Home Extension Budget Saving Ideas

Extending your home is a great way to add space if you’re feeling cramped. It also allows you to create bold entertaining areas and even increase the value of your property. Whether you choose a rear extension, side extension, loft conversion or a sunroom, these ideas will help you to maximise your home’s potential.

Before deciding on your home extension idea, you should familiarise yourself with planning permission – something our experienced team can advise you on from your free initial consultation. Deciding on a budget is essential and enables our designers to get you the most for your buck. Once you’ve got a rough idea, it’s time to explore the world of home extensions. We’ve created this list to help you find the inspiration you need to create your dream home.

A Loft Conversion

Expanding out isn’t always an option so using your roof space could be the right option for you. As well as giving a great return on investment, loft conversions also create interesting, quirky spaces for bedrooms, en-suites, studies or games rooms. Installing skylights in these spaces creates a beautiful flood of light from the angled roof, while also opening up the space. Natural light is perfect for these types of spaces and reduces the need for as many lighting installations in the build.

Often avoiding planning permission, loft conversions are considered minor constructions – we can advise you on this from your free initial consultation.

 

A Cellar Basement Conversion

Again, if extending out isn’t an option for you using the downstairs space available could be the key to creating your dream space. Basement conversions can really add another dimension to your home with minimal disruption to your home-life. A great design solution to enable natural light in an otherwise dark, gloomy area is to use a cleverly placed lightwell, you can really bring these spaces to life with light pouring in from above. We can advise you on many other strategies to make the most of your basement/cellar space at a free initial consultation with one of our experienced designers.

A Rear Extension

One of our most popular extension choices, rear extensions are becoming increasingly common in the UK for a number of great reasons. Placed in the sanctuary of your own property, a rear extension affords privacy and doesn’t often impede your neighbour’s view – causing a very amicable build process. You can work with our designers to choose to be bold or understated – depending upon your personal preference. From low-pitch extensions that match your home to contemporary steel, wood, and concrete extensions that create a striking perspective; the possibilities are endless and truly exciting. Adding value to your home while creating space for precious family memories, the rear extension is a real winner. At Acre, we love designing these as they can take so many different forms – we can really create a space tailored to you.

 

Our design for a run-down house in Rowlands Gill is a perfect example of how you can add space while also creating a beautiful looking home. We included a modern living space and master suite with balcony views over the Derwent Valley… stunning.

A Side Extension

 

A lot of period terrace homeowners end up scratching their heads when looking for ways to increase their living space. Luckily, the answer is often right under their nose with a side extension – the perfect way to expand. Whether you decide upon a single or two storey extension, we design side extensions that really compliment your existing home. This video of a complete side extension in North Shields demonstrates how easy it can be to gain so much additional space…

Perhaps it is time for a home extension designed by Acre Design, Newcastle.

Let’s face it, it’s January and you’re feeling the effects from the festive period? Perhaps you had a house full of your nearest and dearest and upon reflection, you now realise you should change the structure of your home. Well, don’t worry, because Acre Design is here to help! Take a look at just a range of project types below to see if they would benefit your home renovation in 2019.

Extensions

Single storey extension

Single-storey extensions are perfect for creating an open-plan living area or kitchen space. Nowadays, people want a large kitchen space where they can have the whole family in one place to relax while the cooking is being done – doesn’t this just sound ideal for Christmas 2019?

Two-storey extension

Adding a double-height extension to your house gives you added living space to the ground and those all-important extra bedrooms to your first floor. If you were looking at creating extra bedrooms but didn’t know what you could put in the extra ground floor space then just see our suggestions below:

• A new entrance where you, your pets and your family can get showered and changed before coming into the house.
• A cinema room for film lovers.
• A ‘granny annexe’ with an en-suite on the ground floor for when the grandparents come to stay.
• Add a utility to hide the washing machine and add some extra storage.

Sunrooms

If you want a nice, airy room to entertain guests, and have dinner with many other uses then you should definitely invest in a sunroom. They are a great place to sit and read all year round! The main difference between a sunroom and a conservatory is the amount of time during the year the room can be in use. Conservatories are often too hot in the summer, and too cold in winter. This is due to their construction (an aluminium frame, covered in PVC, and massive amounts of inefficient glazing). A sunroom has less glazing and is built using more traditional methods like the slated roof, and brickwork piers.

