A lively attached greenhouse in the springtime
I’m a big fan of attached greenhouses. We designed our second home Strawtron to include a significant greenhouse on the south side of the house. Benefits of designing this way include the obvious ability to extend your growing season to grow more food, but an attached greenhouse can provide your home with additional heat, and an interesting intermediate living space, too. It’s not quite inside… nor is it outside space, either. Anyway. I love this image of the attached solarium of our dear friends Tim and Jane. Doesn’t it just look so wild and green, but so inviting, too?
Attached Greenhouse Designs
I’ve written 3 reasons why to build an attached greenhouse in the past, so to avoid repeating myself… go check it out. Since we have moved from Missouri to Kentucky, it is debatable whether or not an attached greenhouse would be a service… or disservice. The winters (theortectically, anyway) are fairly mild. It’s possible the extra heat could be problematic during the warmer months without serious shading and ventilation.
Tim and Jane’s home is very shaded by the trees and mountains, so their greenhouse does not really amplify the heat in the summertime. Plus, it’s on the east. Which got me to thinking… is designing a greenhouse on the east side of a home in warmer climates not such a terrible idea? I haven’t seen many (or any) examples of this except here, so I am left mostly wondering…
It’s something for me to research more…
My first thought is to build them as separate spaces with the wall between completely insulated. Then you can use a solar chimney to ventilate the sun room more effectively.
My first thought is to build them as separate spaces with the wall between completely insulated. Then you can use a solar chimney to ventilate the sun room more effectively.
We have a pergola on the east side of the house and it’s a long term plan to enclose it and have a greenhouse there. It’s already half roofed, the rest to come soonish (winter rains due to start.)
We don’t get a lot of hot weather, but the few days over 40C make a north facing anything really uncomfortable without serious shading. But an east facing sunroom in winter – I’ve spent far too much time in the last few days planning that out!
We have a pergola on the east side of the house and it’s a long term plan to enclose it and have a greenhouse there. It’s already half roofed, the rest to come soonish (winter rains due to start.)
We don’t get a lot of hot weather, but the few days over 40C make a north facing anything really uncomfortable without serious shading. But an east facing sunroom in winter – I’ve spent far too much time in the last few days planning that out!