Highlights
Both sunrooms and screened porches offer loads of natural light.
Sunrooms are better for year-round usage.
Screened porches are best in the early spring to summer.
Sunrooms cost between $20,000 and $72,000, while screened porches cost between $4,500 and $22,000.
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When choosing a sunroom versus a screened porch for an outdoor home addition, many homeowners aren't sure what's the right option—and for good reason. Both types of additional living spaces add natural light to your home, give you a space to enjoy nature (without the bugs and sometimes without the heat, too), and can even increase the value of your home. But which is right for your home and budget? Below, we’ll cover some pros and cons of sunrooms vs. screened porches, and how to tell when one’s a better option for you.
Sunroom vs. Screened Porch: Key Differences
The primary difference between a sunroom and a screened porch is that a sunroom is a fully enclosed room added onto your home, complete with finished walls, insulation, a finished interior, and, usually, some type of heating and cooling system. A screened porch has columns that support the roof, but the walls aren’t finished like they are in a sunroom or the rest of your home. Instead, they feature screens that provide ample airflow, but don’t insulate the space inside.
What Is a Sunroom?
Photo: Ursula Page / Shutterstock
First off, what is a sunroom? A sunroom is an additional living space in your home that you can enjoy year-round. It's designed to give you access to natural light and the feeling of being in nature while keeping you protected from bugs and the outdoor temperatures. Also, its four-season availability makes it an attractive upgrade for most homeowners planning a home addition.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tons of natural light | Expensive |
| Temperature controlled | Higher maintenance costs |
| Add value to home | Limited privacy |
| Energy efficient | Less ventilation |
Best For: Homeowners looking to be close to nature and have natural light year-round, while remaining safe from bugs and outdoor temperatures.
Pros
Sunrooms make worthwhile additions to your home for a number of reasons. For example, they’re great if you love being enveloped in natural light but aren’t a huge fan of battling the elements, like the scorching sun and pesky bugs. Let’s dive into a few other pros of having a sunroom.
Temperature-Controlled
Since sunrooms are finished additions to your home complete with insulation and rigid walls, you can easily add heating and cooling systems to them or tie them into your existing HVAC system. If you want to extend your HVAC system into your sunroom, you’ll need to see if it can handle the additional square footage.
Even if you don’t want the added expense of heating and cooling the space, sunrooms are glass enclosures, which means they can naturally maintain a comfortable temperature during certain parts of the year.
Natural Light
Natural light can feel like a breath of fresh air before you start your day or after a long one. And sunrooms have an ample supply of it. They’re designed to allow you to enjoy the sun and all its phases throughout the day without requiring you to battle the less enjoyable aspects of the outdoors, like uncomfortable temperatures and bugs.
Perfect for Quiet Time
Ever wanted a quiet place to kick your feet up and relax? Sunrooms are a great place to read a good book away from the nonstop activity inside your home. You can add some soundproofing between your living space and the home addition to maintain a tranquil area to relax. Sunrooms are also perfect for homeowners who want somewhere to sit and do nothing but enjoy nature.
Four-Season Access
Regular porches limit how much you can enjoy the seasonal weather before looking for shelter indoors. On the other hand, sunrooms with proper temperature control allow you to sit outside year-round in comfort. Want to watch the rainfall without actually getting rained on? Sunrooms are the way to go.
Cons
Building a sunroom isn’t always complete bliss. In some situations, it can feel like more of a burden than a blessing. Below, we’ll look at some of its flaws that you should consider.
Cost
Sunrooms cost between $20,000 and $72,000. The costs can fluctuate greatly—sometimes up to $140,000—depending on materials, add-ons, furnishings, and style. If it’s a special build or you’re installing lots of insulation, expect the project to start around $25,000.
Not everyone wants to add a sunroom to their home at the same price point as adding a primary room. Which begs the question: How do you build a sunroom on a budget? A few ways you can save money on a sunroom addition is by using a prefab sunroom, opting for a model with a smaller size, and foregoing expensive (but convenient) features like heating and cooling.
Upkeep
Sunrooms are additions to your home that require regular maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape. Some maintenance requirements include regular cleaning, pest control, checking for damages that can affect its safety and functionality, and cleaning your sunroom’s furniture. While they’re great ways to enjoy the outdoors, they also add a new set of responsibilities to your plate.
