5 Great Reasons a Sunroom is Worth the Investment | Carolina Home Exteriors (2024)

FAQs

Is adding a sunroom a good investment? ›

By the numbers, some real estate experts say the average return on investment for a sunroom addition is about 60 percent. When you consider that alone, you might be asking yourself why you haven't already gotten it started. Here are some of the ways it adds value to your home.

Sunrooms allow you to enjoy the benefits of being outdoors, such as open views and gorgeous natural light, without experiencing the downsides. Avoid the rain, snow, heat, cold and bugs while you're sitting inside your sunroom. It's the perfect compromise for nature lovers who want some protection from the elements.

A sunroom typically contains more window surface area than walls. No matter what you do, windows are the most porous part of your home when it comes to heating and cooling. A south-facing sunroom benefits from the sun's heat during winter. On the downside, it will be harder to keep cool in the summer.

When you place your home on the market after installing a sunroom, you'll find that your home gets more attention than comparable homes without a sunroom. By increasing the living space of your home, you make its overall value go up proportionally, typically by around 4 – 6%.

Extra utility expenses, especially if you get a four-season sunroom installed. Limited privacy unless you install drapes, blinds, or other window coverings, but this could increase the cost of your sunroom. If you install a 3-season sunroom, you might have difficulty heating it in the winter.

An 18-by-18-foot space should be roomy enough for a large couch, recliner, armchair, coffee table, television stand, and an end table. These dimensions are also a good fit for 42-inch television screens. For bigger screens, consider an 18-by-20-foot room or larger.

Sunrooms usually don't get included in a home's square footage total, which appraisers use to help determine home values. But a full-room addition will add square footage to your home and has a higher return on investment.

Do you want a sunroom that catches as much sun as possible throughout the day? If so, build your sunroom on a south-facing section of the house. If you like to watch the sun come up then an east facing position is best, while a west facing room allows you to enjoy the late afternoon sun and sunset.

For the majority of homeowners, sunrooms on the south side of the home will provide better heat and light throughout the year. South-facing rooms will absorb more heat and light, even in colder winter months, and many homeowners prefer the extra warmth these rooms provide.

Why should I get a sunroom? ›

With a sunroom, you'll be able to revel in sunlight no matter where you sit. This means you'll not only get to enjoy the gentle natural light from the sun, but you'll also get to enjoy its warmth — making a sunroom the perfect place to relax with a book, a cup of tea or morning coffee and paper.

The difference is that a screened porch will let air pass through the room, giving you the feeling of being outdoors while keeping out the bugs. A sunroom is a roofed structure that is glass enclosed. A sunroom is more like your living room with a better view.

Even when the temperature outside the sunroom is not very high, if the sunroom has inadequate airflow, it is going to get hot. Without sufficient circulation, hot air is going to be trapped inside the room. This makes the space both uncomfortable and unhealthy.

A full room addition, also known as a stick-built room, is an added room made from traditional building materials. Unlike sunrooms, which mostly consist of glass panes, a room addition requires a foundation, traditional doors and windows and interior and exterior finishes.

Cost: Versus standard room additions, sunrooms simply cost less. Unless the sunroom is very large and has many high-end features, a standard all-season sunroom can cost thousands of dollars less than a room addition. Flexibility of use: A typical sunroom can be used for many different purposes.

Sunrooms offer a luxurious way to enjoy more sunlight and additional relaxation space. Many people use the room as extra living space during mild weather. Sunrooms are also ideal for feeling connected to nature, no matter what the weather looks like outside.

Sunrooms benefit from warm solar gain throughout the warmer months, but from November through March, you might need a little help to keep cold air from getting in. Sunroom insulation doesn't just benefit you by keeping you cozy; it also makes the room more energy-efficient and should save you money on energy bills.

Even the highest quality floor-to-ceiling windows can't completely safeguard a sunroom from overheating. Therefore, curtains or shades are must-haves for the times it gets too warm. To keep it light and airy, opt for something like bamboo shades, linen curtains, or sheers.

