Outdoor life on terraces, patios, balconies and gardens is glorious during Lanzarote’s scorching summers and mellow autumn, but the cooler months of winter and spring may see you wanting a little more warmth and shelter. This is when a conservatory or a sunroom can come into its own.
In northern Europe, conservatories are used to make the most of meagre amounts of sunlight, and were originally built to allow more exotic types of plants to flourish in a cool climate. Back then, they were limited to old country houses – Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett were often found doing evil deeds in the conservatory with the lead piping or the dagger – but more recently, new materials have meant they are more accessible to everybody.
On Lanzarote, a conservatory or sunroom can be the ideal choice for an area of the house that doesn´t get as much sunlight – in a zone away from the south-facing areas, for example -and they can also be an attractive choice in higher parts of the island where it is always cooler and often cloudier.
However, Lanzarote’s year-round sunshine mean that any enclosed area with plenty of glass will need to be easily opened up to the outside, allowing fresh air to flow in and stop the interior becoming stiflingly hot.
This is where newer materials on the market, such as UPVC and aluminium, come into their own, allowing to open up or close off your indoor area at will, keeping it windtight when its closed and also watertight on the few occasions when it rains.
If you can´t stretch to an entire conservatory or a sunroom, you may still be able to partially close off a balcony or a patio area, which will allow a smaller, but every bit as tempting haven of warmth and quiet.
As well as ventilation and windproofing, safety and security will also be a consideration when you’re using a lot of glass. That’s why it makes sense to choose the toughest and most reputable products on the market.
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