 

Garage Conversions

Converting a garage into a more practical space is becoming increasingly popular! This space is ideal if you want to create a separate living space for your property or even a breakout room. Converting these wasted spaces into a separate reception room, or dining room, or even opening up to the existing house is a really cost-effective way of increasing the size of your home. It will require building control but our detailed plans will fly through to approval.

Contact Us Today!

If you’re looking to expand your home or even rebuild it then don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information or a quote. The team at Acre would be more than happy to help.

Ten Questions To Ask An Architectural Designer

Here at Acre, we like to respond to our clients questions and queries as often as we can! With 2019 coming to a close, we have compiled our top ten questions to ask a architectural designer and our advice to give a little helping hand for those looking to transform their space! If you’re planning a project to improve your home and want to recruit an architectural designer to help you, it is critical to ensure you ask all the right questions to guarantee they know exactly what you want from the project. Whatever your query, we are more than happy to help and we hope you find this article helpful valuable…

Question #1

What will the architectural designer advise for your site?

When meeting an architectural designer, he or she will want to talk to you about your building project so they understand what you are looking for. You should take your architectural designer’s advice into account when making decisions, but if they suggest something that you are not comfortable with, please say so. If you both clearly understand what you want at this early stage, it may prevent problems as the project progresses. It is your project, and the architectural designer will want to make sure that you are satisfied with the end result.

Question #2

Will I need planning permission?

After the measured survey, we will draw the existing plans and produce a first draft proposal. We will then invite you into the office to go over the plans, this is an opportunity for you to tell us ‘what a great idea’ or ‘we never would of thought of that’ or alternatively tell us of any changes you need or areas you don’t think will work for you. We then make those changes and the process starts again (with another meeting or over email) until you are happy, then we will invoice you and apply for the relevant approvals.

Question #3

How long will my project take?

Unfortunately, every project in entirely unique and this means that the length of the project will depend on the size of the project. To get a time scale from your architectural designer they will need to visit your property or site. If you are looking for a design quotation, call Acre today and arrange a free meeting – we would be able to give you an idea of timescales and costs, specific to your project.

Question #4

Are your proposals achievable on your budget?

Be realistic and make sure you know if what you want to achieve is possible with your budget. You should remember that your budget will also need to cover any third party costs such as structural engineers and surveyors etc.

Question #5

How much will my project cost?

Like time scales, cost will differ extensively depending on the type of project you are looking to conduct. When using Acre Design we advise that you budget between 5-10% of total build costs for Acres Design fees, structural calculations (if required) and the council fees. We charge on an hourly basis for our work at £70 per hour. The time it takes to complete each stage will depend on a number of aspects:

• We are required to measure the existing, so the bigger the house, the more time it will take.
• The complexity of the existing house. A bungalow takes less time to draw that an stately home.
• Do you know exactly what you want? If so we won’t need to show you as many options, reducing the time to agree a design.
• The scope of the works. The larger the project the more time it will take to complete the proposals.
• The complexity of the proposals. If you are looking for a cantilever balcony from a zinc clad dormer window this takes longer than a simple detached garage.
• Planning requirements. In a conservation area you will need a heritage statement and design and access statement to be submitted with your planning application for example.

We will give you a price at our free initial consultation where Alistair will go through the stages, and apportion an amount of hours to each stage, you will then get a fully detailed quote within 48 hours of our visit.

Question #7

What different project types are there?

When transforming your space there are a number of ways through which this can be achieved. Here at Acre, our project types include:

• Two storey extension
• Single storey extension
• Sunrooms
• Timbre frame
• Garage conversions
• Loft conversion
• Commercial
• New build houses
• Conversion

Click to read in more detail about what these project type entail.

Question #6

Can I achieve an attic conversion in my home?

If you want to add space and value to your house, and there is little room to the side or back of your property (or you love your garden too much), then attic conversions are a great way to do so. However, we adding an attic conversion there are a few considerations. This includes making sure there is sufficient headroom, that you inform your mortgage and insurance lender about your conversion and so on. For more information on attic conversions click here.