A three-season sunroom is meant to be used for three out of the four seasons of the year—generally spring through fall—because it offers little protection against extreme temperatures like heat and cold. A three-season sunroom is ideal in mild climates where the winter is not very cold and the summer is not very hot.

What is the difference between a 3 season and 4 season room? ›

A four-season room can be utilized all year long, while a three-season room does not have the same capacity to be heated and cooled and is, therefore, not usable space in too warm and too cold of climates.

Do you need planning permission for a sunroom? Before the installation can begin, you might be wondering if you need to get planning permission for your sunroom. As a general rule, you won't need planning for a sunroom as long as it meets specific criteria, such as not being taller than the existing property.

A sunroom is an all-encompassing term that refers to a screen room, three season room, four season room or solarium, simply put, it's a room with abundant natural light and access to the outdoors If you're looking for a sunroom addition that you can use spring through fall, a three season room might be the right choice ...

For instance, California rooms have a roof to keep out rain and sun. Yet unlike sunrooms or solariums, which are enclosed on all sides with windows, California rooms are open to the outdoors on one or more sides.

Though using your sunroom as a bedroom is among some of the more unconventional functions, it's still a feasible option. Whether you choose to convert your residential sunroom into a master bedroom or guest room, you can make your dream of creating a functional living space a reality.

Unfinished areas, screened or open patios, vaulted rooms, and airspaces are not factored into a home's square footage. Additionally, any space that requires passing through an unfinished area – such as a pool house, storage area, or guest house will not be factored into the home's square footage.

A 400 square foot space will be roughly the size of a typical two-car garage. You can imagine the space being large enough to fit two cars with a small amount of wiggle room.

The optimal season to consult with a sunroom installation company and begin designing your ideal sunroom is during the late fall or winter season.

Outdoor-Ready

But there is one main reason why going this route will cause problems. Placing furniture in a sunroom means exposing it to constant sunlight during the day. This long exposure can damage furniture that is meant for the shaded indoors rather than designed to withstand the elements.

Having proper ventilation in your sunroom is one of the most important aspects in creating comfort. Along with cozy furnishings and a beautiful view, being able to create proper air flow will greatly aid in creating a relaxing and peaceful environment.

What is the coolest side of the house? ›

North: this is the coldest side of the house and, especially in winter, both the interior and exterior are not very bright. So from this side it will be appropriate to place spaces that need less light and that are less lived-in during the day, like stairs, corridors or service rooms.

Typically a south-facing home gets sun for most of the day, especially at the front of the house, and is therefore usually brighter and warmer. A north-facing home gets sun at the back of the house and is typically darker and naturally cooler than a south-facing one.

The Hottest Window Orientations

Your southern exposure windows are the hottest in your home, although east- and west-facing windows can bring in heat during early mornings and late afternoons. The cause for this comes from the southern part of your home facing toward the sun in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sunroom: A sunroom is a room primarily meant for lounging. With glass windows and skylights, sunrooms emulate the feeling of being outside while being indoors. You can grow potted plants and some fruits or vegetables in a sunroom, but this space is still a part of a house and, as such, is meant for living in.

Both a deck and a patio offer an impressive resale value. However, patios are usually less expensive, and their resale value is 100%—slightly higher than a deck's 76% resale value.

In reality, a sunroom is an interior room addition that is designed with a focus on the outdoors. Compared to screened porches and 3-season rooms, sunrooms are a more complicated home renovation project that involves HVAC systems, insulation, and abundant electricity options.

Sunrooms are by far the more expensive option. The cost of a sunroom addition varies greatly depending on the square footage, materials used and house specifications.

A sunroom can use solar energy for heat in the winter depending on the positioning of the room. A sunroom that is directly south-facing with all day sun exposure will probably heat up to a comfortable temperature most winter days.

