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\"Sun Space\" history
Mike T., Swampeast MO
Member Posts: 6,928
The term "sun room" is often EXTREMELY misapplied.
The vast majority of such spaces in older homes were in fact anything but...they were SLEEPING porches. In warmer climates, sleeping porch additions were HIGHLY popular in the first decades of the 20th century and most any new home of any measure built in this timeframe would include at least one.
The purpose of a sleeping porch was to provide a space at least tolerably comfortable in hot weather. The "ideal" sleeping porch would be as high as possible above grade, have three exposures (the largest facing North), as many moveable sash as possible (there were some truly ingenious window designs for these), and could be shut off from the rest of the home, typically with French doors.
If three exposures were impossible, there had to be two for "cross ventilation." Again, the longest exposure should face North and the secondary exposure the direction of the prevailing summer wind (usually West).
At a minimum the windows were covered with roller shades--often with lacy, tied back Priscilla (hope I got that term right) curtains on top.
In operation, the shades and sash would be closed early in the morning to PREVENT solar gain as much as possible. Any doors to other spaces in the home would be closed as well.
In bigger, fancier examples a large tester bed would be permanent in the room--in smaller examples the bed(s) from the "normal" bedroom(s) would be rolled onto the sleeping porch.
When it was time to retire, all the sash were opened, the shades were raised and the doors leading to the home proper opened as well. They were high above grade to help create a "chimney effect" through the rest of the house on still nights and had multiple exposures to capture any slight breeze. The lacy curtains gave some privacy while still allowing air to pass freely.
The sleeping porches were generally closed off and little used during the winter--the main exception being a nice place to get some sun (and have an afternoon nap) on a particularly bright day. They were often UNHEATED. If they were heated with hot water radiators these were the most likely in the home to freeze and burst--either from extremely leaky windows or being shut off in an attempt to save fuel.
As time passed and mechanical air conditioning became popular, the "true" purpose of these rooms faded from memory. By virtue of their large amount of glass, they became known more as "sun porches" than anything.
Today, they are rarely used for their original purpose. The high, Northern exposure does though make them extremely popular with artists who literally treasure the even, diffuse nature of North light.
Any "true" sun space in an old home would have been called a "conservatory." Conservatories were quite popular in high-end, high Victorian homes. Even if they lack the expensive glass roof, these will be oriented primarily to the South to collect winter sun for the generally tropical plants--citrus fruit trees in particular were all the rage.
Because they are generally sunny and cheery these type of spaces remain quite popular to this day. Unfortunately though, the TRUE purpose is nearly forgotten. This leads to AWFUL constructions and stupid orientations which in turn create heating/cooling nightmares and extreme energy waste.
p.s. Info from study and from the live-in maid who used to be in my home in the 1920s - 1950s. She's still alive and lives only a couple of blocks away.
The vast majority of such spaces in older homes were in fact anything but...they were SLEEPING porches. In warmer climates, sleeping porch additions were HIGHLY popular in the first decades of the 20th century and most any new home of any measure built in this timeframe would include at least one.
The purpose of a sleeping porch was to provide a space at least tolerably comfortable in hot weather. The "ideal" sleeping porch would be as high as possible above grade, have three exposures (the largest facing North), as many moveable sash as possible (there were some truly ingenious window designs for these), and could be shut off from the rest of the home, typically with French doors.
If three exposures were impossible, there had to be two for "cross ventilation." Again, the longest exposure should face North and the secondary exposure the direction of the prevailing summer wind (usually West).
At a minimum the windows were covered with roller shades--often with lacy, tied back Priscilla (hope I got that term right) curtains on top.
In operation, the shades and sash would be closed early in the morning to PREVENT solar gain as much as possible. Any doors to other spaces in the home would be closed as well.
In bigger, fancier examples a large tester bed would be permanent in the room--in smaller examples the bed(s) from the "normal" bedroom(s) would be rolled onto the sleeping porch.
When it was time to retire, all the sash were opened, the shades were raised and the doors leading to the home proper opened as well. They were high above grade to help create a "chimney effect" through the rest of the house on still nights and had multiple exposures to capture any slight breeze. The lacy curtains gave some privacy while still allowing air to pass freely.
