Utility room made of old upvc windows.

Frere Jacques

Hi all,
We are a bit tight for space and are looking for a way to add on to the house on a budget. The house is a rectangular bungalow with a 9' long kitchen added on to the back left of the house.
The kitchen has a door at the right hand corner.
[_]____
[..........]
[______]
I have two large pvc windows and hopefully am getting my hands on a 6' patio door next weekend.
My plan is to add a utility room off the right hand side of the kitchen like so.

[_]__]__
[...........]
[______]
effictively making two walls of the utility room using the rhs wall of the kitchen and the rear of the house

Sorry about the crap drawing to hope ye get the idea.
The plan is to mount the door and a window facing out the rear and the other window at right angles. I was going to make a 4" box iron frame 8' high to make up the other two sides.
_ _o
.....l

So there would be a 14' length, bolted to the top of the kitchen wall on one end and welded to an 8' upright on the other side. Then there would be a 9' section bolted to the back of the house at one end and welded to the 8' upright on the otherside.
Then I was going to put courses of brickwork up from the base to meet the bottom of the windows.
My main issue is with mounting the windows. I don't want to try to take the sealed units out as I don't want to damage them. Can anyone suggest another way of mounting them.I could weld some angle onto the outside, then install and put angle on the four corners on the inside to retain.
I want to do something tidy but at the end of the day it is a room for a chest freezer/jackets/ cat toilet, wellies etc so it doesn't have to be top spec.
Sorry for the long winded post, I'm just trying to be clear.
I'd be glad of any tips from folk who have done something like this in the past.
Two of my other concerns are that the utility room will envelope the bathroom window and one bedroom window but the windows on the upvc are big enough for fire escape and I will need to do some extra venting from both rooms independant of utility.
Other concern is the 25mm polycarbonate roof. I'm hoping it won't be deafening in heavy rain.
My explanation isn't great so I can draw it up in Solidworks during the week but if anyone has any questions I'd be glad of feedback.
Thanks in advance.

martinn123

Frere Jacques wrote: »

Hi all,




Then I was going to put courses of brickwork up from the base to meet the bottom of the windows.
My main issue is with mounting the windows. I don't want to try to take the sealed units out as I don't want to damage them. Can anyone suggest another way of mounting them.I could weld some angle onto the outside, then install and put angle on the four corners on the inside to retain.

There are metal straps you can get to fix the windows. They are about 2" long, and you screw them to the outside of the frame, and then screw into the blockwork, use about 3 or 4 per side.
Also expanding foam is widely used to hold the windows in place

Other concern is the 25mm polycarbonate roof. I'm hoping it won't be deafening in heavy rain.

Polycarbonate being plastic, is a bit noisy, not too bad in rain, but hailstones, very

BryanF

Frere Jacques wrote: »

Hi all,
We are a bit tight for space and are looking for a way to add on to the house on a budget. The house is a rectangular bungalow with a 9' long kitchen added on to the back left of the house.
The kitchen has a door at the right hand corner.
[_]____
[..........]
[______]
I have two large pvc windows and hopefully am getting my hands on a 6' patio door next weekend.
My plan is to add a utility room off the right hand side of the kitchen like so.

[_]__]__
[...........]
[______]
effictively making two walls of the utility room using the rhs wall of the kitchen and the rear of the house

Sorry about the crap drawing to hope ye get the idea.
The plan is to mount the door and a window facing out the rear and the other window at right angles. I was going to make a 4" box iron frame 8' high to make up the other two sides.
_ _o
.....l

So there would be a 14' length, bolted to the top of the kitchen wall on one end and welded to an 8' upright on the other side. Then there would be a 9' section bolted to the back of the house at one end and welded to the 8' upright on the otherside.
Then I was going to put courses of brickwork up from the base to meet the bottom of the windows.
My main issue is with mounting the windows. I don't want to try to take the sealed units out as I don't want to damage them. Can anyone suggest another way of mounting them.I could weld some angle onto the outside, then install and put angle on the four corners on the inside to retain.
I want to do something tidy but at the end of the day it is a room for a chest freezer/jackets/ cat toilet, wellies etc so it doesn't have to be top spec.
Sorry for the long winded post, I'm just trying to be clear.
I'd be glad of any tips from folk who have done something like this in the past.
Two of my other concerns are that the utility room will envelope the bathroom window and one bedroom window but the windows on the upvc are big enough for fire escape and I will need to do some extra venting from both rooms independant of utility.
Other concern is the 25mm polycarbonate roof. I'm hoping it won't be deafening in heavy rain.
My explanation isn't great so I can draw it up in Solidworks during the week but if anyone has any questions I'd be glad of feedback.
Thanks in advance.

Have you heard of building regulations? For example - Polycarbonate (unless its the rooflight system from the likes of kingspan ) will not meet the current regs.

Poor Uncle Tom

I've seen this type of botch, time and time again. All it does is de-value the house it's attached to. In your case you will be severely reducing the amenity of a bedroom and the bathroom, connecting a damp trap at the rear of the house. My guess is that you will also be building around manholes, gully traps, waste pipes, etc., potentially adding a trap for sewer gasses as well.

There's nothing in the list of uses you give that wouldn't suit a garden shed type structure separate to the house.

What you are actually saying is similar to:
I can get my hands on the windscreen and windows for a car, is there any cheap way I can build a frame and body around it? I don't need anything special just something to get me from A to B.

Frere Jacques

Poor Uncle Tom wrote: »

What you are actually saying is similar to:
I can get my hands on the windscreen and windows for a car, is there any cheap way I can build a frame and body around it? I don't need anything special just something to get me from A to B.

Thanks for the condesending post Tom, but I'm actually on here to find out the best way to do it from people who have done it in the past, successfully and safely. I have no problem with criticism but there is no need to act like that.
As for the value of my house, I couldn't give a toss, I am only looking for a sheltered area out the back which is closed off from the elements.
The manhole is vented but in the event of a blockage of the vent, the floor would be 4x2s covered in 3/4 marine ply, (with sealed access to the manhole). Each of the cavities formed by the 4x2s would be vented to the outside to enable it to breathe. If the manhole has to be moved, then I would also look at that but my first plan of attack is to vent the bathroom and bedroom out through the ceilings with flexible ducting and from the attic out through the sofit boards to the open air.
I'd hope to prevent any dampness by the DPC on the cavity dwarf wall under the windows and the fact that with utility room would be constantly aired.
As for the poly roof not being suitable as one of the previous posters mentioned, then I might have to look into changing this. I have to have a look under the rules of conservatorys and see if I can fit into this category.
So yeah if anyone has any feedback, I'd be glad of it, positive or negative but please not condesending without suggesting an alternative, barring the garden shed.
Maybe I should have started the post by asking what is the best way to extend out the back of my house safely.

martinn123

Frere Jacques wrote: »

As for the poly roof not being suitable as one of the previous posters mentioned, then I might have to look into changing this. I have to have a look under the rules of conservatorys and see if I can fit into this category.

Poly, is available in different thickness's 18mm crap, 25mm better, 32mm getting there, 35mm best avb ( I think) there is also one called ''Heat Guard'' which has foil within the sandwidge, to deflect back heat.

As I doubt you are fitting a radiator, into a utility room, not sure how this would effect the reg's, or help.

Anyway, I hope Polycarbonate hasn't been ruled out completely, or I am in trouble.