Expanding your home can be an expensive proposition. Custom built sunrooms are generally priced from 10k to 70k dollars. However, this type of home addition increases the value of your property and provides an area where you can conveniently entertain guests. The outdoor experience of this indoor space creates a feeling of openness to the natural world around you. Folks who have a sunroom built usually believe it was worth the investment.

The DIY Option

There is, of course, an alternative to having a sunroom professionally built. A DIY kit allows you to pick from several different designs and cuts the cost substantially. Kits for sunrooms range in price from 2-20 grand depending on the size and materials you select. For best results, choose a simple patio or porch enclosure. That’s as much complexity as the average DIY homeowner can handle.

The instruction manual and/or video included with your kit will be designed to make the building process as straightforward as possible. However, there are always some safety concerns when untrained friends or relatives help you with a construction project. In addition, you may still need licenses or building permits before getting started. Each community has its own building codes that require strict adherence. A local installer can help you navigate the permitting system and ensure proper safety protocols are followed throughout the project.

Additional Concerns

Prefab sunrooms aren’t guaranteed to fit perfectly into the space you have selected. If you go with the cheapest materials, you can also expect a great deal of energy loss. There could be drainage problems or leaks that need to be fixed by a professional. However, if you are handy with home improvement projects, you may enjoy both the initial installation and ongoing upkeep involved in creating your own sunroom.

In the world of prefabricated sunrooms, the most basic options are simple glass boxes that enclose a patio or deck. These structures accomplish the job of allowing sunlight in. However, they don’t offer a great deal of aesthetic appeal. This is one reason many homeowners choose to spring for a slightly more customized design like those created by TEMO and Four Seasons.

The conservatory is a good example of a home addition that offers grace and elegance as well as light filled space. Unlike a traditional sunroom with a flat or low vaulted ceiling, a conservatory sunroom rises to a dome or a steep apex. The ceiling is often paneled with clear or frosted glass rather than being opaque.

Room Structure

The room itself may be hexagonal or octagonal offering a panoramic view. This shape blends well with Victorian architecture. Rectangular conservatories are also available that more closely match Georgian style homes. Laminated aluminum generally forms the exterior, but the interior can be finished in wood or other materials to match the rest of your home. White is one of the most popular exterior colors for this type of sunroom – it matches the trim on many houses.

Possible Uses

Historically, conservatories have been used as attached greenhouses for upscale homes and public buildings. This is still a great way to use your own, modern sunroom. The climate is somewhat controlled while letting in plenty of natural sunlight. You can also furnish this area as a parlor, music room, or library.

Planning A Sunroom

There are quit a few details to consider when choosing you sunroom.
1.   Where is the best location to add the sunroom and attach it to you house?
2.   Will your sunroom come from an architect’s plan and a builder or will you purchase the kit? Will this be a do it yourself project?
3.   Is this sunroom or solarium actually add value of your house? Sunrooms that are not in harmony with the homes architectural style can actually be a liability to the overall value of your house when you decide to sell. So choosing the correct style is very important in your decision.
4.   Do you want the sunroom or solarium to be full glass walls or just knee walls with insulation and electrical outlets?
5.   Will the roof of the room be a full glass roof, a partial glass roof or a sky light?
6.   Will you be installing ceiling fans and/or vents?
7.   Do you want windows that open for fresh air and hot summers? Will you have screens installed for these applications?
8.   Is security an issue?
9.   Will you be using the room all year long?
10. Will you install French doors or sliders?
11. And finally, what are your budget constraints?

Sunrooms are a great addition to any house, they combine the comfort of the indoors with an uplifting energy of natural light. There are several options when it comes to a sunroom. First, whether or not you want a custom-designed room, or one purchased as a complete kit. Once you’ve made the decision, you will have many more to make. Because sunrooms require plenty of planning. Before you make any serious decisions, it’s important for you to consider how you’ll use the room. You may want to add a sun room to your living room or kitchen. Either way, the construction requirements will differ depending on the exact use you are intending on.

Find the best location for your room

Once you decide on the use of your sunroom, you will need to figure out the best location for it. You’ll want to orient your sunroom so that it receives the best sun light. The main windows in the room should face to the south. It will help to track how the sun moves across your home.

