Transform your home with a stunning sun room – an elegant single‑storey extension with a tiled sloping roof, vaulted ceilings and generous roof lights. Expansive glazing and wide doors fill the space with natural light, creating a luxurious, seamless connection to your garden.
A light-filled space that feels part of the home
Sunrooms are popular when you want a space that feels more like a modern extension than a traditional conservatory – with clean lines, wide openings and a strong connection to the garden.
Key benefits
Maximises natural light
Ideal for open-plan kitchen/dining or living areas
Wider openings to patios and gardens
Designed to blend with the main house
Click to enlarge images
Sunroom options
We’ll advise on the options and suitable specifications for security, comfort, light control and privacy.
Roof and glazing choices
We’ll advise on roof and glazing choices that balance daylight, comfort and privacy.
Common choices include:
- Roof options: Depending on the design and structure, we’ll recommend the right roof approach for the look you want and how you’ll use the room day to day.
Performance glazing: Where needed, performance glass can help manage glare and overheating while keeping the space bright.
Doors and openings for sunrooms
Sunrooms often suit wider openings to patios, gardens and verandas.
Common choices include:
Bi-fold doors
Patio / sliding doors
French doors
Finishes, privacy and details
We’ll help you bring the design together with suitable frame finishes, handles and glazing options – including privacy solutions where required.
Common choices include:
Frame colours and finishes to suit your home
Privacy and decorative glass options
Hardware choices for security and style
Brochures & Resources
Helpful resources
Welsh Government – Planning permission: permitted development rights for householders
Welsh Government – Householder permitted development technical guide (PDF)
Planning Portal – Interactive House
Please note this informative but is aimed at homes in England.
Building Regulations (Building Control)
Most home improvement work has Building Regulations considerations, but what’s required depends on the scope of work.
Replacement windows and external doors are “controlled fittings” and must meet Building Regulations (for example energy efficiency, safety glazing, ventilation and means of escape where relevant).
Distinction Windows is FENSA registered, which means we can self-certify qualifying replacement window and door installations and provide certification as proof of compliance.
Conservatories in Wales are normally exempt from Building Regulations approval when they meet certain conditions (for example: ground level, under 30m², thermally separated from the house by external-quality doors/walls/windows, no fixed heating or heating system extended into the conservatory, and glazing/electrics comply). Exemptions aren’t automatic — it depends on the design and specification.
Important: even where the conservatory is exempt, a new structural opening between the conservatory and the house will require Building Regulations approval.
Porches can also be exempt in Wales in many cases, but (among other factors) the existing front entrance door must remain in place, and the porch must not adversely affect level/ramped disabled access where this applies.
Orangeries and other extension-style glazed spaces, especially those with more solid roofs/walls, may require Building Regulations approval depending on the scope of works.
We’ll flag anything likely to need Building Control approval during survey. If there’s any doubt, we recommend confirming with your local authority Building Control for peace of mind.
Planning Permission
Planning rules vary depending on the size and position of what you’re building. Many domestic projects can fall under permitted development, but this depends on limits/conditions and whether your property still has permitted development rights.
In Wales, conservatories are treated the same as single-storey extensions for planning purposes, and permitted development is subject to specific limits and conditions (including restrictions around principal elevations, boundaries, designated land and listed buildings).
Porches in Wales are typically permitted development provided:
external ground area is no more than 3m²
height is no more than 3m
no part is within 2m of a boundary and the highway
(And these allowances apply to houses, not flats/maisonettes, and may be removed by the local authority.)
Thinking about a sunroom?
Get a free, no-obligation quote and we’ll help shape the right design for your home.