Silliest question on this forum

[Thatspellstrouble]

So I have an end of terrace, so so cold in winter. I don't really want to put external insulation on because it'll hide the beautiful bricks and patterns. Internal insulation is also out of the question because it'll reduce room space.

Soo that leads me to this:
Why has nobody ever put some form of a greenhouse encasing their house for insulation? (with openable panels for summer) Is the answer lack of breathability? Or just very expensive

 

[RBailey]

This is chain mail not glass but maybe gives a clue why not.

(Facetious answer I know, sorry.)

A few practical problems and I can think of lots:

Cost​

Support structure​

Will not breath.​

A lot of exposed glass (bull-eye for local jobs)​

Permission (PP and LBC)​

etc..​

Jumpers / warm clothes are a much cheaper option.

Cheers,
Richard B.

 

[LadyArowana]

It has been done, in Sweden https://www.designboom.com/architec...ome-in-greenhouse-warm-up-weather-10-21-2021/

 

[CliffordPope]

So not quite so silly a question as it might seem?

 

[Cubist]

This old place faces due South and not long after we acquired the rights to all the bills for the place the First Lady suggested that we could glaze some sections both to protect the building and provide a source of free heating and/or energy conservation. While accepting that the idea had many potential benefits my view was that it had to be all or nothing - 'half-baked' just wouldn't cut it.

 

[worms]

'half-baked' just wouldn't cut it.

Oh, I don't know... I once had a house with a north-facing glass porch (but this was southern hemisphere!) and opening the house-to-porch door on sunny days in winter made a big difference to the temperature in the house.

 

[paulc]

So I have an end of terrace, so so cold in winter. I don't really want to put external insulation on because it'll hide the beautiful bricks and patterns. Internal insulation is also out of the question because it'll reduce room space.

Depending on the type of insulation, the reduction in room size isn't a major issue. Did an 8' square box room just before the pandemic hit. Lost 3" of floor space and don't even notice it. The insulation has made a huge difference to the room - I can now heat it with a tiny little ~670W radiator.
Now in the process of doing the other rooms upstairs one at a time. The stairwell is proving to be <ahem> interesting in terms of working at height...

 

[worms]

Now in the process of doing the other rooms upstairs one at a time.

Out of interest, how are you handling the bits where the internal walls meet the external? Is there a risk of cold-bridging at the uninsulated bit between each room?

 

[paulc]

Out of interest, how are you handling the bits where the internal walls meet the external? Is there a risk of cold-bridging at the uninsulated bit between each room?

Aside from the party wall, internal walls that butt up to the external are timber stud. Yes, there is a risk of a cold bridge, but it doesn't appear to be a problem. Where possible, I'm filling the voids in the stud walls with fibreglass, principally to reduce noise passing through.
When (if) I can get my hands on a thermal imaging camera, I'll be able to see in more detail where cold spots are.

 

[Cubist]

'half-baked' just wouldn't cut it.

Oh, I don't know... I once had a house with a north-facing glass porch (but this was southern hemisphere!) and opening the house-to-porch door on sunny days in winter made a big difference to the temperature in the house.

A couple of weeks back during that so called heat wave, out of interest I placed a thermometer in the shade of our porch but exposed to the ambient outdoor air. The met office had suggested that on that day parts of the UK would 40+C and, as the patch by our front door happens to be a sun-trap, I wanted to see if we pushed the limit or maybe bust a local record. Within just two minutes of putting the thing out there I watched the temperature climb from the comfortable 19C indoor temperature to over 35C and by 1:00pm it was indeed over 40C - but only just.

However, that did wake me up to another negative about putting the house under glass - which I've squirrelled away in case the First Lady resurrects the idea - anyone else here guilty of setting fire to things with the aid of a suitable glass lens?

 

[worms]

Cubist, as a child we had a south-facing front door with a number of bulls-eye glasses in it. In summer, the focussed beam would burn the dark, Victorian lacquer on the woodwork and fill the hall with smoke. Of course, back then it was common to also have a brightly striped external canvass shade-curtain that one pulled across the door - and indeed, at that time all the shops also had similarly striped sun awnings. Both are period features that are virtually unknown nowadays.

 

[Cubist]

number of bulls-eye glasses

I recall hearing a tale of an old girl who took some delight by seating unwelcome visitors in a strategically placed chair in front of her living room window which was fitted with such bulls eyes - now thats what I call growing old disgracefully.