Your next step in your planning, should be the roof and room sides. Generally, sunrooms consist of a glass roof and glass sides. Often, special circumstances dictate exactly how the roof and walls will be constructed. For example, if your sunroom is exposed to extreme amounts of sunlight, you may benefit from having a partial overhead glass roof or by having just the sunroom walls made of glass. Partial overhead glass roofs also come in handy when the top of your sunroom experiences having snowfall. The walls of your sunroom can either be full glass or if you want your sunroom to have a more enclosed, roomy feeling, you might consider a knee wall. A knee wall is just a short wall about knee height. It provides a more structured feeling and can also be used to run electric lines.

Insulated siding is a great way to make your home more energy efficient. It will give your home a little extra insulation that is not provided by regular vinyl siding. Insulated siding is a little more expensive in the beginning, but the difference that it can make in your utilities over time is well worth the extra expense.

Insulated siding is a much thicker product than regular vinyl siding. The back of the siding is fitted with foam that fills in the gap between the siding and the exterior of your home. The foam that is used is high performance expanded polystyrene. This is a highly adaptable building material. The insulated siding will also help reduce the growth of mildew and mold. It is also shown to help reduce the possibility of infestations of insects and other pests.

This is the most energy efficient siding product on the market. It is also considered a green product because of the energy the home owner will save. It is an extremely durable product. Just like with regular siding, there is very little maintenance required.
You can find the insulated siding at building supply stores and through independent builders. It comes in a variety of colors. The siding is also sold with different textures and profiles. This allows the home owner to achieve the desired look.

A sunroom can help you save energy. This podcast gives you a few guidelines to follow.

____Sunroom Energy Saving podcast__

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Article:

http://www.homeimprovementcorner.com/sunroom_energy_saving.php - Save energy in your sunroom.

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Sunrooms offer a quiet retreat from the regular bustle of a busy home. With natural sunlight passing through and a clear view of your immediate outdoors, it can be the most relaxing place of the house and a great area to bring family and friends together. Of course, designing your sunroom is your business. If you need a little help when deciding on arrangements to make for it, though, here are a few things I picked up while working our own.

Light Colors

A sunroom really benefits from light colors. It helps keep the room warm during cold weather and cooler during the summer. Set against the backdrop of your garden and the outdoors, the transition looks more natural and pleasant on the eyes.

Accessories

For aesthetic purposes, certain decorative fixtures work really well with sunrooms while others don’t. Generally, the more nature-based the items, the more fitting it will be. As such, furnitures and treatments made from wood, wicker, bamboo and straws work really well. Similarly, decorative items like fountains and other water structures can also help enhance it.

Our own sunroom currently sports wooden seatings and bamboo tables, with straw mats lying all around. We’ve also put a few plants in there to enhance the space and it works really well. I also wanted an indoor pool but after wracking our brains measuring everything, we finally decided it wouldn’t fit, so we put in a six-person spa instead.

Seasons

By the way, it would help a lot if you can figure out ways to use your sunroom for all seasons. Being, perhaps, the most energy-inefficient room in the house, it can prove unbearable to stay there during extreme weather conditions. Early on, try to see if it’s possible to extend your home’s heating and cooling to the area. If you can’t, installing a separate climate control system should figure prominently on your to-do list. Why spend so much time decorating, after all, if you can’t use it all year round?

Patio enclosures increase the usable space in your home.  I should know – I spend the night under its protection whenever my wife feels the compulsion to kick me out.  It should also work great if you have a hot tub outside or are setting up an outdoor kitchen, providing a pleasant area where outside the actual house where people can hang out.

I’ve long been a fan of wood patio enclosures.  Beautiful and elegant, they truly add value to your home, apart from looking like natural fixture, whatever you decide to use the area for.  They can easily be made to blend into the surrounding environment, even though you just added it as an afterthought.

Of course, extra care need to be taken when working with wood-based patio enclosures.  Wood is very susceptible both to termites and moisture, requiring extra treatment before installation and added care for maintenance.  Additionally, they’ll likely need a retouch of paint or varnish from time to time.

Synthetic wood patio enclosures can provide the same aesthetic benefits as regular wood covers, without the required maintenance.  They usually cost a bit more upfront but easily makes up for it by the low overhead they entail.

Our own home actually has wooden patio enclosures, installed a few years ago and regularly taken care of  by my own hands.  If the time comes to replace them, though, I’d probably go with a synthetic alternative.  I’ve seen the new ones they have at the hardware stores and they’re mighty impressive.