LouLife

Tim and Susanna Burger lived in their Goshen home eight years before converting their 450-square-foot screened porch to a sunroom last year. “I loved the porch, but it was too hot out there during the summer. With our new sunroom, we can use the space all year round and enjoy our view of the Harmony Landing Golf Course,” says Susanna.

Sandy Brashear says she “noodled” with the idea of adding an English-style conservatory to her home near Cherokee Gardens for several years before taking the plunge, and she’s glad she did. Special features such as a built-in watering spigot, floor drain and heated floor have allowed her to embark on a new hobby — growing tropical plants.

The Burgers brightened their outlook by turning their giant screened-in porch into a four-season sunroom.

The Burgers and Brashear view their sunrooms as most homeowners do, as a place to relax, says Bob Caldwell, president of Patio Enclosures Inc. “It’s a private place that’s outdoors but protected from the elements. It’s not another family room.”

For others, such as Patty Gregory of Laconia, Ind, sunrooms are necessities. “As I got older, winters got worse and worse,” she recalls. “Starting around Christmastime, I wanted to crawl into bed and stay there. Then I read an article about seasonal affective disorder and said to myself, ‘That sounds like me.’” Since adding a 300-square-foot solarium to her farmhouse two years ago, Gregory’s life has turned around. “My attitude is so much better!” she exclaims. “The project cost us close to $40,000 by the time we got done building and furnishing it, but it was worth every penny for my mental health!”

Nationally, sunrooms are a booming — and boomer-driven — business. According to the Insider’s Guide to Sunrooms, over a half-million Americans add sunrooms to their homes each year. David Wilmes, President of Allied Aluminum Products Inc., characterizes it as a baby-boomer market. “These are people whose children are grown. They aren’t ready to downsize and want to put money into their existing homes. They’re looking for ways to make life enjoyable.”

Sandy Brashear's English-style conservatory allows her to cultivate tropical plants year-round.

Construction Options

For anyone considering a sunroom addition, there are two main building options: traditional “stick-built” construction and factory-built kits that can be assembled in a week or two. “Determining which option is best means answering the question, ‘How do you see yourself using the room?’” says Wilmes.

Stick-built allows greater design freedom and can easily be blended with the home’s existing architecture. Other pluses include the ability to add plumbing, recessed lighting and ducted heating and cooling. “If you want to tie your sunroom into your existing furnace and air conditioner, you’re probably better off using a remodelor,” says Wilmes. “You’ve crossed the line between a sunroom and a room addition.”

Factory-built sunrooms are generally made of aluminum or vinyl, although some companies such as Four Seasons Sunrooms/Sunnyside Designs offer all-wood rooms. Many styles are available, from ornate Victorian-type conservatories to modernistic solariums with curved glass roofs.

Most factory-built dealers also offer a choice of “three-season” vs. “four-season” rooms. “Three-season rooms can be used nine or 10 months a year and aren’t heated or cooled,” explains David Wade, owner of In-Joy Solaria in Buckner. “Four-season rooms have their own separate heating and cooling system. In the past, we used through-the-wall units similar to those in motels, but now we’re using split-system electric heat pumps. The condenser is outside, so they’re much smaller and quieter than through-the-wall units.”

Four-season rooms require thermal breaks in the windows and frames and insulated glass for both energy efficiency and to prevent condensation. “The technology has come a long way,” observes Wilmes, whose family has been in the business nearly 60 years. “When the first glass porches were done, they were built with wooden storm windows.

Then aluminum storms became available, followed by jalousie and awning windows. Today, we have double-glazed windows with argon or krypton between the glass, as well as coatings that cut UV rays and reflect the sun’s heat. Insulated windows have double the R-factor (R-4) of old-fashioned single-pane windows.”

With glass roofs, special coatings are even more critical to blocking solar heat gain, says Wade. “On a vertical wall, you need to knock out 50 percent of the solar heat gain, but with overhead glass the goal should be 75 to 80 percent.”

For those interested in something between stick-built and factory-built, Sunnyside Designs began building sunrooms with structurally insulated panels (SIPs) last fall, says owner Pat Stoehr. “In addition to being extremely energy efficient, they allow greater customization. We can build any shape, use any window style, including arches and eyebrows, and place solid privacy walls where they’re needed. Plus, you can hang pictures on the panels, which is not an option with aluminum or vinyl.”

Costs

The cost of adding a sunroom depends on many factors, including size and what’s already there to work with, says Wilmes. “If you’re enclosing an existing framed and roofed porch, you could sp/files/storyimages/anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000. If you have to start from scratch and build a foundation and roof, you’re looking at the upper 30s.”

Foundation type also impacts the cost. Concrete slab and block foundations are more expensive than pier and footer foundations similar to those used for decks. Framing material is another factor, with aluminum the lowest priced option. “Vinyl sunrooms cost about 5 to10 percent more and wood is about 45 percent more, says Stoehr. “Traditional sunrooms built of SIPs run about the same as vinyl.”

Four-season rooms are typically twice as expensive as three-season rooms, but offer better value in the long run, according to Wade. “When you go to sell your house, a three-season room won’t be appraised as additional living space,” he says. “A four-season room will.”

According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, you can reasonably expect to recoup between 70 and 110 percent of your sunroom investment when you sell your home.

Ideas and Tips from the Pros

“A sunroom,” says Lee Robinson, president of the Lee W. Robinson Co., “is a glassed-in paradise. It should delight all five senses.” Here are some ideas on creating a sunroom that will bring you enjoyment for years to come:

• Use different trim in the sunroom than in the rest of the house, advises Mike Isaac, president of Isaac Contracting & Design. “A beadboard ceiling also gives it an outdoorsy feel.”

• To keep stone or tile comfy in winter, invest in electric floor heat. Mike Matthews of Louisville Tile Distributors estimates the cost at $5-7 per square foot and about $10 per 100 square feet per month to operate.

• If your roof isn’t glass, skylights and cupolas can add light over bars and dining tables. Avoid them where light could interfere with the TV or make it impossible to nap on the couch.

• Great additions to sunrooms include ceiling fans, sweet-smelling flowering plants, fountains and fireplaces.

• Gas-burning fireplaces and stoves must be vented to prevent condensation.

• For conservatories and solariums, track lighting is excellent overhead.

• To magnify the sun’s effect, use lots of glass and mirrors.

• Preserve your view by minimizing window coverings and avoiding windows with multi-divided panes.

• For upholstered furniture and cushions, select acrylic fabrics that resist fading. “They’re now available for anywhere from $20 to $120 a yard,” says Tommy Clutts of Casual Living & Patio Center.

• If you’re purchasing indoor/outdoor wicker furniture in anything other than white, buy it all at once. “You might have trouble getting more pieces in the same color next year,” advises Clutts.

• Use fade-resistant exterior-grade acrylic paint on interior walls.