A traditional sunroom, or home addition, can be used 365 days a year because it is typically tied into your home's HVAC system. Because of the connected HVAC system, a traditional sunroom can be a true extension of your home, offering you the same heating or cooling options in your addition as the rest of your home.

What is a Florida room? ›

So, What is a Florida Room? In simple terms, the Florida room is a residential amenity living space addition built onto a home's back or side wall with a roof. This addition to the home gets its name from its popularity in Florida.

Sun parlors, as their name suggests, were social gathering spaces that merged the outdoors with the indoors. Paired with sash windows to maximize sunlight, the presence of plants in the sunroom fostered an outdoors, health-inducing atmosphere.

By the numbers, some real estate experts say the average return on investment for a sunroom addition is about 60 percent. When you consider that alone, you might be asking yourself why you haven't already gotten it started. Here are some of the ways it adds value to your home.

One of the biggest benefits of a four seasons room is the added living space. In general, any project that increases a home's usable living space will increase its' market value. A four seasons room accomplishes this along with the added intangible benefit of increase connection to the outdoors.

Cost: Versus standard room additions, sunrooms simply cost less. Unless the sunroom is very large and has many high-end features, a standard all-season sunroom can cost thousands of dollars less than a room addition.

The criteria can vary by your location, but to be counted as living space, a sunroom usually needs to use the same heating and cooling source as the rest of the home. The construction method can also have an impact on whether it's considered an official living space.

An 18-by-18-foot space should be roomy enough for a large couch, recliner, armchair, coffee table, television stand, and an end table. These dimensions are also a good fit for 42-inch television screens. For bigger screens, consider an 18-by-20-foot room or larger.

Sunroom Lifespans

That can be anywhere from 10 years through to 50 or even more. While this doesn't mean that you're entitled to upgrades or new technologies, it does mean that if there are any issues with your sunroom in that time, they will be put right at no extra cost to you.

The Framing

A home's framing is its skeleton. Because so much material and skilled labor is required, this is an incredibly expensive part of building a home. While framing may not be as expensive as the foundation or lot, it is typically more costly than other items.

While there's no definitive list of what constitutes a home improvement, a sunroom, swimming pool or pool enclosure are all included. Other improvements like a new HVAC, water heater, or adding storm windows also counts.

What side of the house should a sunroom be on? ›

For the majority of homeowners, sunrooms on the south side of the home will provide better heat and light throughout the year. South-facing rooms will absorb more heat and light, even in colder winter months, and many homeowners prefer the extra warmth these rooms provide.

A sunroom can appear as a cheaper alternative to a full-room addition. While that can be true, it certainly will not have the same return on investment as a full-room addition. Sunrooms usually don't get included in a home's square footage total, which appraisers use to help determine home values.

Four Season Rooms

If you are looking to add year-round living space to your home, a four season room is the best option for you. These rooms are manufactured with thermal breaks throughout the structure and double-pane, high-performance Comfort-Gard® insulated glass, so you can heat and cool your room cost-effectively.

The most obvious benefits of sunrooms are the expansive views they afford and the copious amounts of natural light they provide. Just ten to 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight has be shown to elevate mood, increase alertness, reduce stress, and of course stimulate the production of vitamin D in the skin.

A sunroom can use solar energy for heat in the winter depending on the positioning of the room. A sunroom that is directly south-facing with all day sun exposure will probably heat up to a comfortable temperature most winter days.

Even when the sun is hot in the sky, a sunroom is supposed to be cool. So if your sunroom is letting in too much of the summer heat, it is not doing its job. Excessive sunlight and heat can make your sunroom unbearable. If this happens, the whole purpose of having a sunroom will be defeated.

Do you want a sunroom that catches as much sun as possible throughout the day? If so, build your sunroom on a south-facing section of the house. If you like to watch the sun come up then an east facing position is best, while a west facing room allows you to enjoy the late afternoon sun and sunset.