Many, especially those who live in the city, at least once came up with the idea to equip a piece of nature in their home. This will not only create an indescribable atmosphere, ideal for peace of mind, but also expand the overall living space. You may have seen such structures made of glass and metal more than once, resembling greenhouses in appearance. However, in order for your green friends to feel comfortable in the winter garden, they need to create the necessary conditions for this. Although designing a winter garden is not such a difficult task, it requires knowledge of some subtleties, which, if not taken into account, means dooming the project to failure.
To build a winter garden, you need to put a lot of effort and imagination. Its forms are very diverse, and outwardly seemingly simple design often requires considerable knowledge. Especially if the garden is planned to be large, with a load-bearing profile over 5-6 meters, then it will also be necessary to erect a frame, aluminum or even steel, so that the rafters do not deform under the weight of the structure itself, precipitation on it, and gusts of wind. In any case, such a home garden should be safe and cozy in any weather, wherever you live.
Place
Where does construction begin? From an idea. First of all, you need to decide where the garden will be located - in which room and on which side of the house, where plants will receive more light and heat at any time of the year. For arrangement, rooms or a loggia on any side of the building, except for the south, are best suited, because the winter garden, located on the south side of the house, will make you suffer from the sweltering heat in summer. It is advisable to think of a winter garden even before the construction of the whole house, in order to pre-determine the most convenient place for it.
Of the premises, the glassed-in porch is the best example - a spacious room with great opportunities not only for placing plants, but also for additional amenities that will allow you to have a good rest. If you are going to arrange a garden on a balcony or loggia, it is necessary to carry out work on insulation from bad weather and cold weather. If your loggia is already adapted for housing, most likely, such work has already been carried out for a long time.
We will list the most popular plants for the winter garden in more detail in the second part of the article.
Of the many variations, at least eight are the most popular:
Now let's move on to the building instructions.
Foundation
The home greenhouse itself is a fairly lightweight structure, so as a rule, laborious work is not required to organize a separate foundation from scratch. It is enough to build a garden on the already existing reinforced reinforced concrete foundation slabs for terraces.
If these slabs are less than 200 mm thick, or the extension is large and heavy, it may be necessary to reinforce the foundation with piles driven to a depth of 1.5-2 meters, below the freezing level of the soil. The same piles can serve as the basis for a foundation created specifically for a greenhouse, while they strengthen the foundation of a tape type of reinforced concrete or brick.
The most common way is to install the structure on a plinth that rises above the ground. The latter will allow you to install radiators, window sills without unnecessary fears, and on snowy days, snowdrifts will not spoil the view, propping up the transparent walls of the garden from the outside.
In any case, it should be remembered that each foundation needs thermal and waterproofing. For the first, it is easiest to use a 10-centimeter layer of foam, for waterproofing - roofing felt or film.
carrier profile
This is the most important structural element of the winter garden, which serves as the basis for the frame. Profiles are mainly of three types.
The most popular due to their lightness, strength, resistance to erosion, ease of installation. The first of these are universal facade profiles suitable for each surface of the extension with a section of 50 * 30 - 180 * 60. They are familiar to everyone from the projects of many high-rise buildings with glass facades, where they are widely used. The structure of these profiles allows the facades to also realize a hydrothermal insulating function, when appropriate seals can be placed between the frame and the double-glazed windows.
In general, facade systems are good because they usually do not require additional reinforcement, but they cannot boast of a variety of shapes. Structures assembled from specialized parts are less bulky, and a plastic insert separating the guide and the lining serves as a heat insulator.
Aluminum profiles are painted by anodizing (electrostatic method), powder paints (less reliable than the first), finished with wood or PVC.
Occasionally, if the extension is of considerable size, aluminum is replaced with steel finished with it. But keep in mind that their direct contact leads to corrosion, so all fasteners must be made of plastic or galvanized.
In fact, the same aluminum profiles, covered on both sides with plastic overlays, are often hollow inside, which means they retain heat even better. It turns out that the plastic frame is 58-70 mm. The facades of such frames are reinforced with galvanized steel, and the frames themselves are connected using the same reinforced docking posts. Deaf and opening frames are desirable to alternate. Window sashes made of specialized plastic parts should not exceed 80 cm in width, otherwise the load on the hinge group may deform the latter. Frames from the company have proven themselves well Thyssen Polymer.