Question #8

Why do I need a measured survey?

At Acre, we draw your house exactly on our 3D drawing software, we need the exact measurements so we can show you what you will have once building work is complete, it helps you make an informed decision, and get the most out of your extension, new home or whatever it is we are designing!

Question #9

What happens during the design process?

After the measured survey, we will draw the existing plans and produce a first draft proposal. We will then invite you into the office to go over the plans, this is an opportunity for you to tell us ‘what a great idea’ or ‘we never would of thought of that’ or alternatively tell us of any changes you need or areas you don’t think will work for you. We then make those changes and the process starts again (with another meeting or over email) until you are happy, then we will invoice you and apply for the relevant approvals.

Question #10

Will you keep me updated throughout the building process?

Acre Design will provide you with updates throughout the whole process. We can get your first draft to you within 10 days. After this we will invite you to the office to go through our initial design, we also give you a full print out to take home and look over. Once you have got back to us with any thoughts we make the changes quickly, ready for you to approve our final design and we can prepare the drawings for planning permission. This next bit is where patience becomes a virtue, once we have applied for planning permission it can take 8 weeks for a decision to be made. Acre Design will send you a link once we have applied to the local authority public access where you can keep an eye on your application in real time.

If you are looking to start your building work as soon as planning is approved, we will immediately begin preparing your technical building control drawings. Once these are complete (usually within a week of planning being applied for) we will send these to you. If required we can forward a couple of plans to our trusted contractors for them to begin pricing the job for you. You can also arrange in this time meeting them or going to see some of their previous work.

We hoped you found this article helpful! If you are interested in any of our architectural design services then please do not hesitate to contact us today, we would love to hear from you.

Let us help you turn your dream home into a reality.

Applying for Planning Permission for your project

The process of getting planning permission for any type of project can seem like long and daunting, and sometimes even cost you money. And if you don’t know your stuff, the risk of getting denied for planning permission can also add a lot of stress and worry to the whole process. Whether you’re planning a refurbish your home, or add an extension, then take note of these top tips to guide you through the planning permission process – start to finish.

Talk to people

One of the first things you should do when thinking about applying for planning permission is to talk to neighbours. This is especially important if you’re planning on extending your property, as it could obstruct neighbours views or the noise could even impact them. By introducing yourself and explaining your intentions, you could avoid future problems as your neighbours would already know what is going to happen – and it’s a lot better coming from you than the planning officials.

Research local planning policies

There are always different policies that you should be aware of and the best way to find the ones suited to you are on the local authority website – these can sometimes be tricky to find so take your time looking thoroughly.

Architectural plans are crucial

With any planning permission process, you always need to send away architectural drawings. These drawings take precision, patience and skill as everything inevitably comes down to the architectural drawings. Architectural plans highlight the whole construction process

Use planning jargon

If your planning applications look thorough and well planned out this could work in your favour. If you start using words such as; sustainability, street scene and access will make a huge difference to how you are perceived through the planning process. A well-rounded and most importantly specific planning application will do nothing but enhance your chances of being accepted.

Don’t lie!

Now, I know you’re probably thinking it would be easier to under-exaggerate your new extension or home design, but it is imperative that you don’t lie. Often, people will state that there won’t be any disturbance to the neighbours – which is all well and go to say at the time but if it becomes apparent that you lied then your application could be challenged.

Architectural Designer in Newcastle

If you’re looking for an architectural designer in Newcastle, then don’t hesitate to contact Acre Design today

Acre Design – Home Extension Specialists

Acre Design is an architectural design company who work with clients to design projects that aim to transform their space. The beauty of developing a project is that it gives you the opportunity to create a home that’s truly tailored to your family’s wants and needs and we want to help you achieve this.

Project Types

Here at Acre, we work on a diverse range of projects with our clients, and these include…

Two Storey Extensions

If your kids need their own bedroom or if you would like the master bedroom and ensuite you have always dreamed of, a two-storey extension could be the answer to your problems. Your options are endless with possibilities; however, they will need planning permission which we will take care of on your behalf.

