Are Loggia type glass extensions the new conservatory?

Research findings from readers of “Real Homes” as well as “Homebuilding and Renovating” magazines have found that 70% of UK home improvement householders believe that understanding the heating and cooling running costs of a home extension is critical. Surely the number one priority for a home extension is being able to use it 365 days a year?

The most significant factor preventing home owners from starting a home extension is affordability, followed by costs running over budget and planning red tape, as what consumers want is a fixed price contract. It is a sad fact that an overwhelming majority of UK conservatory owners would use it more if their structure did not get as hot or too cold.

So what is the way forward? Well Loggia is the first glazed extension system in the British Isles that truly opens up a genuine, new market. Until Loggia, the single storey home extension market was dominated by brick and block — costing UK home owners significantly more than a conservatory or similar glazed structure, yet delivering the critical all-year round usability that conservatories can’t deliver. Today, the still relatively new Loggia is changing homes across the UK, as it offers a single storey extension that is more thermally efficient than an all glass conservatory, plus when the design of Loggia is compared to a standard conservatory — over 70% of respondents prefer the styling of a Loggia.

Loggia performs on many levels. It’s aesthetics should appeal to the traditional conservatory customer, but crucially it’s unique styling and ability to be fully personalised to suit the home owners existing property, or indeed create a stand-out feature, is what sets Loggia apart in the appearance stakes.

However, it’s true potential and ability to compete head to head in the extension market is the delivery of incredible U Value performance. All of the science of Loggia is captured in the solidity of the column structure. Typically on a four column Loggia, heating costs are less than half that of a standard conservatory, on a seven column Building Regulation compliant Loggia, costs are reduced by over 60%.

And why is all this important? The UK conservatory industry is in decline — the great British love affair with quick, simple and temporary living spaces is wearing off. Not helped by the faltering housing market, home owners want to extend their existing properties and add a permanent all-year round living space to their premises. In a survey of almost a thousand UK home owners, carried out by Ultraframe in partnership with Real Homes magazine, over 80% of conservatory owners use their conservatory for less than two hours per day — that’s compared to the same number of home owners with traditional extensions that use their space for over six hours per day. It won’t be a big surprise to learn that the majority of conservatory owners cited a “lack of temperature control” as the primary reason for not using their space more.

So, a Loggia conservatory is certainly a different type of glass extension to the conservatory, offering UK property owners a more thermally efficient hybrid extension that is really a cross between a brick built extension and a more traditional double glazed conservatory.