Double Glazing On The Web

Why so SAD?

In the last article, I mentioned that, by putting a bit of thought into the positioning of your windows and doors, you can maximise the light levels in your home. And, as most people are aware by now, there is a strong link between increased levels of natural light and improvement in both physical and emotional health.

Sunlight is vital for your body to make good use of its Vitamin D stores, the vitamin responsible for strong bones. Lack of Vitamin D in adults can also lead to muscle weakness.

As far as emotional health is concerned, well, there aren’t many people around who haven’t now heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. The symptoms of SAD are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain due to lack of natural sunlight. The disorder usually happens in the winter, because the shortened days affect the hypothalamus of the brain. The first line of treatment is to have light therapy by sitting in front of special lamps for a short period each day, and some folk need the extra support of anti-depressant medication for a while.

Wouldn’t it be preferable to avoid the disorder as much as is possible by ensuring that you don’t get it in the first place?

Did You Get Out Your Compass?

By clever placement of your windows, you can maximise the amount of light that floods into your home. Obviously, this is only possible in a new build or as part of a large reconstruction job, but it is possible.

As you might expect, south facing windows provide lots of direct daylight all day long, and north facing windows provide shaded light. But its not only south facing windows that do the trick - east and west facing windows also allow in lots of daylight, with less direct rays either in the morning or evening. East facing windows are best for helping you to balance your day/night rhythms.

Other window-ways of increasing the amount of natural daylight coming into your home include: putting in patio doors or French windows; putting in a skylight (particularly useful in internal rooms that have no natural light at all); replacing your current windows and doors with larger versions.

If these changes, however large a job they might be, can help you to avoid being SAD, they’re surely worth consideration?

If you are considering installing light therapy |(that’s windows!) take a look at our home page where you will find a double glazing site with ethics!

You thought it was a no-brainer really, didn’t you? You don’t want to sell your house in the current housing market but you need more room for your growing family; adding a conservatory will not only give you that room, it will add something in the order of 6.7% to the value of your house. So you’ve decided that’s what you’ll do, add a conservatory; it makes sense and you’ve always fancied eating under the stars.

What you hadn’t taken into consideration was the wide range of conservatory styles available; you are completely flummoxed, literally spoilt for choice!

Let’s take a look at the styles of conservatory available and see if we can narrow the options. The main styles of conservatory available here in the UK are:

• Victorian
• Edwardian
• Gable End
• Lean-to
• P-Shaped

Victorian Conservatories

The term ‘Victorian’ is something of a misnomer really - Queen Victoria reigned for almost 64 years and there were many ’seasons of style’ during her reign, going form heavy Gothic to almost insubstantial rococo! However, in terms of conservatories, Victorian style usually denotes a three-panel design that is rounded in shape. Some have four, or even five, panels Although it may sound unlikely, Victorian conservatories look good with many modern homes.

Edwardian Conservatories

The Edwardian era covers a rather short period of time - from 1901 when Victoria died, to 1910 and the death of Edward VII. Some architects extend the period to the end of World War I in 1918. In the simplest terms, where Victorian conservatories are rounded, Edwardian conservatories are square. After the overstyling of the Victorian era, an architectural diet seemed in order! For Edwardian, read classic, understated, pale colours.

Gable End Conservatories

Gable-end conservatories are ideally suited to older properties. Their footprint is square, and the front of the roof is vertical. Because there is no slope to the front of the roof, these conservatories give a spacious feeling and they make more of an impact than the other conservatory styles.

Lean-to Conservatories

You might see Lean-to conservatories referred to as Home Extender Conservatories, which is purely snobbish; the term ‘Lean-to’ has working class connotations that some conservatory companies seem to think is less attractive to the buyer than Home Extender! We stay true to our company objective of being honest and we call a spade a spade (or maybe even a shovel!). Other aliases for the lean-to conservatory are sun room, sun lounge, and sun garden.

In terms of style, lean-to conservatories have a square or rectangular footprint, with a sloped roof. They are three sided, with the fourth wall of the conservatory being formed by the wall of the house. They suit many modern properties and are particularly suitable for bungalows.

P-Shaped Conservatories

Well, P-shaped conservatories are exactly what it says on the tin - p-shaped! They are available in Victorian and Edwardian styles and in many combinations; in fact, an alternative name for the p-shaped conservatory is the combination conservatory. They perhaps give the widest choice because of the combination factor.

Choosing Your Conservatory

What style of conservatory will most compliment the architectural style of your house is a secondary consideration really. Practicalities must come first!

Make sure to consider the following:

• the size of your property
• the space available
• the pitch of your roof
• location of windows - both ground floor and first floor
• ease of access
• then appearance

If you find this all a tad daunting, let our conservatory experts help you to make the right decision.

And don’t forget that Double Glazing on the Web do not use salesmen, or hard sell tactics. We believe in open, honest communication with absolutely no pressure to buy. This means you can contact us confident in the fact that you will not be bombarded with spam or telephone calls.

Okay, so the UK is not blessed with year round sunshine, but there are other reasons to add a conservatory to your house:

• You will be increasing your home’s ‘footprint’ by enlarging one of your downstairs rooms.
• You could, if you wanted to, treat the conservatory as a completely separate room.
• Adding a conservatory is cheaper than moving home, yet it gives you a bigger home and increases the value of your house.
• Natural sunlight is good for you, in fact, without it your body cannot make Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for strong teeth and bones because, without it, your body cannot use the calcium in your food. So, in rainy old UK, when the children can’t always play out, you will be increasing the amount of sunlight and, therefore, vitamin D available to your children.
• Don’t you just love the sound of rain pattering on glass when you’re all cozy and safe inside your home? Well, you’ll get plenty of that!
• If you love entertaining, conservatories make amazing dining rooms. Sunny and bright during the daytime for lunch, glamorous or romantic in the evening, eating beneath the stars.

Given the current state of the housing market, there couldn’t be a better time to consider upgrading your home. Take the first step by looking at our wide range of conservatories now.