Limited Privacy
One of the many benefits of sunrooms is that you can enjoy the outside world without being entirely outside. But it’s mostly glass design makes it easy for people to see inside your sunroom. This can be a problem if you live in a crowded neighborhood and would prefer not to have your home feel like it's on full display for anyone who wants to look. If this is an issue for you, one way to combat it is by installing shades you can open and close as needed.
What Is a Screened Porch?
Photo: Pipas Imagery / Shutterstock
A screened porch is an upgrade from a traditional porch, which gives full access to any four-legged animal or bug that might want to visit you. Instead, it’s a roof-covered, screened-in room that allows you to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors while protecting you from unwanted visitors. Plus, its cozy design gives you a unique combination of being protected from rain and the blaring sun, while still getting fresh air and natural light.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Tons of natural light | No heating/cooling |
| Plenty of ventilation | Limited privacy |
| Less expensive maintenance | Can still be costly |
| Increases property value | Not suitable year-round |
Best For: Homeowners looking for a more affordable home addition that provides ample ventilation and connection to nature.
Pros
Depending on where you live, building a screened porch can be the ideal way to make the outdoors an enjoyable experience instead of an uncomfortable one. A place to sit outside and enjoy a quick meal without fighting off flies? Yes, please. Let’s cover why homeowners opt for a screened-in outdoor living space.
Good for Entertaining
Screened porches are an extension of your home, which makes them perfect for entertaining. They give you more entertainment space and let guests mingle inside or step outside to enjoy the fresh air. Plus, it’s also an excellent middle ground for guests who are outside and want to get out of the direct sunlight but don't want to track up your house. Win-win!
Access to Nature and Fresh Air
Nothing’s better than hearing the birds chirp and feeling that cool autumn breeze—all while still being (for the most part) inside. That’s one reason homeowners love screened porches; you’re not directly exposed to the elements, but can still enjoy just about everything nature has to offer.
Can Use Existing Outdoor Structure
If you have an existing porch or deck in good shape, you can save money on your home addition project by screening in your existing structure. While this doesn’t mean you can’t build an entirely new screened porch, it does mean you can save a hefty construction fee, and some planning and permit costs by building on a porch you already have.
However, it’s important to mention that if your porch isn’t in good shape, you’ll want to talk with your pro to see whether repairing or tearing it down and replacing it would be the best choice.
Additional Living Space
Even if you’re not looking for more space for your guests, screened porches still provide you and your family with additional living space. Unlike traditional porches, these home additions let you comfortably relax outdoors without worrying about pesky bugs and critters. Plus, if you have kids or pets, it’s a great way to let them leave the house while still being enclosed in the safety of your porch.
Cons
While screened porches can boost your curb appeal and be a great selling point for potential buyers, they can come with challenges. Before planning your outdoor home addition, you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of a screened-in porch against your needs. Below, we’ll look at some flaws worth considering when looking into an enclosed porch.
Cost
Adding a screened porch to your home is less expensive than adding a sunroom, but it will still cost around $5,000 to build from scratch. Prices can go as high as $22,000, depending on the size, add-ons, and materials. You should also include recurring costs, such as the cost to rescreen your porch on occasion.
Maintenance
The screen is one of its features that makes a screened porch so appealing to homeowners, but it’s also what makes it high maintenance. Like any screen, it’s prone to rips and tears from interior and exterior sources like pet claws, branches, and debris. And once a screen rips on your porch, it’s more likely to let bugs inside. Also, dust and dirt can build up, meaning you’ll need to clean your screen to keep it looking its best.
If you’re not interested in maintaining an additional space that might require replacing some parts, this is something to keep in mind. One way to decrease how often you’ll need to rescreen your porch is by looking into different types of screens for porches and choosing one that works best for your needs.
Vulnerable to the Elements
Yes, screened porches let you enjoy the calming sounds of nature and fresh air, but this also means that there’s less protection from the weather than you’d enjoy from a sunroom. If it’s raining, you and your furniture can still get wet since screens don’t completely stop the rain from entering. Also, you’ll still feel the full effects of the hottest summer and coldest winter days since screened porches aren’t built to withstand those conditions, and strong winds can make sitting in your screened porch unenjoyable.
