Home Improvement Additions for Various Homes: A Sunroom

Sunrooms are among the most popular home improvement additions right now, and for a good reason. 

A sunroom allows homeowners and their families to enjoy all the beauty of the outdoors year round, without drawbacks like uncomfortable temperatures, bad weather, or bugs.  Also, they can add significantly to the value of your house.

Sunrooms are classic additions that work well with all types of homes, be they traditional ranch-style brick structures, rustic farmhouses, or contemporary buildings heavily influenced by modern design approaches.  They generally take one of two forms:

1. All-glass, including the roof and walls, with metal support holding the structure in place.
2. A more conventional room that matches the rest of the home, with the exception of having a number of large windows to admit the maximum amount of sunlight possible. 

 

Where to Locate a Sunroom

The choice of placement is up to you, but here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Adjacent to the kitchen is usually an ideal place for a sunroom, since that is where most of the average home’s foot traffic occurs. 
2. If not the kitchen, then you should choose another room where the family tends to gather, such as the living or TV room.
3. You can save money on construction costs by locating the sunroom so that it can be accessed by an existing exterior door.  This will remove the need to alter the home’s structure in any significant way.
4. A room with southern exposure admits direct sunlight throughout the day.  One with eastern exposure is most sunny in the morning, and westward-facing sunrooms are well lit in the afternoons.  In any case, the sunroom should receive four hours or more of sunlight a day.
5. Consider the views outside your home.  If there’s a scenic outlook, such as a mountain, lake, etc., you may want the room located where you can enjoy the view as much as possible.
6. If you live in a hot area where air conditioning is a priority, then you might want to consider a sunroom with northern exposure.  While this will cut down on the amount of sunlight the room receives, it can also help you save on utility bills in your new home improvement additions.

 

A Word about Heating and Cooling

You can always expand your home’s current heating/cooling ducts into the sunroom, but this may exceed the system’s capacity and force you to buy a new furnace and air conditioning unit.  It usually makes more sense to provide the sunroom with independent climate control.  This can be done with baseboard heaters, ductless air conditioners, or a separate centralized system.  If nothing else, you could have a ceiling fan and a fireplace for partial climate control.

 

General Tips for Sunrooms

1. You may want to consider using the sunroom as a primary or second dining room.  The indoor/outdoor feel of the room makes it ideal for entertaining guests.
2. You can also use it as a part- or full-time home office.  If you do, consider using recessed bookcases and shelves to give the room a more transitional feel.
3. Consider putting potted plants in the room to give it a nice touch of greenery.
4. While many people use wicker furnishings in their sunroom, there’s no rule that says you have to do so.  Consider decorating it with lightly colored casual pieces, such as overstuffed sofas and chairs that invite family and friends to relax and enjoy the room’s tranquil atmosphere.
5. Your sunroom will almost certainly need either blinds or curtains, both to help with climate control and to create a sense of privacy.  These can either be manually operated or controlled by your home automation system, so that they automatically open in the morning and close at dusk.

 

Trust Criner to Do your Home Addition Right

Criner Remodeling has been serving the people of the Virginia peninsula since 1977 by providing them with top-quality remodeling work at fair prices.  Our company has been featured in numerous magazines and on television for the excellence of our work and the professionalism of our people.  So, when you need custom home remodeling done right, give us a call.