You’ll Be Thankful for a Season-Spanning Sunroom

When cold weather and shorter days are upon us, you might feel the desire to hibernate and stay snuggled up indoors. That may sound good for a while, but it won’t be long before you find yourself with cabin fever. The solution is to start planning an “all-season” room to add to your home. A sunroom can be used all year long, despite rain, sleet or snow.

sunroom - exterior
Sunroom addition by T&K Contractors

You’ll stretch your home’s living space (and value) when you open the family room, kitchen, or dining area to a sunroom. It provides extra room for family activities and entertaining a crowd, no matter the weather conditions.

Heating and Cooling

By definition, a sunroom will have a lot of windows, so the orientation to sun and shade is an important consideration. A south-facing room makes best use of natural light in the winter, but you’ll need to keep the space from becoming uncomfortably hot on a summer day. A cooling solution more sophisticated than a ceiling fan might be called for. A ductless heating/cooling system (also called a mini-split) and the proper construction techniques can combine to help your all-season room stay comfortable year-round.

Light and Bright

While natural sunlight will flood the room during the day, thoughtful lighting design is essential for making the room enjoyable at night as well. You’ll want to illuminate the space at night without an over-exposed “fishbowl” feeling.

Folding sunroom doors
Photos courtesy NanaWall

Energy-efficient windows keep the temperature comfortable, and also let the room be as bright as possible on gloomy days when you need it the most. Instead of sliding patio doors, a wall of glass panels such as NanaWall can fold open and practically disappear when the weather is warm but are strong enough to withstand high winds and seal out rain, sleet and snow.

Finishing Touches

Sunrooms can range from very simple, casual spaces to elegantly appointed rooms with fine finishes. A fireplace can add extra coziness in the winter or take the chill off on a cool spring evening.

Flooring should be a material that resists fading from the amount of sun the room will receive. Tile flooring is a nice choice for a “greenhouse” ambiance, while engineered luxury vinyl planking (LVP) provides the look and warmth of hardwood with less upkeep.

sunroom
Sunroom by T&K Contractors

A wet bar with built-in storage, a small under-counter refrigerator, stand-alone icemaker, and a bar sink make the sunroom perfect for a quiet evening with friends or for serving guests when you have a large crowd for holidays or special celebrations.

Adding a new sunroom will treat you to living space you can enjoy all year, even when the weather is at its nastiest. It’s the type of remodeling project that can also enhance your home value – as long as it’s designed to complement the existing lines of the house and constructed to weather the elements.

If you’d like to explore the “all-season” possibilities of your home, just give us a call!