Single Storey Extension

These extensions are a relatively simple, cost-effective way of increasing the space of your home and increasing the value of your home at the same time. For example, you may dream of an open-plan kitchen dining area – we can help.

Sunrooms

Where conservatories are difficult to heat in winter and keep cool in summer, a sunroom with fewer glazed elements really is the bright extension you can use all year round. At Acre, we are regularly working on a variety of these forms of extension across the North East. Call us today for examples and arrange a free site visit.

Timber Frame

Acre Design are specialists in timber frame construction, we have vast experience in building using many construction methods, but we think timber frame offers excellent advantages, and our clients throughout Newcastle and the North East should definitely consider it when extending their home.

Garage Conversions

Has your garage been accumulating stuff since the car got too big to fit? Converting these wasted spaces into a separate reception room, dining room, or even opening up to the existing house is a really cost-effective way of increasing the size of your home. It will require building control but our detailed plans will fly through to approval.

Loft Conversion

If you have the head height (we suggest anything above 2.3 metres) at the highest point you will be able to convert your loft. You can create big spaces under permitted development (which means you do not require a planning application). So get in touch today for a free consultation – we will even bring the ladders if needed.

Commercial

If your business is expanding and you are looking to alter or extend your existing commercial premises please give us a call for a free initial consultation at our office in Wallsend or at your place of work. We offer full project management, meaning you can focus on what you are good at, whilst we do what we are.

New Build Houses

If you are looking to build a bungalow or a small estate of homes, we have the capacity and flexibility to help. You pay us on the completion of set stages as laid out in our quote. For example, you may just want to gain planning permission, then that’s all you will pay us for.

Conversion

Conversions can be any building that were once used for one use, and is now to be used as something different. We have converted terraced houses to HMO’s, up to large office building into flats. We take care of all the paperwork, and then work closely with contractors to see the work through to completion.

Why Choose Acre?

Here at Acre, our ultimate goal is to keep you excited about the process of creating your dream home. We do this by giving you all design options within your budget and then we deal with the council on your behalf. We offer architectural ideas backed with over 10 years of our expert technical knowledge at great prices – you won’t find much better.

Contact Us Today

If you are interested in any of these services and wish to make an enquiry or get a quick quote, call us today on 0191 680 8088. We would be delighted to hear from you.

What are Building Control Drawings?

Building Control drawings explained

The law in the United Kingdom states that new construction projects need to be carried out in accordance with Building Regulations. However, there are a few circumstances where building regulations are not required, such as small porches, conservatories, or detached garages (up to 30m² floor area).

Once the planning permission for your project has been approved, the next step is to get technical drawings (Building Control plans) to ensure the design for your project complies with building regulations. These plans entail detailed construction drawings and ensure that the design complies with the Approved Documents. There are a number of Approved Documents, ranging from A to R. These include everything from structural and fire safety requirements for a new building or extension to electronic communications and accessibility.

As well as ensuring your project is built correctly and safely, the Building Control drawings will make it easier for tendering and pricing your project. After these drawings have been produced by your Architectural Designer they will be submitted to Building Control, where they will be checked over to ensure that they comply with the Building Regulations. This helps iron out any potential problems before building work starts on site, which could help save time and money.

What do the Building Control drawings comprise of?

• A detailed explanation of the proposed project.
• Technical drawings which include floor plans, elevations and building sections.
• A technical specification.
• Structural Engineers’ calculations (if they are required for a project).
• A site plan showing the proposed works and its surroundings.

Building Notice

You may have heard the term ‘Building Notice’ or individuals saying that you do not need Building Control plans to start your construction project. This is correct, as a Building Notice can be submitted to your local authority before starting work. The local authority will still require information such as a site plan, drainage details and in some cases, sketch drawings. By using a Building Notice, you are stating that you will be complying with building regulations on site.

This method may be possible for smaller construction projects and alterations, but with larger projects come more problems. If a Building Notice is used, some contractors might not be aware of everything a design entails and may not meet the required regulations. Contrastingly, if Building Control drawings are used they will ensure the project complies with the Building Regulations and will be checked over by several people before work can start. This method will help overcome potential problems before getting to the site, which will ensure works run smoothly with fewer problems and will provide you with the perfect new home or extension.

