Add a solar greenhouse to your home

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When it comes to home additions, solar greenhouses are becoming increasingly popular. For several different reasons, many people have decided that attaching a solar greenhouse to an existing home is a convenient and financially beneficial move. If you're wondering whether you should add a solar greenhouse to your own home, read on for more information.

If you end up attaching a solar greenhouse to your home, you'll be joining a lean-to structure to one of your home's exterior walls. Solar greenhouses are most often built on the south-facing side of the home, since that's the side that gets the most sunlight during the day.

There are several reasons that you may decide to add this structure to your home, including:

• Greenhouses can help extend the growing season of certain fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants.
• Greenhouses can provide a sustainable energy heat source for your home, potentially helping you save lots of money on your oil or gas heating bills.
• Depending on how it's built, a greenhouse could provide a ventilation source for your home, increasing airflow.
• Greenhouses can function as a much-needed extra storage room.
• The warmth open feeling of a greenhouse can provide a warm and sunny space to retreat to during the cold months.
• When it contains lots of plants, a greenhouse can help increase the quality of air in the house, thanks to the plants taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

An attached greenhouse can help extend your plants' growing season and/or provide an alternative heat source for your home. Whether it can do both of these things depends on where you live. If you live in a relatively mild climate, you can probably keep your house warm by opening the door to the greenhouse and releasing heat into the rest of your home without disturbing the heat your plants need.

If you live in a very cold climate, it may be harder to heat your house while keeping your greenhouse warm. You'll need to speak with a contractor or an architect to find out how to build the solar greenhouse that meets all of your needs.

When deciding on features for your greenhouse, you'll be considering things that will directly affect how the greenhouse ends up working for your home. Some of the things you'll need to consider are whether you want:

• Vertical or diagonal glazing.
• Diagonal glazing results in the most heat gain and is great for growing plants, while vertical glazing results in less heat loss in colder climates.
• Active or passive.
• Passive solar greenhouses are the easiest to set up as well as the most affordable. They collect heat from the sun during the day and release it at night.
• Active solar greenhouses use water pipes and solar energy panels to add additional heating power to the space.

Like many home additions, solar greenhouses can help increase the quality of life for the occupant. Do your research on sites like Reply! and speak with a contractor to find out if adding one to your home makes sense.