Recent trends show that homeowners are more often opting to build additions onto their homes rather than moving into larger homes. If you’re looking for more space without wanting to move, consider building a sunroom. Sunrooms are spaces that add value to your home by offering both an indoor and outdoor experience as an enclosed space with mostly windows and occasionally even a glass roof structure, allowing extensive access to natural lighting without the occasional drawbacks of being outdoors. By planning and building a sunroom that perfectly matches your style and fits your needs, you can better enjoy your home without feeling as cramped as you may have been feeling. Bring furniture in, spread out, and soak up the sun...in all seasons.
Benefits
- Sunrooms are great additions as they can become 4 season outdoor spaces the whole family can enjoy. Rather than a deck or porch, which can only be used in certain seasons and only for certain purposes, sunrooms can be heated and cooled by extending an existing or installing a new HVAC system, meaning they really are 4 season outdoor spaces, only indoors. Additionally, homeowners are more and more using sunrooms for any and all purposes, from dining rooms to game rooms and anything in between. If you have a super-green thumb, you can even use part of or the entire room as a greenhouse during the winter to care for your plants!
Wood interior sunroom
- With all their windows, sunrooms can be comfortable spaces even without an HVAC system. They soak up the sunlight during the winter months for a warm and cozy environment, and in the summer you can open the windows for a good cross-breeze without having to worry about bugs entering the house (make sure you take care of any necessary screen repair, though!).
- Building an addition onto your home gives you space to get creative and build a totally customized space that will be everything you dream it could be. Sunrooms come in all shapes and sizes and can be as fancy or simple as you’d like, depending on your investment (time, money, and interest) and the style and design of the rest of the house (both interior and exterior). Don’t be afraid to dream big, and let the ample sunlight guide your imaginings!
Tips
- One of the most important things to consider when planning a sunroom is choosing the right location. Optimal placement will be determined by both the interior and exterior of your home and should be realistic, feasible, and attractive. The easiest sunrooms use an existing exit or window placement from the interior (requiring minor changes to the exterior of the home) and keep with the style of the exterior of the house. Think about everything from the foundation you’ll be building on to the amount of sunlight and intensity of foot traffic into the room when planning.
Dining sunroom
- Typically, sunrooms are made from one of three materials: vinyl, aluminum, or wood. Each offers unique benefits and drawbacks, and price will vary between each medium due to quality and availability. Consider the pros and cons of each option before making a decision.
- While sunrooms can be great additions to your living space and can increase the value of your home, poorly constructed additions look sloppy and actually decrease the value of your home. If you’re an experienced builder and DIYer, you may be able to handle this kind of a project, but for most homeowners it will be necessary to contact a contractor who can help you with planning and building. Make sure you and your contractor check local building codes and don’t be afraid to talk through some options with the contractor. They’ll be sure to help you build the sunroom of your dreams (and you’ll most likely be able to enjoy it much sooner than you would a new house!).