We have put together a list of things to consider when you’re choosing an architectural designer to transform your home.

Acre is a Newcastle based architectural design company that works alongside you to transform your home and create an environment that truly reflects your family’s wants and needs for your space. Ultimately, we want to help you achieve your dream home and with over 10 years of expert technical knowledge, we are committed to ensuring we do so. Changing your home or property is a huge commitment and Acre are aware of this, therefore, we strive to ensure we deliver a finished product in the most cost-effective and unobtrusive way.

When taking on an architectural designer to assist you in changing your space there are a number of other crucial aspects to consider. Of course, considering who you use to assist you in your development is vital and finding a company that understands and is able to deliver your desires is a must. However, you must also consider…

• What you want from the process
• How to find a design that works for you
• Getting through the building process – adapting your life accordingly and finding the right time to commit to this work

Here at Acre, we understand that these considerations can be immense, therefore we aim to provide as much support as we can to our existing and potential clientele to get them through the architectural process. But, why choose Acre to transform your home?

#1 We know our area

As Newcastle locals, we have extensive knowledge and experience with the architecture of the area and handling the structures of these buildings. Newcastle is famed for its beautiful Victorian properties and we are well-versed in adapting these properties for their modern purpose. Therefore, if you live in a period property in Newcastle Acre is well equipped to assist you. By understanding the structure of the city we can build and adapt your home with the building and you in mind. If you would like to know more about how we repurpose period properties for modern living see our building projects archive.

#2 We design with you in mind

Here at Acre, we design you in mind and we understand that properties are not just for looking at, they are also for living in! So the design must be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. We place a lot of Acre has gathered a team of exceptional design professionals that understand this ethos and use their knowledge to create this vision in your home. By using 3-D imaging we can help you see your future building before we have created it to ensure its truly what you want from your living space. By considering the little things that matter to you within our designs we guarantee you will be over the moon when you finally get to live day to day in your property.  

#3 We use the latest technology

Where we can, we implement the latest technology when designing your home. We ensure our team is up to date with technological advances in architectural technology so that you have the very best product we can deliver. Acre also strives to use eco-friendly building materials. If you would like to know more about our architectural design process click here.

#4 We support you

Here at Acre, we like to support you through the architectural design process. We ensure you are well informed when choosing the right design, the right material, and right technology when constructing your home. We understand every step of the journey that you’re about to take and understand well the potential pitfalls. Through our experience, we aim to guide you through this and protect you against the getting planning permissions and so forth wrong. Find out more about getting through the planning stages with Acre Design’s guide to planning permission.

Let us help you turn your dream home into a reality.

If you are interested in any of our architectural design services then please do not hesitate to contact us today, we would love to hear from you.

 

How to Ensure Your Loft Conversion is Fire Safe

Are you planning a loft conversion in your home in Newcastle or the North East? It’s a big job, and one that can often be daunting and accompanied with a number of pitfalls! However, a loft conversion can also have a great deal of benefits, including enabling you to open up more space in your home and add up to 20% extra to the value to your property. The do’s and don’ts of a loft conversion are not always something our clients are all familiar with, leaving them to rely on loft conversion specialists for advice and guidance. However, one of the most important things to consider when constructing a loft conversion is ensuring you keep to the fire regulations (approved document part B) that accompany this building project. When it comes to loft conversion fire regulations, there are strict and stringent rules that must be followed. Whether you are converting a loft to add another rent-able room to your property or it is simply for your own residential purposes, fire safety is essential to ensuring the welfare of inhabitants.

Of course, finding out if you need planning permission is your first port of call when beginning a loft conversion project, the building regulations and fire safety is next on the agenda. Most lofts are exempt from planning permission, but it always best to check! Here are the Acre Design top tips for ensuring your loft conversion is fire safe and follow UK building regulations…

#1 FIRE SEPARATION OF A NEW STOREY

The new storey / loft conversion needs to be separated from the rest of the house using fire resisting construction. This is achieved by the compartmentalisation of the loft from the rest of the property using.

