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A glass or screen-enclosed room attaches you to nature. Here is how to select which seasonal room features fit your home best.

Sunrooms, with their natural light and cozy patio furniture, are the ideal place to relax with a drink as well as a good book. Those certain structures connect your home to the outdoors while also defending you from the components, allowing you to experience the best of both outdoor and indoor living. If you’re considering adding a bay window to your home, you should be aware of all your choices. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to seasonal rooms, selection of materials, and budget constraints. Use this guide to learn everything that you need to know before building a sunroom.

Types of Sunrooms

Seasonal rooms come in a variety of styles. The following are the various types of sunrooms.

1. Sunroom

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A sunroom (also known as a solarium or conservatory) is a glassed-in living space that is securely connected to the house and accessible from the inside. It’s intended to serve as an additional living space during warm weather. But even so, because sunrooms are not really usually connected to your home’s cooling or heating system, they may be uncomfortable in hot summers or cold winters.

2. Four-Season Room

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Similar to the living space, this option can be cooled and heated. As an outcome, this can be relished all year.

3. Attached Greenhouse

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Employing the same basic structure and casing design as a sunroom or four-season room, a connected greenhouse structure provides plant-specific temperature, light, and humidity levels.

4. Screen Room or Porch

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This alternative feature mesh-screen windows or walls rather than glass, providing fresh air without pests. It, like the sunroom, is only usable when the weather is nice. This is a cost-effective sunroom option due to the low cost of the materials.

Types of Sunroom Materials

Knowing the components of a seasonal room will assist you in deciding on the method of space you want.

1. Vinyl

The most frequently used material for sunroom supports. It is the most affordable, requires the least amount of maintenance, and provides the best overall insulation and strength. It is mostly available in white. The majority of vinyl supports are “multiwalled,” which means they have an internal reassurance of aluminum or galvanized steel.

2. Aluminum

Aluminum insulates less well than vinyl and is typically more expensive. Numerous rooms with vinyl-coated vertical supports for aesthetics or added insulation, on the other hand, have aluminum as the roof structure for additional durability.

3. Wood

The most expensive structural sunroom material is wood. But even so, it is the best option for screen rooms since the screen mesh can be easily attached to the timbers. (A screen room requires an extension of the existing roof over the room.) Wood needs maintenance on a regular basis to stay in good shape and look its best.

Where to Place Your Sunroom

The first step in planning a glass or screen addition is determining the best location for your sunroom. Consider the weather in your area and the orientation of the sunroom windows. In cold areas, southern exposure receives the most sunshine each day. Even so, a southern exposure necessitates increased cooling, which could be pricey.

A western orientation may reveal you to tough afternoon sun that must be shaded, whereas an eastern orientation will ease the cooling required to be provided by the sun in the morning and shade the rest of the day.

A northern exposure will provide less light and partial shade for the majority of the day. This could cause the space to be too cool and damp in the North, but it may work well in the South, where it could minimize the need for window coverings or additional cooling.

Sunroom Heating and Cooling Ideas

If you can’t even build your sunroom in the most pleasant location, or if you want more hours to relish your all-season room, think about the following options:

• Install functional skylights to act as heat sinks when the room becomes too hot.
• Among some of the glass roof panels, intersperse prefabricated thermal insulation roof panels. R-factors of R-16, R-24, or R-32 is desirable (the higher the number, the better the insulation quality).
• Construct the walls so that several windows can be opened. Choose those that will cooperate to allow for maximum airflow.
• Install ceiling fans to help with ventilation. For summer or winter use, select models with forward and start reversing speeds.
• Install roof color tracks that are designed to hold rigorous exterior sunscreens.
• Choose window coverings that can be entirely lowered and raised on the hottest and coldest wall areas.
• Install a small gas wall heater in the room you’ll be using the most during the colder months. Install floor heating for a more opulent feel.

Source: Better Homes & Gardens