Sunrooms and Patio Rooms - Types and Styles
An abundance of choices exist in the world of sunrooms. Airy additions could consist of anything from a screened porch to a full-glass conservatory. The most obvious differences exist in the appearance of the rooms, but there is much more than meets the eye.
- Screened Rooms / Porches
- Additions to Existing Walls vs. Converting Existing Rooms
- Full Glass Rooms vs. Partial Glass
- Three & Four Season Sunrooms
A screened porch
The difference between a normal porch and a screened one is the use of panels, which will help to keep the insects at bay, but still will give you the feeling of fresh air. As the walls are obviously not permanent and have a very open structure, they will not give you much more protection when the seasons get colder.
Room conversions and glazed extensions
Most homes have a possibility of converting one of the spaces into a sunroom, whether it will be the glazing the existing porch or a small room. Extensions into the garden can be a solution for people wanting to enlarge their living space.
Partial glass or completely glazed?
Within a sunroom you will have a lot of freedom as to how much of the structure you want to have glazed. It will depend on what you will use your sunroom for, the architecture of your home, your personal taste and local building code compliance. A few possibilities are sunrooms which are completely glazed, sunrooms with solid roofs (with or without skylights for extra light) and sunrooms with three feet high walls from the base of the floor up. The most important thing is that you have to be happy with your chosen structure.
Three and Four Season Sunrooms
While a three season sunroom will give you enjoyment for most of the year, the closest you will come to a full extension is a four season sunroom. This type of sunroom is designed for all-year-round use and is therefore the most complete of all possibilities. Admittedly, all sunrooms may have the same outlook from the outside, but a four season sunroom has all the conveniences you can wish for, like insulated ceiling and wall parts and double glazing for those cold winter days, and cooling systems for hot summers. Your existing heating and cooling system can be extended from your home into the sunroom, but extra temperature control can be provided in the shape of for example fans, air conditioning or a baseboard heater.
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