Hi,
I would appreciate any advice that people can provide. - I am based in the UK, and my house was built around 1903 in a design suited for the best of the heat retaining conditions that existed at the time, thick stone walls, small rooms and very small windows. The wind normally comes from the south west direction and there is often a high wind speed. The house is built into a bank on the southern and west sides to provide some shelter from the wind and rain. The eastern side of the house looks down a beautiful protected landscape, but there are no windows on that side of the building.
I have been researching solar greenhouse designs because I want to add a growing space combined with a sheltered light filled undercover space on the eastern side of the house. Its nice to be cozy in a small room by a fire when there is a gale outside, but there are plenty of days when I want an undercover sunlight filled space to sit and work. Every source I have found on solar greenhouses says that they have to be built south facing. There are other places around the small holding where I could build a greenhouse for growing food that meet that criteria. But that is just not possible near the house.
I am thinking about having build on the side of the house a steel framed lean too single story structure which is 30 ft by 15 ft, and faces east, following the building principles of solar greenhouses, putting in underground insulation. incorporating building up beds within the structure for planting, as well as building in seating area and a fish pond for thermal mass as well as pleasure and incorporating a rocket stove and log burner into the design and just accepting that its a space where I have to select the plants according to the temperature range possible. Is this idea going to work or am I completely wasting my time? Has anyone tried something similar and if so what would you recommend doing / not doing.
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