Let the Sun Shine in

In the current economic climate, people are spending more time at home, and as a result, are completing more home improvement projects. According to industry estimates, over half a million sunrooms are added to homes each year and are increasing in popularity. A sunroom can be an important living space. It can become a TV room, living room, playroom, home office, even an exercise room.

Sunrooms let you enjoy natural light year round and can be designed to suit nearly every floor plan. Adding a sunroom to your home is an economical way to expand your living space. Sunrooms typically have a lower construction cost than traditional additions and can be completed in just a few weeks with minimal disruption. Since a sunroom adds to the square footage of your home, adding one can be an upgrade with a good return on investment.

To design a sunroom that suits your needs, enlist the help of a remodeling professional. You may be surprised at the types of sunrooms and options that are available.

Conservatory or Four-Season Sunroom
In the past, a conservatory meant a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants. Today, a conservatory sunroom, often called a four-season sunroom, is a room with mostly glass walls and possibly even a glass paneled roof. They are generally fully insulated, with duct work for heating and cooling for year-round comfort. Insulated, energy-efficient windows are durable and are designed to block the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, while providing maximum exposure to natural light.

Conservatory and four-season sunrooms can serve as kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and home offices. Most homeowners want to be able to use a sunroom year round, so this option is what most people have in mind when they think about adding a sunroom.

Patio Room or Three-Season Sunroom
A three-season sunroom generally has no heating or cooling system. Thus, a three-season sunroom is less expensive than a conservatory or four-season sunroom and may not be suitable for year-round use.

Patio rooms generally are constructed on, or are converted from, an existing structure like a deck or a patio. The supporting structure must be sufficient to support not only the weight of the structure itself, but also any snow or rainwater that falls throughout the year. For this reason, an existing deck may need to be replaced to ensure that footings are sufficient to support the entire structure. Warming from the sun makes the three-season room comfortable in summer and in portions of the spring and fall, but is generally not sufficient in the winter months.

Ask your remodeling or sunroom professional about other options for making your sunroom unique, for example, varying the amount and type of glass or opting for a solid roof structure with skylights. Options are available to satisfy almost any personal preference, meet specific needs, or complement existing architectures. Consider bringing sunshine into your space with a new sunroom.

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