A Patio room, also referred to as a sunroom, is an extension constructed from the main house for enjoying maximum sunlight. It is a room built for the sun. Glass is the primary construction material. Its main component is the windows, more windows, and, if possible, the skylight for more light from above. There are simple patio rooms used in certain seasons during the year, and there are high-end sunrooms for all seasons. This article will discuss the different patio rooms you can have for your home and what it takes to add them. Read on for more information.
Types of Patio Rooms
You may want to come up with a suitable sunroom design for your home. Here are some common types of patio rooms you can choose from:
- Sunroom: Also known as conservatory or solarium, it’s a room extension from the main house, accessed from indoors. It is designed to elongate the living area and used during mild weather. They don’t get connected to home cooling or heating, making them uncomfortable for use during winter.
- Four-season room: They are similar to sunrooms but with connected heating and cooling system, making them usable all-year-round. According to installers of energy-efficient windows in Lafayette, these rooms use special glasses and polycarbonate materials to ensure they are comfortable even in unfavorable weather conditions.
- The Attached Greenhouse: These patio rooms resemble the sunroom and Four-season winter but have controlled light, humidity, and temperatures suitable for home plants’ growth.
- Screen Room or Porch: Other than using glass for its windows, this patio room has wire mesh for its walls or windows to control insects. The rooms are only comfortable in some seasons and not cold-weather friendly. It’s the best budget-friendly room if running low on the construction budget.
Factors to consider when setting up your patio room
Setting up your patio room comes with cost, labor, and time. You have to consider the below factors when building the room:
1. Hiring a professional or Doing it yourself
Erecting a patio home is just like any other construction and not as easy. It’s better to hire an experienced contractor for the job to get it done better. The contractor will enable you to get the construction licenses required, the best materials, and the best design. They will even give tips to improve on materials and construction. A well-constructed patio home increases value for your home, while a shoddy job breaks the sale. You also need to consider home insurance, property taxes, mortgage requirements, and other effects before launching the project.
2. Where to construct the sunroom
Before anything else, you need to find the most suitable place for constructing your patio home. In most cases, it elongates your living room. Factors to consider in deciding this include the weather conditions of your area and the direction windows will face. If living in northern regions, the southern facing will be best to capture the most sunlight. In southern areas, such placement will mean adding a costly cooling system.
Get a position to provide sunlight during morning hours and a shade in the evenings to minimize cooling costs. If living in colder areas, ensure the site receives much sunlight throughout the day.
3. Construction Materials
The primary material used in constructing a patio room is glass. Other than glass, you need to decide on materials to hold it. If having a custom-built sunroom, you can use the traditional materials, including wood and nails, while the fabricated type will require aluminum or vinyl materials. It’s better the exterior matching that of the main house to avoid having an ugly home.
4. Window Materials
Glass is paramount here, especially the windows. You will require energy-efficient windows to reduce your heating and cooling costs. According to window experts from energy-efficient windows Lafayette, you can consider double-glazed windows; that is, two glass panes sandwiched in a frame. With this, low-emissivity coatings are applied to improve insulation. At times, spaces between these panes get filled with argon gas for better insulation. If considering getting light from above, you can use the twin-wall polycarbonate plastic roofing. This plastic roofing comes in two options, which include the 6mm twin-wall polycarbonate, which is most used and offers the best conservative roof, and 20mm or 25mm twin-wall polycarbonate for a more robust, thicker roof that insulates better.
5. Cost
As discussed from the start, patio homes come with a cost. It’s the main factor you have to consider when deciding on materials, labor, and the room’s design. These rooms cost can range from a paltry $5000 to a whopping $80000 or more. It depends on materials, design, and other customized additions. If doing it by yourself, you only need the materials and a simple design. For a more complicated setup, you need to consider better materials and labor costs. The type of room you chose will significantly determine the overall cost. It’s cheaper to construct a screen room and more expensive when getting an all-season room.
6. Room Heating and Cooling Ideas
If you can’t get the best position to control your patio room temperatures, you can consider several options in heating and cooling, which include:
- Having operative skylights
- Having insulating roof panels on the glass roof panels
- Constructing walls that allow most windows to open and regulate the temperature in a hot climate.
- Having ceiling fans to control temperatures
- Constructing exterior roof shades to control rigid external sunscreens
- Having windows that can get raised or lowered to control temperatures
- Having a gas heater for the cold months
7. Plan the features and details
Other than the sunroom itself, you need to plan for its features and finer details. These details will significantly determine its exterior and interior look and can make it a hit or miss. These details include the floor, lighting, outlets, moldings and trims, roofing, decorative windows, decking, siding, patio stone, and landscaping.
Having a patio home is one of the best investments you can make for your modern house. However, it’s not a walk in the park and requires commitment. Some ways you can use this room include holding family meetings, having dinner, and reading. Its benefits outweigh the cost, and the joy of having it will make you forget most of these costs.
