Opinion on full wall window please.

My living room has full height windows its total length. When it is cold, provided that the sun is shining, the room gets warm enough to wear t-shirts and no jumpers. If the weather's horrible we light our wood burner. When the temperature is in the 30sC in the summer, it can get hot but we open doors in other rooms and so get a breeze. At the moment we have 4 doors open, one of which is in the bedroom single storey house)

If you can afford them, have a look at the Pilkington range. They have beautiful panels, doors and windows - mind you they are trendy at the moment.

As regards sockets, you have them in the floor, with covers so that no little people poke anything in.

Finally, you could have under floor heating just for that room. You could also have an overhanging roof which would cut down the light in summer so keep the room cooler.

Have a look at some of the Australian and NZ houses - you may find some ideas there.

I’m sort of thinking the opposite of someone up thread. As you live in the North, would it be better to optimise sunlight by having big windows, especially as you have that S/ SE facing garden? We’re in the South east, and have had some unbearably hot summers, so I would probably avoid big windows here. My daughter’s house faces South, and it just gets so hot! It’s a new build, and is all big windows. I think both your options sound good though. Good luck in choosing ?

Sliding doors are really easy to lift off their tracks if someone wanted to get in, we had ours replaced with French doors and a large glass panel to one side it works well. I had heat reflecting blinds that slide right back if I wish an uninterrupted view of the garden.

shysal

I think your option sounds good - I would love a window seat. I also think you would find it useful to have a small window to open when you don't want the doors open.

Great point!! Thanks. I’ll write that one down ?

I think your option sounds good - I would love a window seat. I also think you would find it useful to have a small window to open when you don't want the doors open.

View is just the garden - which is nice but it’s not the hanging gardens of Babylon (fawlty towers ref there). We have two big patio doors now and yes they get cold in winter. I made curtains with thermal linings which work well. And yes it gets hot in summer. Have to open the roof velux to let the heat out. OH is very into architecture/grand designs which looks lovely but is often impractical. I’m the practical one!

No experience but I do love big windows and it sounds rather fabulous Polarbear depending of course on the view and proximity of neighbours.

I had one in my last house. It made the room feel huge and airy. It was divided into four. The two narrower side panels were fixed and the two central panels slid back into them to make a big central opening. It meant you could have the corners for chairs. I did like it a lot.

The downside was temperature. In spite of double glazing it did leak a lot of heat in the winter, especially around the feet. And, facing southsouthwest it was unbearably hot on sunny days. I had to have heat reflecting blinds and keep them closed, which rather negated the effect of the picture window!

If you have electric points in the floor make sure they’re inset with a cover and a little hole for the flex. A friend had some done and the plug stood proud from the floor. It looked awful ?

harder to keep warm in that room.
also agree they are old hat, from that era of brits aping european/mediterraen styles. not so suitable in colder uk.
also the problem of privacy, what to close in evening.
vast drapery, inconvenient, collects dust, difficult to wash.
or blinds, looks like an office.

Your compromise sounds sensible to me. These full wall windows look lovely in hot sunny weather but may rarely be used in northern climes. Also they're a bit trendy right now and could date the place in years to come when you have to think of selling. Do you have a fabulous view?

The cleaning involved would be my first thought. I hate cleaning windows, there always seems to be a smear on the patio windows however careful I am.

*sockets not so let’s ?