Whether the goal is to add extra space for the family to use, or to have a three season porch to enjoy more of the view outdoors, a sunroom or a sunporch can be great home additions. Learning about the various designs and their uses will help to make the right choice easy.
Add a Bright Space with a Sunroom
A sunroom is typically a completely enclosed room of the house, with multiple windows and even skylights added to maximize natural light, warmth and ventilation. Often the doorway leading into the sunroom will be open, meaning that this is a space that will get year round use, and will be heated and cooled along with the rest of the house.
Not being open to the elements, the room can be furnished much like any other room of the house, and the floor covering can either be an extension of the flooring from the next room, or can utilize specialty flooring, like limestone or slate for a natural look.
Bring the Outdoors in with a Sunporch
Sunporches, or screened porches are often referred to as three season rooms. There may be walls, with windows that open, or just screens wrapping the exterior to keep bugs away, in either case, there is often no heat or air conditioning added to the space.
These rooms are meant to be used for three seasons, or for spring, summer and fall and are shut off for the winter.
If the sunporch has walls of window panes, which can be closed, and is therefore protected from the elements, less care needs to be taken when selecting furnishings and flooring. Screened porches, however, will need furnishings and floorings that can withstand moisture and frost.
Consider using furniture meant for the outdoors, to avoid mold and rust over time. Keep in mind, though, that the area may not get much direct sun, making it difficult to dry cushions or seats out, so waterproof materials may be desired.
When setting the flooring, choose materials that are non-porous and can withstand frost heaves, or freeze/thaw. When water gets into small pores or cracks in a floor, particularly natural stone tiles, and freezes, it then expands and can crack and damage the tiles. Porcelain tiles and some ceramic tiles are better choices for a screened porch floor, as they can withstand the freeze/thaw effect. Be sure to use a tile installer used to working outdoors as well, so that proper setting materials and standards are used, to avoid having tiles pop off the floor with the first freeze.
Combine Areas with a Patio Sunroom
Doors and multi-paned glass walls, can be utilized to fold back and open an area up the outdoors reattaching to protect the area from the elements for indoor use. A patio sunroom is one such option that allows for one space to have multiple uses.
Open up the walls or covering, to open the patio for barbecues or entertaining. Close them up again to continue to use the space in inclement weather.
Motorized sunshades can also be used to cover an area in poor weather, and draw back again to open the area up to the sun.
Be sure to consider how much use the space is going to get, and what kind of use, before adding an addition to the house. Keeping these things in mind will help make sure that the new addition is used for years to come.
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