In any case, you should not mount metal-plastic structures at an angle - after a few years they can deform and start to leak if you arrange a slope or roof out of them. This is their undoubted disadvantage over aluminum structures.
They have a high expressiveness, a huge potential for design solutions, conveying the warmth and comfort of natural materials to your winter garden. The frame is assembled according to the well-known tenon-groove principle, among the tree species used are spruce, oak, pine and even meranti.
If arches are provided, they will have to be assembled from several layers of planks of smaller width. At the same time, the profile becomes thicker, looks more massive, less light penetrates not only visually, and therefore it is recommended for larger extensions, with the ability to install a fairly wide step between the arches. Other cases for the manufacture of curved openwork structures involve the use of polycarbonates, plexiglass, etc., but this is always done using special equipment, and not manually.
Of course, a wooden frame needs reliable protection from environmental influences with varnish or other similar coatings. Aluminum strips or corners outside will also strengthen and protect the tree, out of sight of the residents or guests inside.
Due to the fact that it is very difficult to make all the necessary parts with your own hands without special equipment and skills, usually they can get to you ready for assembly from manufacturers.
The support beams on which the truss system is attached are mounted on top of the front part of the structure. Roof details (polycarbonate sheets or double-glazed windows) are fixed to the rafters using pressure beams equipped with seals. The optimal pitch between the rafters varies from 55 to 75 cm, and depends on what the roof is made of, as well as on the degree of load in the form of snow and wind that it will be forced to experience.
The slope of the roof can be different, from 7 to 45 degrees, depending on the manufacturer of the system and the type of construction. Better - from 30 degrees to ensure timely natural cleaning of the roof and maximum sun exposure in winter. For the arrangement of the roof of the winter garden, skates, half-skates or valleys can serve. Specialized systems benefit from the facade ability to fix gutters for water drainage to the support beams. In this case, it is necessary to install special cables in such gutters that prevent the formation of ice, which significantly increases the load on the structure. Cables are also located along the valley.
The garden structure is attached to the wall of the building using self-tapping screws, anchors and starting profiles, firmly fastened to the base, and then using sealants, for example, silicone, they seal the gaps between the wall and the profiles, paying special attention to the knot of the wall and starting rafters. To do this, a layer of insulator is applied to the wall made in advance along the length of the profile. After that, they take a corrugated tape (lead, copper or aluminum), or an aluminum sheet, and with one edge they lead it into a stab, and with the other they cover the profile from above. You can also bring the tape into a profile, organizing a drainage channel to remove moisture from the roof.
It is undesirable that the roof of your house hangs over the winter garden, but if this is the case, it is advisable to install a snow retention system on the first one in order to avoid excessive load on the extension structure in winter.
If the winter garden is attached to an already built house, there may be a problem of differences in the settlement of the foundation under the house and the extension. More often, it occurs in wooden houses, which significantly settle down over several years. In this case, before mounting the profiles, a casing box is designed and inserted into special grooves with a known gap around the perimeter of the junction of the structure. And profiles are already attached to the box.
It is important not to forget about the need to seal the entire structure, paying special attention to:
Glazing
It is made only after the installation of the entire frame is completed. Glazing for the winter garden in our time is mainly one- and two-chamber double-glazed windows (32-44 mm). The first type is for roofs, the second is for extension walls. The glass in such bags is special, energy-saving and durable. At the same time, the properties of the outer and inner glasses differ - the outer is hardened, shatters into pieces when damaged, and the inner is reinforced, on the contrary, when damaged, it sags without collapsing on the occupants. If you are glazing a roof, you will need glazing based on building triplex or polycarbonate, they are durable and safe in case of damage.
Sheets of cellular polycarbonate (25 mm) are the second most popular candidates for glazing. They are cheaper and lighter than double-glazed windows, isolate heat even better and allow you to save twice, if you want to build a greenhouse of impressive size without spending money on creating a reinforcing frame. Other advantages include significant strength, ductility, and powerful protection against UV and IR rays. Here you should be careful when choosing a material, since not every such sheet is always produced with UV protection, as a result of which it quickly becomes cloudy in the sun.
