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The conservatory-sunroom, is this UK phenomenon about to hit the other side of the Atlantic?

In the UK the conservatory as a live-in sunroom has become nothing short of a 15 billion ($25 billion) a year industry. It is now estimated that one in every four homes in the UK has a conservatory as a room addition. This popularity easily outstrips all other form of home improvement.

Is the US about to follow the trend or is this destined to be a purely English phenomenon.

It is not difficult to appreciate why the people in the UK have warmed to such an idea. They create a space that benefits from being enclosed and protected like the rest of the home but at the same time enjoying the warmth, light and air that a conservatory sunroom offers.

It has also proved to be the only form of home improvement that could practically guarantee an increase in the value of a home that was in excess of the capital outlay. The additional value would never be enough to make a fortune for a homeowner, but at least the return made them feel very comfortable about the wisdom of the necessary outlay.

In the UK with it’s cooler climate that added warmth might also, at first, persuade you that it was the key reason for their popularity. This again proves to be one of the benefits, but I would suggest being able to choose a room with added warmth, was not quite the same as relocating to Florida!

A few years ago I was asked by two brothers who were re-locating from New York to help set up a company in Austin,Texas. They intended to build English style conservatory sunrooms. They had decided to use components and fabrication methods imported from the UK. As every American knows, the climate in Texas is more akin to that of Egypt than the UK. Nevertheless, as I was not financially involved, and they persuaded me that there was a market, I agreed to provide design support both in the office and out in the ‘field’ (or should that be desert or scrub). On a personal note at this point I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Texas. I was made very, very welcome. My visits to Zilker Park and Barton Springs on a Sunday morning was an absolute treat, and how could a stay in Austin go without mentioning Fat Tuesday, St Patrick’s and 6th Street. Back to conservatories. I was of course totally intrigued, but I was also amazed. The English style thing proved popular but what about the comfort level in a sunroom in such a climate.

Firstly, on the technical side, the heat was reflected from the roof by using a form of multi-walled that had aluminium ‘flecks’ co-extruded through it. One of the trade names is called ‘Heat Shield’. The IG units in the sides of a conservatory in the UK would be designed to keep the heat in. I learnt that in Texas that same technology that I was so familiar with in the UK was used by reversing the units to keep the heat out! Then what were the benefits. A few enquiries with our Texas cousins soon clarified the situation. In the UK conservatories were used to free us from being surrounded by walls during long winter months. (a little morning sunshine would make breakfast in the conservatory very agreeable) In Texas a conservatory sunroom would do precisely the same except in Summer! Instead of being surrounded by walls in the middle of summer (protected from the heat in air conditioned rooms), an air conditioned space such as a conservatory would provide a very welcome break! After being in the conservatory business for over 20 years this threw an entirely new light (forgive the pun) on the benefits of a conservatory, not just in warmer climates but also as used on my home ground. I now believe that this reason is probably the key one in the UK!

There is a further aspect that enforces the ‘purely English phenomenon’ opinion. In the UK at least half the conservatory sunrooms that are built do not require any form of building permission. Although this has bound to have had an effect, having to wait just 6 weeks in the UK to get full blown planning permission is not much of a deterrent.

The addition of a conservatory can have many benefits. Unless your climate is perfect at all times of the year, I am sure that a case can be made for an improvement in quality of life because of their acquisition. Whether this particular style will prove as popular in the US, only time will tell.

Part 2 The conservatory as a substantial room addition, Learning from the mistakes made in the UK - plus! more tales from my travels ‘Stateside’

Geoff Broughton http://www.conservatorydesigns.com The ONLY internet resource devoted entirely to design for conservatories.

To subscribe for FREE newsletter and receive FREE designs and specifications, email Geoff at conservatories@yahoogroups.com

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When you install stained-glass windows, you will feel like you are living in another world. Air of your house will be kaleidoscopically colorful, when sun will glance at your place. There will be no grey sky and sad mood already!

