Laura Corin Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Has anyone extended their kitchen with a glass dining area? In the UK it would be called a lean-to conservatory, but I don't know what it would be in North America. Our kitchen is okay for eating in, but I'd like to rearrange it to make a more separate space for eating - we don't have a formal dining room. It would make sense to take out one wall of the kitchen and extend into the garden with a glassed-in room. We have plenty of garden space on that side. Has anyone done this? How good is double-glazing these days? If we put in a radiator, will the space be usable year round? Our winter temperatures are below freezing at night but not usually by much. This would be the north side of the house and, even in summer, I rarely wear short sleeves here, so overheating wouldn't be an issue. I'm thinking of something like the one on this page. Thanks Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Laura I think this is a wonderful idea. I don't know about materials to use but know it can be done. It's kind've like the restaurant "Tavern on the Green" in Central Park. People in our area have rooms like this called "sun rooms :) " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Have you seen this done with a wall removed? The picture shows the existing exterior house wall intact. If you do remove the wall, if it is a load bearing wall (it's generally easy to tell if you have a rectangular house--the walls that run the long way are load bearing), then you'll have to keep a "header" between the rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 It sounds lovely. I wouldn't risk it here in Minnesota, between the hail we get fairly often and the large birds that like to fly into things, but if it's feasible where you live, I say go for it. It would be an amazing place to dine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 One of my aunts in Belgium has one. It is wonderful. Even in the dreary Belgian weather that addition feels sunny, inviting, and warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I've always wanted one of those. Unfortunately our kitchen is on the north side of the house and it gets COLD here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 We call them Florida rooms down here in FL. I'd love to build one on the back of our house! Except that the ones here do not have a glass roof. Plus there usually needs to be some sort of a/c unit in it since it gets so hot down here. A glass room without an a/c would turn into a greenhouse down here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I have friends in Glasgow who did just this and really, really love it. It brightened up the kitchen and gave them space to move about. They've had nothing but praise for their addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Kinda a "Sun" or "Florida" room... that's what it looks like to me. I expect us to knock out one of our walls, have a library of sorts... with this out the side... in about 5-10 years. I can't wait. My parents use to have one... You need a little ceiling fan... and if it gets chilly... something to warm it... and WOW what a lovely spot to have coffee and such... Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 (edited) Have you seen this done with a wall removed? The picture shows the existing exterior house wall intact. If you do remove the wall, if it is a load bearing wall (it's generally easy to tell if you have a rectangular house--the walls that run the long way are load bearing), then you'll have to keep a "header" between the rooms. What I've seen done is to put in a load-bearing beam, creating a large archway into the glassed area. The house is single storey at that point, so the wall has nothing above that it needs to support - the kitchen is a 1970s brick-built extension. The beam would add to the cost though. Laura Edited February 20, 2010 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 I have friends in Glasgow who did just this and really, really love it. It brightened up the kitchen and gave them space to move about. They've had nothing but praise for their addition. I do like the idea. We are still in the process of having our attic made into livable space, so my kitchen dream will have to wait a bit. I just got a rough quotation from a local company, so at least I have an idea of costs. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 I do like the idea. We are still in the process of having our attic made into livable space, so my kitchen dream will have to wait a bit. I just got a rough quotation from a local company, so at least I have an idea of costs. Laura I laughed when I read you are having your attic converted to livable space, because that's exactly what my Glasgow friend did as well! They had both projects done concurrently prior to moving in. They converted the attic to a bedroom for their oldest ds and added a glassed-in extension to the kitchen. They say the improvements took the house from being a nice house to a great one and have never regretted it. They have definitely said that that the kitchen extension is the one that made the biggest difference to the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 What I've seen done is to put in a load-bearing beam, creating a large archway into the glassed area. The house is single storey at that point, so the wall has nothing above that it needs to support - the kitchen is a 1970s brick-built extension. The beam would add to the cost though. Well, there's the roof at the very least that the load bearing wall supports. We have a single story house also, and there's a dining room addition off the kitchen. The wall that was removed was load bearing, and there is a definite header between the rooms. It looks fine in this case, as it sort of separates the two rooms. But if someone wanted a larger kitchen, they might not want the look of two separate spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 Well, there's the roof at the very least that the load bearing wall supports. We have a single story house also, and there's a dining room addition off the kitchen. The wall that was removed was load bearing, and there is a definite header between the rooms. It looks fine in this case, as it sort of separates the two rooms. But if someone wanted a larger kitchen, they might not want the look of two separate spaces. It's just a felted flat roof. But you are right, there would still be a separation if a beam needs to be put in. In this case that would be fine - it would separate the cooking area from the dining area. An alternative would be just to make french doors between kitchen and dining area where there is currently a double window - that may well not need any extra reinforcement. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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