The sleeping porches were generally closed off and little used during the winter--the main exception being a nice place to get some sun (and have an afternoon nap) on a particularly bright day. They were often UNHEATED. If they were heated with hot water radiators these were the most likely in the home to freeze and burst--either from extremely leaky windows or being shut off in an attempt to save fuel.
As time passed and mechanical air conditioning became popular, the "true" purpose of these rooms faded from memory. By virtue of their large amount of glass, they became known more as "sun porches" than anything.
Today, they are rarely used for their original purpose. The high, Northern exposure does though make them extremely popular with artists who literally treasure the even, diffuse nature of North light.
Any "true" sun space in an old home would have been called a "conservatory." Conservatories were quite popular in high-end, high Victorian homes. Even if they lack the expensive glass roof, these will be oriented primarily to the South to collect winter sun for the generally tropical plants--citrus fruit trees in particular were all the rage.
Because they are generally sunny and cheery these type of spaces remain quite popular to this day. Unfortunately though, the TRUE purpose is nearly forgotten. This leads to AWFUL constructions and stupid orientations which in turn create heating/cooling nightmares and extreme energy waste.
p.s. Info from study and from the live-in maid who used to be in my home in the 1920s - 1950s. She's still alive and lives only a couple of blocks away.
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Comments
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Hey Mike T!
There were plenty of "Dead Men" architects and builders back then. Cross ventilation. Tall trees thirty feet or so to the south and west to block afternoon sun in summer. Closely planted evergreens to the north and west (in Illinois) to block winter winds. Some of these old places install AC just to sell the place. I'm constantly amazed at the logic and common sense employed in older high end homes. Oh, and their heating systems are usually awesome too.
Tom Goebig0 -
ORIGINAL photo of a sleeping porch
From a 1922 addition to a 1903 home. 20' above grade, two exposures (N & W).
About 140 square feet of glazed area with about 185 square feet floor area. About 75% of floor area in glass--I believe this was quite typical.
108 square foot EDR Capitol 6-tube radiator--this is the current size--had to remove two burst sections. Curiously the branch lines to this rad were the only ones in the house with asbestos insulation--it's also the highest, farthest, largest rad--only rad tapped 1" on the 2nd floor.
Curiously (to me) the true full- and half-tester (the type with insect-proof fabric) were in other bedrooms in the house but not the sleeping porch--possibly because window insect screening was available and relatively cheap by this time.
Watch Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock) for ways apartment-dwelling city people dealt with the summer heat. Grace Kelley is a wonderful inclusion as well...0 -
A big problem with an adolescent, affluent society
We tend to rely too much on artificial and mechanical means for comfort, ignoring the previous wisdom that took generations (if not millenia) to learn.
Instead of becoming more efficient, we become instead ever more wasteful. (BTW, I'm sometimes guilty of this as well but am always learning.)0 -
Wow...!
I hope you don't mind if I use your photo and data. I'm teaching a class in Residential Systems in the Building Construction Tech program at the J.C. here. No, it's not a homeowner how to class! It covers basics, history and the interconnection of building systems and 16 weeks is just not enough time. At least when I teach it hydronics and steam get a fair shake.
Art0 -
More than welcome
Write me direct if you want the photo full size.0 -
Art , if you want more info on this subject....
Suggested reading: "Design With Climate" by Victor Olgyay...Princeton University Press. "Solar Heating and Cooling" by Jan F Krieder and Frank Krieth....Hemisphere Publishing, "Solar Architecture" By Timothy Johnson...Cannot find publisher. Old but useful. You may also want to contact Peter Beltemachi, Chairman of the Department of City and Regional Planning, at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. I believe he's still there and has a tremendous knowledge in this field as did most professors in that department.
Boilerpro0 -
My house and yard
Are laid out exactly like that. Maples on the south and west about 30" from the house. Evergreens and cedars on the north and west about 75-80' away. Do I have A/C? No. Do I wish i had it? Maybe 2-3 nights in a given summer.
I have read that 3-4 large deciduous trees(not sure of the spelling but they are trees that shed their leaves in the winter) will lower the air temp by 5* when compared to actual air temp 100' away. I will attest that this is indeed the case and have actually measured from 3-4* less standing under those big old maples as opposed to the shade of one small tree.
Contrast the shade and windbreak layout as compared to most new subdivision layouts with one house stacked upon another.0
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