Sunroom – A definite value add for your home
Adding a sunroom to your home increases its value, expands its usable space by adding square footage, and gives a designated location for entertainment, leisure, and gathering. For many people, the decision to build a sunroom is simple. It is the selection of the appropriate sunroom style and materials that necessitate additional thought.
If you're a homeowner just getting started with sunroom ideas, one of the first things you should consider is the type of addition that is best suited for your property and needs. The materials you choose, as well as the sort of sunroom you choose, will influence how you and your family will use the area. A sunroom can be an energy-efficient enclosed space in the house designed to bring in ideal sunlight while providing an unobstructed view of the gorgeous external scenery.
Sunrooms Enclosures
Sunrooms, be it a three or a four-season room, are frequently constructed using maintenance-free building materials such as extruded Aluminum or extruded vinyl as opposed to wood, which needs frequent maintenance such as painting or sealing. The foundation for a typical sunroom addition is either concrete with proper footers or wood or composite decking with proper post-footers. It is always advised to check local building codes before embarking on a project such as this. A fully insulated Four seasons room will have high-efficiency double-pane panoramic glass meeting the regional requirements for energy efficiency. three seasons room typically will have single pane glass. Roofing for these rooms is typically made of either a traditional wood-built shingled roof or made from maintenance-free insulated roofing with optional skylights. Glass paneled roofing such as in a solarium can be an attractive feature, however, it can make the room less energy efficient and make the cost of ownership quite a bit higher over the years. Screen rooms or a two-season room is simply an addition with screen panels and no glass windows. This type of enclosure has no insulating property and may not be suitable for year-round usage. Framing materials are typically made of extruded Aluminum and screen materials made of either coated Aluminum mesh or coated fiberglass mesh.
Window placement allows for optimal ventilation and sun exposure, panel selection while providing for climate control options, and roof insulation to protect the room from cooling too much in cold circumstances are all essential considerations when constructing sunrooms and screen rooms. Materials, wall thickness, total room size, the thickness of glass panel and wall width, and wind and living load and resistance are additional architectural design factors.
Window location to provide optimum ventilation and light exposure, selecting panels while allowing climate control options, and roof insulation to keep the area from cooling too much in cold circumstances are essential considerations when building sunrooms and screen rooms. Materials, wall thickness, the total size of the room, the thickness of the glass panels and walls, wind, and live snow loads, and heat resistance are all important considerations for architectural and design specifications.
Creating your sunroom might be difficult, with so many different types and styles to select from. Some sunrooms are designed to be used all year, whereas others are designed to be used exclusively during the warmer months.
Different types of Sunrooms
All-season sunroom on decks: While decks are a terrific place to enjoy the outdoors when the weather is pleasant, an open deck is fairly useless as it absorbs the summer heat and radiates throughout the hot summer days. Rain and snow make an uncovered deck virtually unusable. Installing an enclosure over an existing deck is a great way to utilize the space and add more living areas to your home. Although the deck will provide a built-in foundation for the sunroom, it is of absolute importance to make sure that the structural integrity of the deck meets or exceeds the local building code requirements for installing a sunroom on the deck. Consulting with the local building inspector to get proper specifications is highly recommended.
All-season rooms on a concrete foundation: If your home is not set up to install a sunroom, one of the best options is to pour a concrete patio designed to install a sunroom. This means the new concrete pad will have proper footings for the load-bearing walls of a sunroom. Typical footers are 32” deep and about 12” wide and span the perimeter of the concrete pad, which forms the foundation for the load-bearing walls. Even though a three-season room or a screen room does not weigh nearly as much as a fully insulated four seasons room, it is recommended that the concrete pad has proper footings for the walls. Most local building codes do require this. The advantage of a concrete foundation, as opposed to a wood deck foundation, is typically the lack of long-term maintenance.
Types of sunrooms: Typically, a sunroom or a patio room comes with larger-sized windows with screens on the outside. The most preferred window style for a patio room is a 2-Lite Slider window. A 2-Lite Slider window is a window with a vertical meeting rail in the center and the two window sashes slide sideways as opposed to a double-hung window, where the window sashes slide up and down from a horizontal meeting rail in the center. The advantage of a 2- Lite Slider is that it sits on a frame with tracks and thereby can have larger window sashes without sacrificing safety and ease of use. Sashes on a double-hung window on the other hand are secured with either coiled springs or high-tension nylon strings. This type of window will have to be smaller in size for safety and long-term usage. Since the idea of a sunroom is to have larger panoramic window sections, a 2-Lite Window style is preferred for an operating window. For the knee wall section, the section that is attached to the foundation can be made either with insulated panels or with insulated glass units. Insulated panels are typically made of extruded vinyl with compressed insulation. If you prefer a glass knee wall, it is typically made of tempered glass for safety. Sunroom walls also can be made of full-length operable sliding glass doors. This gives more of an open appearance. Whether you choose the all-glass option for the walls or a split option with windows and insulated knee walls, the use of proper energy-efficient materials that are applicable to the region is highly recommended. More importantly, the selection of the style of the room has to match your lifestyle so that you can derive maximum pleasure and enjoyment from your investment.
Screen rooms: A screen room provides a bug-free livable space in your house where you can enjoy the sunshine and breezes in a more protected environment. Screened windows, but no glass, are standard in two-season rooms. They are another low-cost option, but they are often ineffective in cold weather.
Three-season sunrooms: Except for the cold winters, these sunrooms are meant to be utilized throughout the year. These sunrooms are less expensive than four-season choices, but they lack the same thermal glass, insulation, and heating options. They are, however, totally enclosed spaces that are ideal for enjoying natural light and vistas while adding living space to your house.
About our Patio rooms and Sunrooms Enclosures
A sunroom addition, also known as a patio room, 3 season room, or 4 season room, allows for year-round outdoor living. Relax in your backyard, safe from bugs and the weather. Patio Covers Ohio has been at the forefront of assisting clients in creating one-of-a-kind outdoor living spaces. We are your one-stop shop in Dayton, Ohio, and Columbus Ohio, for custom-designed sunroom additions. Our Sunrooms are specially designed and built keeping in mind not only your aesthetic specifications but also the most stringent safety, energy efficiency, and environment-friendly standards.
Because our rooms are an extension of your home, they are designed to meet or exceed building codes by using the best quality and structurally sound materials. We have the knowledge, experience, and professional design skills to turn your dreams into reality, whether you enjoy entertaining family and friends or want a personal backyard retreat. Allow our expert designers to create a sunroom design unique to you and your home's architectural style.
Your search for Sunrooms in Dayton, Ohio, or Sunrooms in Columbus, Ohio ends with Patio Covers Ohio.
Learn more about what sets us apart. Request a consultation with Patio Covers Ohio today, or mail us with your requirements at info@PatiocoversOhio.com.