Planning Guide to Building a Sunroom

A homeowners planning guide to building a Sunroom

Size: Is a very important part of your Sunroom planning process. Build a room that is too big and you spent more money than you need too. Build a room that is too small and you regret it for years to come. Most homeowners have a very difficult time trying to decide what is the right size room for them. If you try to figure a size looking at things from your yard or by just putting it on your existing deck the size could be all wrong for the planned function of the room. The best way to size a room is to pick a room in your home that is comfortable and put a tape measure on it and voila you have the size room that will fit your needs.

Height: How tall should my room be? Typically the higher the ceiling is in a Sunroom the better. The Sunroom feels more open; the trapezoid glass on the sides or the front is bigger with a very dramatic look inside as well as aesthetically pleasing from the outside. You also have the ability to hang a ceiling fan as some states have minimum height requirements. If your current conditions look like they don't allow for a high ceiling ask your Sunroom contractor about adding a cricket to your existing roof to provide additional height.

Style roof: There are two basic roof styles that are available, a cathedral roof Marquee or shed roof. Note that with the cathedral roof the trapezoid glass is on the front wall of the sunroom and with the Marquee the trapezoid glass is on both of the projection walls.

Type of Glass: How many days of the year you plan on using your Sunroom will play a significant role in your glass selection. If you live in an area of the country that has a cold winter climate you should at the very minimum have a double pane window with Low -E and argon gas. Typically a window of this type will have an R-value of about 4. If your looking for a very easy to heat year round room you should consider a triple pane window with double Low E with krypton gas. Typically a window of this type will have an R-value of about 9. Remember unlike your home which is about 85% walls and 15% windows a Sunroom is about 85% windows and 15% walls, glass selection plays a very important roll as to how comfortable your Sunroom will be. If you live in the south where the heat of the sun can make a room uncomfortable look for a window that has Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SGHC) of less than 0.55. For the sake of your furniture, flooring and window treatments make sure your windows block at least 75% of the UV rays that are transmitted from the sun, there are windows available that block as much as 95%.

Sunrooms in General: There are numerous options and upgrades available and will vary based on the manufacturer. In your planning process make sure you are aware of all of the options that are available from the companies that you will be getting estimates from. Some companies will only offer sliding windows while another will offer every type of window made. Are you going to shingle the roof to match your home? If you do not it will be a white aluminum roof. (Not very attractive) Make sure that option is available; there are some companies that will not offer that.

What about electric? If your Sunroom is off the ground and there is access from underneath you can wire the room from underneath using surface mounted plugs.
If there is not enough room then be sure you order an electric ready room with electric mullions and conduits. The disadvantage of the mullions is they take up glass space.

Another consideration is what to do with your house wall; you certainly don't want to sit in your beautiful new Sunroom and look back at the siding on your house. Your Sunroom contractor can remove the siding and sheetrock or pine board it, something to give it a finished look.

Lastly you should check out the contractor or Sunroom Company on the BBB as well as getting a referral list to call previous customers. Then check the warranty that comes with the Sunroom, what it covers, for how long and is it prorated. Your best bet is a non-prorated warranty

About the author: Thomas Bloch is part owner of Morgan Exteriors LLC and has been involved in designing well over a thousand Sunrooms. If you have a question or comment you can visit their website at http://www.morganexteriorsnh.com