Outdoor SunSpaces News

Winter is coming! Which means it's time to start thinking about ways to keep warm in your garden. Nowadays, there are plenty of things you can do to stay warm outside so you don't have to abandon your garden until spring. With a SunSpace, you can enjoy the outdoors whatever the weather.

Insulated Glass Rooms

If you want to make more use of your garden during winter, we'd highly recommend taking a look at our insulated glass garden rooms. The Solarlux Wintergarden is designed to retain as much heat as possible so that you can relax and enjoy your garden surroundings without feeling like you're sat out in the cold.

Other non-insulated garden rooms have a tendency to get a little chilly through autumn and winter, so these insulated glass rooms are a perfect alternative. This style of sunroom acts effectively as an extension to your living space, meaning you can dine, relax and enjoy your garden while keeping warm.

Learn more about Solarlux Wintergarden >

Add Heating

Some garden designs feature verandas and awnings, which are great for keeping the rain off but aren't so great for retaining heat. Don't worry though, there are accessories you can add to your garden to help you keep warm. For example, outdoor heaters! 

Here at SunSpaces, we offer a wide range of outdoor heaters that can be used with all our Sunrooms except, Horizon, Dynamic and Solarlux Wintergarden. We know that staying warm in your garden is important, especially at this time of year, which is why we offer outdoor heaters with different features and at different price points. 

All of our outdoor heaters are controlled via remote control, making them easy to operate and adjust as required. We even offer a garden heater with a built-in Bluetooth speaker so you can have your favourite tunes blaring while you stay warm in your garden. 

Shop Garden Heaters >

Back to Basics

If all else fails, there's no harm in going back to basics and heading into the garden with your coat, a blanket and a hot drink in hand. Whether you're using your garden for a spot of stargazing or a late afternoon BBQ, you really can't beat getting cosy to stay warm in the garden.

While we don't recommend having a fire pit inside your garden room or directly under your veranda or awning, there's no harm in having one elsewhere in your garden. Fire pits are a great source of heat, they're charming and they're perfect for roasting marshmallows... and who doesn't love roasted marshmallows?

We hope that these tips will help you stay warm in the garden whether you have a SunSpace or not! Of course, if you're interested in adding an insulated garden room, a veranda or an awning to your garden this autumn/winter, don't hesitate to get in touch - 01727 845 788.

With 2020 coming to an end (thankfully), we can finally start to look forward to 2021 in hope that it brings much more joy than the previous year. For many, this year has been a real struggle due to the sheer amount of time that we have been forced to spend indoors. But for some, this has provided new opportunities and new hobbies that they may have never indulged in before, such as gardening or simply spending more time in their outdoor space.

With that said, this blog looks at the garden trends that are set to be a hit in 2021, inspired by the activities and noises on Instagram, a place where many garden and outdoor lovers go to share their experiences, advice and ideas.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at the biggest garden trends that are set to take 2021 by storm...

Image: Pixabay

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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still ongoing, and in accordance with the UK government's current guidelines, most children are currently staying home from school. Critical workers may still take their children to school or a childcare provider, but all other parents are having to look after their children themselves.

As a result, many children are now being homeschooled for the first time in their lives. Homeschooling has its disadvantages - most parents have no formal teacher training, and many children will miss be missing their friends right now - but here's one indisputable benefit of homeschooling: it gives kids an opportunity to do their learning outside instead of spending all day cooped up in a classroom.

If the weather's nice and you're lucky enough to have an outdoor space to call your own, why not mix up your homeschooling timetable and have some - or even all! - of your lessons out in the garden?

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With the UK's total number of COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases on the rise once more, many people are being asked to self-isolate in order to help slow the disease down. In particular, you MUST stay at home if:

• You display symptoms of COVID-19, such as a high temperature or a new, continuous cough
• You test positive for COVID-19
• You are asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
• You enter the UK from a non-exempt country (see gov.uk for details)

But self-isolation, while necessary, can take a real toll on your mental health - especially if you've already been experiencing frequent periods of extended isolation for some time, as is the case for half a million older people in the UK.

With that in mind, here are 3 tips to help you stay as happy and healthy as possible while you're limiting your contact with the world outside your home.

1. Establish a routine.

Ensuring that your days and nights have a consistent structure will help you to safeguard your mental health during this stressful time. Good sleep hygiene is essential - try to wake up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time every evening.

During the day, try to stick to a routine so that you're never unsure of what to do with yourself. Eat three meals a day; tune in to your favourite television programmes; schedule regular telephone calls with your loved ones; and assign different activities to different parts of the day. For example, you could garden after lunch and read in the evening.