Sunroom vs. Screened Porch
As you can see, sunrooms and screened porches offer great benefits for homeowners looking to elevate their outdoor living space. But while they look good on paper, how do they compare head to head? The factors below can help you decide which additional living space is right for your home.
Purpose: Tie
When debating a sunroom versus screened porch, the first question to ask yourself is how you will use it. Both types of living spaces offer different benefits, but considering your specific lifestyle needs or wants can help you hone in on what’s most advantageous and cost-effective for your family.
If you’re someone who enjoys hosting parties or likes sitting outside in the fresh air, but dislikes mosquitos and other bugs, an enclosed porch could be a great choice. If, on the other hand, you’re looking to maximize property value or want to use your space year-round, a four-season sunroom could offer more benefits.
Climate: Sunroom
Do you enjoy the cool spring and summer air while drinking your morning coffee? Or do you prefer a temperature-controlled room year-round? Where you live—and if you enjoy being outside where you live—can also help you decide between a sunroom and a screened porch.
While you can use sunrooms year-round, porches are often best for only two or three seasons. The only related drawbacks to a sunroom are the higher installation cost and less ventilation.
Cost: Screened Porch
Installing a screened porch requires fewer materials than adding a sunroom to your home. You won’t need high-end flooring, insulation, drywall, or as much HVAC and electrical work. Estimates and final price tags tend to reflect this.
For example, if after cleaning your deck patio, you decide to install a porch kit with basic screens, you might only spend $1,800 to $2,500. A sunroom costs around $47,000, on average, and the lowest price you can expect is around $5,000. If a budget-friendly addition is your goal, a screened porch is the better option.
You could also consider budget-friendly compromises, such as winterizing your screened-in porch by installing space heaters. You’ll pay a little more for your porch, but far less than you’d pay for a sunroom and still get to enjoy the outdoors a little longer.
Resale Value: Sunroom
Property value is also a key factor when weighing sunrooms versus screened porches. Generally speaking, a sunroom addition, which adds year-round square footage to your home, will boost the property value of your home more than a screened porch. It’ll cost more, but you could recoup what you pay when you go to sell.
That said, the type of sunroom you install could actually be a deterrent. For example, higher-end builds with less insulation (such as a glass solarium, conservatory, or garden room) could be a deterrent for some potential buyers.
Options and Customizations: Sunroom
Both screened porches and sunrooms let you customize your addition based on your needs. But since they’re different structures, your customization options are slightly different, and you’ll be able to customize more with a sunroom addition.
For example, you can choose between different screen types, layouts, furniture, lighting, decor, and flooring for a screened porch (and there are tons of screened-in porch ideas to help you really make it your own). However, since screened porches are more vulnerable to the weather, you’ll be more limited on how to customize your addition to fit your needs, especially in terms of electrical connection, flooring, wall finishings, furnishings, and more.
Sunrooms offer customization for layout, design, utility systems, and the type of glass and windows.
Maintenance: Tie
When considering screened in porches versus sunrooms, both options require regular maintenance to ensure they look and function well. A screened porch needs its screens cleaned from dirt and debris and inspected to make sure there aren’t any rips and tears in it. You’ll also need to keep up with your outdoor furniture, periodically reseal your floors, and apply fresh caulk to prevent bugs from getting in.
A sunroom requires you to clean its interior and exterior, inspect its insulation and HVAC system, and look for leaky seals and damaged framing. Some of the interior maintenance is reduced, though, since there’s less direct exposure to the elements.
Generally speaking, you’ll spend more on maintenance for a sunroom, but you’ll need to do maintenance more often on a screened porch.
Ease of Installation: Screened Porch
Once you sign the contract and the project starts, a screened-in porch takes between four and six weeks to install, or around one to two weeks if you’re converting an existing deck to a screened porch.
Building a prefab sunroom can take a few weeks as well, depending on its complexity. However, custom sunroom builds may take months to complete and will almost always take longer than a screened porch due to the greater labor requirements.
Which Additional Living Space Is Right for You?
If you love nature, are on a budget, or want to do the work yourself on an existing deck or porch, a screened porch is your best bet. If you prefer moderate temperatures, want to increase your property value, or just add more year-round space to your home, a sunroom is the way to go. If you’re still debating between an enclosed porch versus a sunroom, talk to a local sunroom contractor for information to help you decide.
