fixings etc extra.

Found them instant in terms of keeping heat in kitchen and so more heat for hall etc and also keeping the cold out in the sunroom. I had been worried about green mould growing on blinds/couches etc but nothing (the two small rads off the range seem to keep enough heat in the room to prevent this). The sunroom was originally planned as dining room but we got a smaller table for the kitchen and made this room a complete separate second sitting room with is excellent. We have an electric stove (for design balance really, that should we have alot family/friends in over Christmas, turn this on and room is usable).

The door however is not airtight, as discussed in another thread by someone on my thread looking at ways to improve insulation in our 2005 bungalow. There is a draft coming in under the doors that would skin your toes if you stood there for five minutes!!! Our double doors are rebated at the join and we stuck a hairy strip down that came supplied from the company.

Im waiting for a company to get back to me re fitting new (better) glass in our existing frames. Im also planning to take off a window board to see what exactly is in the wall and have a root under the timber clad on the ceiling.

Thank god Iv a central ceiling light in the sunroom as Iv downlighters in the kitchen and hall and finally dealt with them last week, reducing the draft to minimum (but cant used the downlighters anymore but we never did in the first place).

If you send me an email address Ill email you photos of the doors/unit.

 

[fraggle]

I have the same setup, large sliding door into the sunroom. Don't use the sunroom in the winter but I do have a radiator in there.... problem is my external doors to the patio are a bit gappy so there is a draught.

If you can afford it, I would recommend some kind of setup where you can have an accordian type folding door that slides back and does take up too much space when it is fully open, so you can retain that open plan feeling.

Also, my patio door sliding mechanism, on the ground, is above ground level so I ahve to step over it quite a bit, which I would prefer to be flush.

 

[Sandals]

Windows (glass only that would be fitted into our frames) coming in at €1800, u value of 1.1 is all Iv got back. Wont be a route we're going down.

 

[wbbs]

I am resigned to the draught coming in at this stage, no intentions or funds to replace windows and don't really think that would help mine, I am convinced it is the downlighters and would never again put them in. Wouldn't mind but I never turn them on either but it would be a bit of a job to bet up that high to cover them up or something, probably look messy too.

When I built the sunroom I put in the double doors with the instruction to the builder that they were to open flat back against each side wall so that when open there is still an open plan feeling with no obstruction. Mind you one doesn't go back the full way but close enough, floor is not level.

 

[mullking]

cold room solution

Hi All,
I also have a similar situation with 3 6ft x 5ft double glazed windows. A set of double glazed sliding doors to the outside, a set of double glazed doors to the kitchen and another set of d.g. doors to the living room also 2 velux windows on the flat roof. As you can see a lot of glass. In Winter you wouldn't dream of residing in that room despite 2 large double radiators but now, I never leave it. My solution was to install an 8kg wood burning stove now I have to open the doors into the living room to offload the heat. If you decide to go that route make sure to buy kiln dried blocks at between €4/€5 per bag. the cost for 8 hours is 1 bag. A stove will cost around €500 and depending on your situation a stainless steel chimney and red brick fireplace could be as much as €1500 with installation costing around €500. In my opinion it's money well spent.

 

[lowCO2design]

Hi All,
I also have a similar situation with 3 6ft x 5ft double glazed windows. A set of double glazed sliding doors to the outside, a set of double glazed doors to the kitchen and another set of d.g. doors to the living room also 2 velux windows on the flat roof. As you can see a lot of glass.

not really, but it depends on the orientation

In Winter you wouldn't dream of residing in that room despite 2 large double radiators but now, I never leave it. My solution was to install an 8kg wood burning stove now I have to open the doors into the living room to offload the heat. If you decide to go that route make sure to buy kiln dried blocks at between €4/€5 per bag. the cost for 8 hours is 1 bag. A stove will cost around €500 and depending on your situation a stainless steel chimney and red brick fireplace could be as much as €1500 with installation costing around €500. In my opinion it's money well spent.

in order to warm-up a poorly insulated/ air-tight/glazed space, you added a stove?
you didn't think to correct the problem ie the poorly insulated/air-tight/glazed space?
so now you have a heat demand, if the room is stay warm very day requiring a spend of 4/5€(for 8 hours heat) x (X days per Year, say 4months) x ( X years) + is the rad in this room still on? what is the operating cost of the wet heating system (rads)

tell us, does the heat stay in to room long after the fire goes out?

 

[casey307]

Hi Mullking,

Do you mind telling me how much approx it cost to put in the stove - we are thinking of doing something similar and have no idea on costs. Also what stove did you get?