Northeast: Massachusetts SanctuaryWhile most indoor/outdoor spaces are geared for entertaining, the conservatory that Mark Barocco's company built in Wellesley, Mass., is definitely a private space. Built off a home's master bathroom, the 14-foot-by-17-foot all-glass room includes a curvy-sided spa set into an African slate deck.
During winter months, the windows of the spa stay shut against the cold. In spring and summer the windows open to take advantage of prevailing breezes, and can be used with or without removable screens. “These rooms tend to be jewels on the side of your home,” says Barocco, president of Renaissance Conservatories in Lancaster County, Pa. The eight-year-old company designs, manufactures, erects, and warrants conservatory rooms. “‘Warrant' is the key word,” Barocco says, explaining that “glazing is an art in itself. It's a specialized field.”
Conservatories are common in the United Kingdom, where foggy, misty, rainy, overcast skies make a dry, glass-enclosed space desirable. In the U.S., a conservatory-influenced space can be achieved with a garden window, a bay window, a window wall, a bump-out to extend an existing space, a “lantern” glass roof, an annex off a house, or a stand-alone garden room or greenhouse.
In this project, Renaissance Conservatories came in after the foundation had already been poured —the clients had ordered from a conservatory company in the U.K. but then had doubts about the company and cancelled the order. Working with the client's architect, Barocco's company helped design a room on this foundation with a roof pitch matching that of the existing home, custom-made windows with mahogany frames, a sophisticated heating and humidity control system, and a finial-topped ridge for a cost of $115,000. Barocco says that upscale conservatory rooms like this can reach half a million dollars, not including the foundation, the flooring, or the electrical, plumbing, or heating systems.
Barocco sounds almost poetic when he explains the value of a conservatory in a northern climate: Conservatories, he says, help clients “clutch onto fall” and “hasten the arrival of spring.”
In a NutshellProject: Build a conservatory spa room off a home in Wellesley, Mass.
Climate: Long frigid winters and mild summers with occasional hot spells
Supplier: Mark Barocco, president, Renaissance Conservatories, Leola, Pa.
Challenge: Designing a conservatory room over a foundation that had already been poured
Cost: $115,000 for conservatory alone (not including foundation, electrical, etc.)
Tips for Indoor/Outdoor Projects in This Climate
- In northern areas, maximizing the amount of glazing will brighten a house and help prevent the winter blues.
- Operable, insulated windows are critical to comfort. To keep out insects, use permanent screens or roll-ups, or use screens that can be swapped with glass panels seasonally.
- Radiant floor heating makes sense in an all-glass room.
Resources
- Floor: African slate
- Walls and foundation: faced with Pennsylvania river stone
- Spa: free-form gunite, installed by local pool and spa company