Aluminium winter gardens and summer gardens

Types of winter garden: warm, cold or summer garden

The first question isn't colour or shape but how you will use the room in winter. The answer decides the profiles, glazing and roof, and with them the price.

People often ask for a ‘warm’ winter garden but will mostly sit in it from March to November, or the other way round. So at the visit we first ask when and what for: a dining area, a place to relax, plants or an extension of the living room. If you are torn between a glazed room and a more open option, read pergola or winter garden.

The most common spot is a ground-floor terrace or the garden next to the house, because there is already a base. A winter garden on the terrace can also go on an upper floor or a roof terrace if the slab carries the structure and the facade allows fixing. Orientation matters too (south brings lots of sun and heat, north gives even light but is cooler), as do the way in and where the rainwater from the roof will drain.

• Warm winter garden – a closed, sealed room that is heated and used all year. Insulation of the profiles, double glazing and roof matters most here.
• Cold winter garden – glazed but unheated or only heated now and then. It keeps out wind, rain and snow, extends the terrace season and is handy for overwintering plants.
• Summer garden (glazed veranda) – a lighter structure with sliding glass panels that open almost completely. In summer it feels like being outside; in spring and autumn it stops the wind.

Roof, glass and profiles: what to look for

The roof is the hardest-working part of a winter garden. Heat comes in through it in summer, warmth escapes through it in winter, and snow sits on it. The main options are glass, polycarbonate and sandwich panels. Glass gives the most light, panels give shade and better insulation, and polycarbonate is the lighter, more affordable choice. You can also combine them, for example panels over the dining table and glass over the plants.

The walls use sliding or fixed glass, often both. For a warm winter garden, the type of double glazing matters, and whether the profiles have a thermal break, because that decides how much heat is lost through the frames. Which systems and glass suit your home we work out at the site visit. How to keep the room warm is covered in how to heat a winter garden.

Don't forget ventilation and shade. The glass that brings in light in January can turn the room into a greenhouse in July. So we plan opening sections from the start, and for shade you can add ZIP screens or awnings. If you want the walls to open almost completely, take a look at our sliding glass systems.

What the price of a winter garden depends on

The factors are also covered in detail in how much does a winter garden cost. You get an exact price after the free site visit.

A price ‘per square metre’ without a visit can't be accurate, because two winter gardens of the same size can differ a lot. These are the factors that drive the cost:

• Size and height – besides the floor area, how tall the walls are and how wide the span is without an intermediate post.
• The roof – glass, polycarbonate or panels, and whether it is a single slope or a more complex shape.
• Warm or cold – the type of profiles and glazing is one of the biggest differences in price.
• Opening parts – how many sliding panels, doors and windows, and where.
• The shape – a rectangular winter garden against one wall is the simplest; corner and angled shapes take more work to make and install.
• The base – whether there is a level slab already or it needs preparing.
• Extras – shading, screens, gutters and drainage away from the house.
• Site access – an upper floor, a narrow yard or a spot where materials have to be carried by hand.

Do you need a permit for a winter garden?

A winter garden attached to the house changes how the building looks and is often treated as an extension. Whether you need approval or a building permit depends on the size, the location, the distance to the property line and the rules of your municipality. In a block of flats, the other owners' consent may also be needed because the facade changes.

Our advice: before you order, ask the municipality what exactly applies in your case. At the visit we'll tell you what we have seen in practice, but the final answer comes from the municipality.

Maintenance: what a winter garden needs

Aluminium doesn't rust and doesn't need painting, so care is simple. A few habits are enough to keep the winter garden looking and working well for years:

• Wash the glass and profiles with water and a mild cleaner, without scouring pads or solvents.
• Clean the gutters and drainage at least once a year, especially after the leaves fall.
• Keep the tracks of the sliding panels free of sand and leaves so they glide easily.
• Ventilate regularly, especially in winter and when there are many plants, to avoid condensation.
• If a lot of snow builds up on the roof, remove it carefully without scratching the glass.

How an order with us works

Every winter garden we make is made to measure, so we start from the site, not from a catalogue. Before the visit you can try different shapes and sizes in the 3D configurator to get a clearer picture of what you want.

• Free site visit – we come to you, look at the base and facade and talk through how you will use the room.
• Measuring – we measure on site, not from a photo, because the profiles and glass are made to exact size.
• Quote – you receive a quote with the chosen roof, glazing and opening parts, plus the time frame for production and installation.
• Production – the structure is made to the measurements taken at the visit.
• Installation – we install the winter garden on site and show you how to use and look after it.

Winter gardens in Ruse and North-East Bulgaria

Our showroom is in Ruse, at bul. Lipnik 135. You can see the profiles and materials in person there and talk about your project before you decide. Before starting out in Bulgaria, we spent more than 15 years working in Germany and the Netherlands.

We come for site visits all over Bulgaria. From Ruse we easily reach Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Shumen, Razgrad, Silistra and Dobrich, as well as places further away. If you are thinking about a winter garden, ask for a free site visit and quote and we'll tell you what is possible at your home.