Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom? Make It A Sunroom Enclosure

The sunroom can enhance the elegance of your home no end, but you need to consider the type of climate in which you live before you decide on what sunroom to buy, and what to use it for.

Sunrooms aren't just for family game rooms anymore. With the increase in technology - yes, windows are more than just two panes of glass held together in a frame - you can place your kitchen, your bedroom, or even a ballroom in a room with glass walls - which is all a sunroom is.

Sunroom Right For Your Climate?
Before you decide to use your sunroom as a bedroom, however, give some thought to the climate in which you live. If you live in an area where there is a lot of snow or it gets very cold, you will need much different materials than if you only intend to use the room for three seasons out of the year.

Give a thought to where you are going to place your sunroom. Obviously you'll want to place it next to your home in such a way that you can take advantage of the best view, but it's usually best that your windows not face full west, for example. The general consensus is that the south is the best direction.

If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you can always modify your sunroom to allow for this by using well-insulated opaque panels of wood or vinyl below (knee walls) and the vast panes of glass above, rather than having glass that stretches from floor to ceiling. (It's also a lot easier to run electrical outlets through knee walls, so you might want to use them regardless.)

Fancy Roofs, Fancy Windows
The placement of the windows and doors in your sunroom are an important factor. Depending on the type of roof style you choose - flat, vaulted, split level, or peaked, you'll need specialty windows to fit into the ceiling. Such windows will affect the price of your sunroom.

And windows are important for another reason. Windows that let the sun's rays enter a room unabated are fine for greenhouses, but are not what's wanted at all for sunrooms in which you expect to relax. You shouldn't need to wear sunglasses inside your sunroom, but you may have to unless you choose the right kind of glass, which can block out over 60% of the sun's rays and still provide a bright, pleasant light.

Your windows should be made of high performance glass - tempered for safety and strength and designed with integrated protection against UV penetration, to block summer heat, and allow in winter light. For structural integrity, you'll want double-sliding windows designed to meet at a center rail. Security window locks are a must.

Vents and fans can be inserted into the ceiling, to either draw in or drive out the heat, depending on your needs!

Adding a sunroom to your home is a big step. Don't rush into it. Consult with actual people - your friends, neighbors, co-workers - who have sunrooms themselves, and get their feedback on what is the best design, the ease or difficulty in furnishing the room, and if there's anything they'd have done differently. Talk to several different sunroom manufacturers as well. The more you know, the better decision you'll be able to make.