• Structural elements, including floor joints, walls and beams with fire resistance of at least 30 minutes – this may involve re-plastering the ceilings on the floor below with fire-rated plasterboard.
• The loft and protected route of escape must be fitted with fire doors, at the top and bottom of the new staircase as well as any habitable rooms with doors onto the escape route.
• Exposed steel beams finished with in-tumescent paint and a flame-spread resistant top coat.
• Interior timber must be of Class 1 rating, or finished with Class 1 rated coatings.

#2 ESCAPABLE ROUTES

Building regulations stipulate that there must be a protected escape route all the way from the loft to the ground floor exit door. All walls leading through the escape route must be built to the fire protection standard, this protected corridor must have passive fire protection for at least 30 minutes to ensure full loft conversion safety. Before you finalise your building work, all partition walls along the escape route must be adequately assessed to ensure they are in line with regulations.

 

#3 SMOKE ALARMS

It is a UK building regulation that mains-powered smoke alarms are installed on each and every floor of your home and are linked to one another so that they all ring if one is activated. Therefore, if you are adding a storey to your home in the form of a loft conversion this storey must be fitted with smoke detectors. All mains-operated smoke alarms should be fitted with batteries as back-up. Further, all smoke alarms must be fitted in so-called ‘circulation spaces’ such as hallways and landings and sited within 7.5 meters of a habitable room.

#4 FIRE DOORS

Loft conversion doors are another essential feature when considering the fire safety of your home extension. All interior doors must be fire doors and they need to be fire resistant for a least 20 minutes. Therefore, doors cannot be glazed (unless with fire-rated glass), so you may want to consider windows or roof-lights to bring daylight to the stairwell.

#5 WINDOWS

Although it is no longer necessary to fit escape windows into a new loft conversion, don’t underestimate their benefit. It you decide to use windows as a possible escape, route you must ensure that they are large enough and low enough to escape from. They also must be a minimum size of 450mm x 450mm and at least 0.33m2 in the area. As long as your conversion has open access to a stair escape route, one escape window will be sufficient within the roof room. Please note that if there is more than one room in your conversion you need to make sure all of the rooms have
these precautions.

If you are interested in starting the process of building your dream loft conversion please contact Acre Design today to arrange a free consultation. Our in-house loft experts are well trained on the importance of fire safety and would be more than happy to assist you to ensure your loft conversion covers all of these building regulations.

Modern house architecture trends

The modern aesthetics trend is playing a huge role in architecture and architectural design, heavily featuring in homes we are seeing today. Modern residential architecture is based around clean, open plan living spaces – designed to fit in with the growing needs of a modern household. We have put together a few trends in modern house architecture we think you will find interesting…

Bringing the outside indoors

This is a common lifestyle trend – as the digital world is taking over our everyday lives, households want to inject a bit of nature back into their homes. Modern house architecture does this through making living spaces creative. We don’t just mean adding a few potted plants in your living space; this new trend involves the use of vertical gardens with vines creeping up and around your walls, or
even an indoor courtyard of trees – with added skylight features to really open up space.

Large Windows

Following on from the last trend, adding large windows and skylights are becoming increasingly popular within modern homes – they are basically the definition of modern architecture. Large windows and glass walls add that element of environmental connectivity to outside surroundings – they also really transform any space into a beautiful architecturally designed home.

Sustainable Homes

Self-sufficient homes are the dream for every homeowner. Renewable energy systems in a home environment are no longer as abnormal as they once were, more and more people are opting for solar and wind driven systems over fossil fuels. The cost of renewable energy is rapidly going down – and with consistent reminders of the environmental benefits of renewable energy sources – the demand of this lifestyle choice is increasing.

Transformable spaces

Rooms that have flexibility in regards to the layout and space are currently really popular. The reason open-plan layouts are now all the rage is because you have the ability to transform that space into anything you need. Also, the convenience of having everything you need all in a close proximity is becoming a growing household need. The trend is increasingly popular with smaller spaces too, being able to make the most use out of a really small space is so important. By adding simple features like, bigger windows and lifting the ceilings higher (when possible), it creates that bigger, more open plan feel and ambience.