Any room requires its own color filling. We are used that as a rule carpets, wall-papers, pictures, posters fulfill this function. But even our ancestors knew that stained glass could make the most modest interior fascinating. It turns out, that these colorful glasses, attributes of Gothic cathedrals and art exhibitions, are quite appropriate in our houses and apartments.

Fine art fine arts inform: stained glass window is a decorative composition of color glass or other materials, which let pass light. Stained glass art is one of the most conservative. A beautiful toy made of pieces of color glass, braided with metal, still charms us, although it was invented centuries ago.

There are several stained glass techniques In classic stained glass window pieces of color glasses, cut according to a certain drawing, are combined with a lead, copper or brass profile between each other.

In these stained glass windows plot is on the second place. The main in them is material, i.e. glasses, which are chosen the way they would give that very colour spectrum while peek-a-boo. And then sun beams, being refracted, make glass burning with bright sun colors.

Typesetting stained glass window will really serve you during whole life. While draw one (varnished pseudo-stained glass window) will last much less, as even most persistent colors become fading in 6-7 years. But there are situation, when typesetting stained glass window looks heavy and bulky and suits not every room or furniture. Thus, instead of boring transparent glasses you can insert those draw stained glass windows in doors of your sideboards and cupboards, they will look lighter by sight.

In the end of a century before last a new technology in style Tiffany was invented, named in honor of its creator (a jeweler, who is also known for his wonderful stained glass table lamps). According to this technology, every glass plate was set in foil and glasses were soldered together. Refusal of a hard frame allows using these items not only as elements of dcor in embrasures, but also as shades for lamps or decoration for ceilings.

Besides classic, there are several modern techniques of making stained glass windows. One of them is according to American technology SGO. A steadfast surface is applied on a transparent sheet silicate glass, this surface adds color and structure to a future stained glass window. This technology has several pluses, which contribute to its popularity.

Firstly, application of sheet glass makes possible using of such stained glass windows in insulating glass units with observation of all technological norms. Agree, sometimes it is just vitally important to close unattractive view.

Secondly, not only silicate, but also acrylic glass can be a base for such stained glass window, and this reduces its weight significantly, and thus widens opportunities of usage.

And, thirdly, such stained glass window is twice cheaper, than a classic one.

Technology of making fusing stained glass windows in home conditions is complicated, as this process means fusing of a future stained glass window, composed on pieces of color glass, glass granules, charge, in a special stove at the temperature up to 850 C. Such stained glass windows have different form, thickness and texture. And this allows using them as effective elements of interior: in the form of partitions, blocks in wall, as tabletop.

There is also casting technology. In this technology they use metallic forms with relief hollows, in which melted color glass is poured.

But, unlike stained-glass windows in fusing style, draw and texture on stained-glass window in casting style are restricted by that metallic form, of which it is produced.

If doors, windows, ceilings of color glasses are not appropriate for you at all, you can limit yourself with a small mini-stained-glass window on your window.

The way stained-glass windows are made

Materials, necessary in work:

Stained glass

Soldering tin

Leaden profile

Chopping-knife

Steel-wheel glass cutter

Soldering iron

Scale

Base-support (you can use veneer)

You can buy stained glass and profile in artistic shops, specializing in selling materials for making stained glass windows.

Lets examine production of stained glass window of bought stained glass.

Firstly you should make a full-scale draft of a future stained glass window.

Then choose glasses, considering thickness of profile, and cut fragments of necessary form.

Cut glass is broken off without tension. Put glass under rib of a bar and then you can break it off accurately and precisely with two fingers.

Put T-shaped profile between glass fragments, and frame a window with P-shape profile, which serves also as frame.

Leaded profile can be cut off with a knife easily.

Another variant, when instead of profile they use soldering tin (stannic wire 2-3 mm thick in diameter).

Tabs for scaffolding are made of thin wire and soldered your stained-glass window is ready.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has Blog for women.

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