3 Tips For Adding Sunrooms

Are you considering adding a sunroom on your Austin home? Sunrooms, screen rooms, solariums, and covered patios are a useful addition to homes and businesses. You will enjoy extended season entertaining on a covered patio or sunroom, where you will always find shade on a sunny day and protection from rain. Sunrooms and screen rooms allow you to enjoy the outdoors and not have to worry about insects, rain, hot temperatures, or other weather concerns. Here are three tips to consider as you consider adding a sunroom, a screen room, or other outdoor feature.

What direction will the sunroom face?
Everyone wants a sunroom for various reasons. Some want a place to entertain in the afternoons and evenings. Others want a multi-purpose family room where kids can play and everyone can enjoy views of the outdoors all around them. Whatever your goals are, consider where the sun will be during the period you will be using your sunroom. Even with a ceiling fan, a west facing sunroom will be warmer than the rest of your home in the summertime. West facing sunrooms do offer a beautiful view of the sunset, however. A west facing sunroom will be great for winter days and cooler months, since it will heat up the house some and help keep your costs down. If your sunroom will be facing the west, and you plan on using it primarily in the evening, then you will want to use fewer windows or install window shades to help cool things off. South facing sunrooms and solariums are considered the best for growing plants, since there is light throughout the day.

What materials do you want the sunroom to be constructed of?
You can opt for a custom builder to match the construction materials of the rest of your home, or you can opt for something unique instead. Keep in mind that having more than three exterior finishes on your home can look busy and less cohesive than sticking with one to three exterior types of materials. If you already have red brick and white wood siding, consider one of those choices for your sunroom, or another type of siding that matches the wood siding closely.

What future plans do you have for your patio?
If you want to add a shade cover to your patio now, but you think you may convert your patio to a sunroom at some point, consult with a builder. He may be able to suggest certain structural amendments that will make the eventual sunroom addition easier and less expensive.