Smart Home Features

As mentioned before, the home architectural trends will grow with current lifestyle trends. As digital features are taking over our daily lives, households have a desire to start incorporating these features into their homes. Enabling your home with the latest household digital software is currently one of the biggest modern architectural trends. Having a modern home design that will fit in with these adaptive features is so important.

Transitional Design

Last, but not least. Every home seems to have adopted that of the Pinterest, modern farmhouse style. Something that offers a classic look, but also has modern functionality. A home with contemporary, but a historic twist. Transitional style, basically means, to add a mix of traditional and modern furnishings and decorative features to the interior of your home. It’s all about finding the right balance of building attributes and the furnishings you put in it.

If you’re looking to change your home layout and add a modern design to your exterior or interior, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Overheating of Homes…a sticky situation

The use of large amounts of glass when extending your home is something that almost all
of our customers are desperate to have, and understandably so!

Any house looks luxurious with bespoke bi-fold doors spanning up to 6 metres, or with sliders you get unobstructed panes up to 3 metres for a single pane, the perfect addition to your new dream home. The more glass in your extension you have, the more light will flood in, and happier you and your family will be in your new extension right? Well yes, but there are also some other considerations to bear in mind when deciding that you simply must have an entire wall as glass,
or every window is to be from the floor to the ceiling. A big consideration when designing buildings is that buildings ability to maintain a steady internal temperature throughout the year in this, lets be honest, fairly changeable climate we have to deal with on the fair isle.

Heat in… Heat out!

Glass just isn’t as good as an insulated wall for keeping the heat in, and is absolutely terrible at keeping the heat out in the summer, in fact, it does the opposite! I am sure most of us have walked into a conservatory that has been left to heat up on summer day? When you walk in, the heat hits you like walking into a furnace! Similarly that same conservatory is a no go area in winter when it is just impossible to heat up without seeing a marked increase in Januarys gas bill.

Focus on insulation

Keeping homes cool in the summer is not the focus of the building regulations, they are focusing on insulation and keeping the homes warm in the winter, but with global warming and the subsequent warmer summers, homes being built closer together (thank you very much the planning department), poor temperature controls and ore airtight buildings overheating can be as big a problem!

By definition a building suffers from overheating when the temperature becomes uncomfortable for occupants within a building. Increased humidity can also exacerbate the issue. It therefore must be a consideration when specifying large pieces of glass in any extension, or the orientation of that glass when designing new build housing.

 

Tricks for blocking the sun

In the UK the Zenith of the sun moves between 62 degrees in summer and 12 degrees in winter, meaning that specially designed shading like larger soffits, or brise soleil might be used to keep the sunshine out during the summer, but let it in during the winter. Another clever trick is to use deciduous trees positioned to block the sun in the summer period but will let light through in winter. Internal blinds can also help, with different glazing also an option to block out the worst of the sun’s rays. It is not just windows that let the heat in. The heat from the sun is defined as radiant heat and when it strikes a solid object it is absorbed and reemitted at a different frequency, as conductive or convective heat. Designers really therefore need to look at the types of wall and roof construction as much of this is only designed to stop the transfer of conductive or convective heat and allows the radiant heat to pass right through into the home. The use of multiple layers of different insulations, air gaps and ventilation
should be considered at the design stage.

Thermal Mass

With the growth of lightweight building systems like timber frame, SIPS panels and pre-insulated shuttered formwork the heat that enters the building quickly heats up only the air without any large amounts of mass (in this instance called thermal mass) to absorb the heat during period of high temperature, and then release that heat during the cooler evenings and night time. It takes around 4 times more energy to heat up a solid that to heat the air, and so including some thermal mass in the building (a concrete floor, granite work tops, masonry chimney breast or even just some denser plasterboard) the tops can be knocked off the peaks during the summer months.

If the property does get too warm, the best way to cool it is through cross ventilation with cooler air. One window is not enough as the air needs to pass from one opening through anther, this is easily achieved on a detached property, but often it is important to think about how to ‘bring in the breeze’ especially on terrace or semidetached property like we have here in the North East. All considerations we take into account for our clients, to make sure they get the dream home that they deserve, on budget and on time.