2. Keep yourself entertained.

Sustained boredom can be very damaging, so it's important to find a variety of ways to occupy yourself during periods of isolation. You probably already have your own hobbies and interests - perhaps even a project or two that you can work on - but if you're not used to staying at home for long stretches of time, you may need to branch out and find new sources of entertainment now.

This may be a good time to sign up for a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime; there's also the BBC iPlayer, which allows you to watch all kinds of programmes you might have missed. Elsewhere on the Internet, there are countless communities on websites like Facebook and Reddit - have a look and you're sure to find a group of people with the same interests as you.

But not all entertainment has to revolve around screens. Self-isolation could also be a great opportunity to catch up on those books you've been meaning to read, or take up gardening, or even learn something new - if you've ever want to speak French or learn how to knit, now is the perfect time to start!

3. Go outside if you can.

Staying at home doesn't necessarily have to mean staying indoors. If you have a garden, you should definitely be making use of it while isolated. Fresh air and outdoor activity can bolster your mental health, and it's important to go out in the sun when you can and top up your vitamin D levels.

Alternatively, relaxing in your conservatory or garden room can be a great way to take a break from it all and give yourself a chance to breathe.

However you do it, please be sure to look after yourself during this stressful and potentially lonely time. If you have elderly and/or vulnerable relatives who are self-isolating at the moment, be sure to stay in touch with them - you may not be able to visit them, but you can still speak to them on the phone or chat online.

If you are considering adding a SunSpace to your home this spring, please bear in mind that our products require very little installation time. Our verandas typically take 1-2 days to install, while our sunrooms take just 2-3 days. This means that disruption to your schedule - and contact with our installers - will be minimal.

Originally published in March 2020. Updated 5th November 2020. Image from Pixabay

Our range of verandas and garden rooms are available to order with a variety of customisable options. From sound, heating, locking doors and gutter options, with SunSpaces you are truly able to make your veranda or garden room your own.

One of the main options available, however, is the material of the roof. Choose from either glass or polycarbonate, but which is better? Here we take a look at the two materials, providing the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Glass Roofs

Advantages:

• Glass roof provide ideal acoustic properties, meaning less noise will be made during heavy rainfall
• Completely clear material results in great opportunities to gaze outside at the stars at night and birds in the day
• Clean, polished appearance brings a classy look to the property

Disadvantages:

• Potential safety risk if panels are not of a good enough quality
• Little to no UV protection
• Sometimes slightly costlier

Polycarbonate Roofs

Advantages:

• Life expectancy of up to 25 years
• Cost-effective option
• Very high impact resistance
• Available in a variety of clarity options
• High UV protection
• Excellent structural performance
• Maintains strength and colour over a long period of time
• Resistance to all weather conditions
• Self-extinguishing qualities

Disadvantages:

• Unlike a glass roof, you are not able to have a clear view of the sky unless a solid polycarbonate is used
• Poor acoustic properties – quite noisy during heavy rainfall

The main points

The roof of your garden room or veranda is its most important feature. It keeps the structure together as well as protecting it from rain, wind and snow. But with different material options available, it can become quite difficult to choose the right one. Above we have listed some of the main advantages and disadvantages when it comes to polycarbonate vs glass roofs, but a few of these stand out more than others, so let’s take a deeper look!

Sounds Insulation

If you’ve ever been under a polycarbonate roof during heavy rainfall, you’ll definitely be familiar with the loud thudding and sometimes unbearable noises that occur. Unfortunately, this is enough to put the majority of homeowners off as a veranda and garden room is a place where people want to sit back and relax, not listen to loud and annoying noises. Being interrupted with the loud thudding of rain and the howling wind is the last thing you want, therefore, if a peaceful space is something you’re interested, a glass roof is definitely the choice for you.

Aesthetics

Glass roofs enable light to fill your garden room as well as providing beautiful views that you can use to gaze at the sky and surroundings during both day and night. Its classier appearance enables structures to look more prestige, perfect for homeowners looking to create a property that stands out. Polycarbonate roofs, on the other hand, are often translucent so not completely clear and do not offer the same look like glass.

Maintenance

Glass roofs often use an easy clean coating which repels dirt fantastically. The provides a clean-looking roof that doesn’t require much effort to keep looking good. Polycarbonate roofs sometimes do not offer this level of low-maintenance and require some level of upkeep to remove dirt and moss.   

And there you have it – our polycarbonate vs glass roof comparison! Here at SunSpaces, we offer both glass and polycarbonate roof options for our range of verandas and garden rooms. However, our selection of polycarbonate and glass roofs are made of the very best materials, meaning the differences between the two are very slight and ultimately come down personal preference.

For more information on our polycarbonate and glass roofs, please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the SunSpaces team today by calling 01727 845 788 or emailing info@sunspaces.co.uk