An open-air party zone – double the fun

A traditional glass canopy for a true sense of openness and connection with the garden, or a glass house for shelter on all sides? The Buschkamp family’s answer to this conundrum was simple: Why not both? 

In the middle of a typical estate of detached houses at the edge of Germany’s Münsterland region stands the home of the Buschkamp family: Michaela (44), Andreas (45), Tim (16) and Lisa (14). The parents bought the house for their family just after Lisa was born. Even at first glance, it’s clear to see that they love glass and light. 

The windows in the white facade reach the floor both on the ground floor and upstairs, letting in plenty of daylight and giving the house a sense of airiness. “Retaining that feeling was one of our main concerns when we decided to upgrade our patio,” says Michaela. The south-facing patio has now been fitted with a canopy – and a glass house to boot.
 

All cast from the same mould

The aluminium structure of the glazed extension is the same shade of anthracite as the window frames in the facade. “We wanted everything to match, like it was all cast from the same mould,” Michaela Buschkamp recalls. “At the start we were worried it wouldn’t work, but our Solarlux consultant noticed straight away and assuaged our concerns. ‘Don’t worry, we can do that,’ they said. And they did.” Solarlux is a manufacturer of custom wintergardens, glass houses and glazed facade solutions from north-west Germany with decades of experience in this field.

What makes the new extension special is its size: 9.2 by 4 metres, plus 50 centimetres’ extra roof overhang to protect it from the elements. It also has two separate sections. The first half is the glass canopy, which is bordered on two sides by six concrete elements about the same height as the canopy. These were already in place before the extensions was built, and provide protection from prying eyes. The appearance of the overhang has been tailored to match these elements. 

From the lounge to the party zone

The second part of the extension is the glass house, which has frameless glass elements on three sides. The front, garden-facing elements slide back, as do those in the middle, acting as a partition between the open-air glass canopy and the fully sheltered glass house. “This gives us two separate areas that are easy to combine,” says Andreas. “It’s the perfect solution, especially when we’re throwing one of our occasional parties.”

When it gets too hot under the canopy, the awning extends, controlled by either an automatic weather sensor or remote control. Two overhead ventilation windows provide good air circulation for the glass house, while LED lights in the rafters of the aluminium structure provide understated lighting. The family are more than satisfied with their glass extension. It allows them to use their patio more often and in many different ways – and it looks great, too!