Such sheets can be white, tinted bronze or matte. But it is possible that they will never become more popular than double-glazed windows, because they are opaque, and it is impossible to admire the external nature through them (in this case, it is better to use triplex). However, as well as the dirt accumulating on the roof, therefore the PC is best used specifically for its glazing. It is important to know that the material changes volume when heated, and therefore it cannot be rigidly fixed to the guides; special plastic fasteners should be used.
In order to be able to use mosquito nets from harmful insects in summer, it is best to install windows that open inward. If your winter garden is small, it is better to mount opening elements only on the roof. For the same purpose, you can install not opening, but sliding doors, in the Japanese manner, or “accordion doors”. And to protect yourself from the extra glances of neighbors or just from the too hot summer sun, complete the interior with blinds.
Organization of heating
Regardless of the design, most winter gardens need constant heating of the air, and some of the ground. Air heating can be water, air or combined, among which the first is the most common.
Water heating, evenly distributing heat throughout the room, organizes the best conditions for plant life. To this end, the pipes are placed at several levels - under the roof of the garden, at the outer walls and at the level of the soil in flowerpots. Each level is adjusted separately. Air is rarely used separately, more often as an auxiliary to water, and is recommended in greenhouses where the air can cool below 20 degrees.
Soil heating is necessary if the plants in the greenhouse are not in pots, but directly in the soil. It is necessary to ensure that the soil temperature does not rise above 40 degrees, otherwise the root system of plants may dry out. The soil is heated using a single heating layer, however, it should not be deeper than 40 cm, and will not replace the levels of water heating.
However, it is not enough just to supply heat to the winter garden, it still needs to be dosed, and for this, the heat supply must be constantly monitored using two thermostats (on the soil surface and directly under the roof) and external temperature sensors, referring to which, you can automate the process of uniform heating.
A simple heating system may not be enough if you live in a cold zone. As auxiliary systems, electric floor heating, floor radiators around the perimeter of the extension, as well as reservoirs are used. The hot water supplied to them releases steam, which increases the humidity of the air, which is beneficial for plants living in such an environment. Of the additional passive means of keeping warm in the winter garden, it is worth noting the external sealing contours of rubber strips or layers of foamed polyurethane foam.
Ventilation and lighting
Consists of channels of air inflow and its extract. For inflow, it is enough just to open the windows in the facade frame. The hood is organized using special small hatches under the roof level. Of course, the hatches are not left permanently open, they are periodically opened mechanically, with a pole or with the help of electric drives. Where it is impossible to install hatches, transoms opening in double-glazed windows will help.
There are also passive permanent ventilation systems offered by some companies. In this case, there are valves constantly blown by convection at the floor level and in the roof, while the air in the greenhouse is updated up to 4 times per hour. Such a ventilation system can also be forcibly blocked. Such ventilation is recommended to ensure the most comfortable microclimate. This is especially important if you are going to arrange an indoor pool in the winter garden.
The main thing to know when arranging lighting is that the spectrum of light from ordinary incandescent lamps will not be enough for your green pets. In addition, plants located near them can be burned. The use of fluorescent lamps will not only solve these problems, but will also provide significant savings on electricity.
Plants for the home greenhouse
Nowadays, you can offer plants from all over the world. But you should choose them thoroughly, having thought everything through in advance. There are categories of plants, and they should be correlated with your wishes and what kind of microclimate you plan to maintain within the winter garden.
Technically, it is most convenient to classify greenhouse plants by microclimate. Each group has its own needs regarding the level of lighting and humidity, air temperature, maintenance, therefore it is so important to first choose preferences, and only then equip the winter garden. The option of planting plants from different groups in the garden, although possible, is very expensive, it requires much more space and resources.
On the basis of microclimate requirements, greenhouse plants are divided into three groups:
Below is a more detailed list of plants according to the geographical areas where they grow:
Finally, another classification involves the distribution of plants according to external characteristics and economic use, respectively:
In the same conservatory, you can plant plants from almost all groups of the last classification at once, they coexist well next to each other and easily tolerate shaping (cutting).
There are a couple of important general rules regarding the care of plants in the winter garden:
Choosing the right plants of different groups and properly caring for them, you will get a real home garden that will delight you and your guests.
Strictly following the instructions of the manufacturer of the component parts, attentive attention to the advice of professionals and basic knowledge about the arrangement of plants and caring for them will make the results of your work an extremely grateful deed - after the work is completed, you will enjoy their fruits for more than one year.
