I'd had several conversations with Shaun about it but things didn't happen till we clarified that we needed to speak to John (architect) to get agreement on the size.
This is all to do with the the relatively new building regs which control how much of a room can be glazed for insulation/eco reasons. The simplest rule states that the amount of glazed area must be less than or equal to 25% of the surface area of the ceiling/floor. Importantly for us, if the room is being extended, you are allowed to include any existing openings in the 'old' room that will be covered up in your calculations.
We did the calculations and worked out we could go up to 3 metres wide on the doors according to the rule - thankfully John agreed.
The downside was the builders had already built the doorway, with the narrower width. We didn't like to make them redo it, after all they had just followed the plans, but the view from the old patio doors was one of the best features about the house and we really wanted to preserve this feature and maximise the light and views into the lounge.
The first opening was 1.8 metres, it's now closer to 3m - acres of glass!
And in case you're wondering, at the moment we're going for old fashioned patio doors as they let in the maximum light and provide the most unrestricted views. We thought about those fancy expensive folding doors you see on all the home shows but that part of the garden only gets sun in the very early part of the day and there aren't that many days in the UK when you'd want to open them right up. Also I think they work better off a kitchen/diner rather than a lounge. I suppose it's just a lifestyle option too far for us!
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