Sunrooms were originally designed to offer plants and flowers an environment in which they could flourish.  Popular among wealthy Britons in the Victorian era, sunrooms (also referred to as conservatories) were also elegant places to linger over breakfast and a newspaper.  The rooms varied in size and design from simple forms to cathedral-style additions in a variety of multi-sided geometric shapes. Modern homeowners are discovering that sunrooms can be a practical alternative to a porch or a deck.  These sun-drenched spaces provide a place to enjoy nature and sunlight while providing shelter from rain and mosquitoes.  In recent years, they have increased in popularity due in part to new construction methods which have made them an affordable luxury. 

Depending on the design, a sunroom can be used all year round or it can be a seasonal room for warm days and nights.  Among their many benefits, sunrooms are typically less expensive to build than a standard room addition.  Before you start digging up your front yard and cutting a hole in your wall, figure out what type of sunroom would work best for your requirements and the home design.

First, consider how you plan to use the room.  Would you like to use it as an office year round or do you intend to use it only in the warmer months?   If you wish to use the room for most of the year, it should be constructed using insulated windows.  Low-emissivity (low-e) coatings and double-pane construction maximize a sunroom’s insulation and make it more economical to heat in winter and cool in summer.  Check the rating on the glass you select to ensure that it provides some ultraviolet radiation protection.  A sunroom is generally considered a non-permanent addition.  This means that it may not count as additional floor space on your next property tax assessment.  You can also use more glass than is allowed in the building codes governing standard additions.  Check with your municipal government.

If you plan to use the room only in the warmer months, you may be able to reduce building costs by using standard windows and less insulation in the walls and floors.   However, building this type of seasonal room can be limiting if you decide later that you could use extra space year-round.  A well-insulated room may also be a greater selling feature if you choose to put your home on the market.

For either year-round or seasonal rooms, you can use floor to ceiling glass or a partial wall (a ‘knee-wall’) for extra privacy and insulation.  It is also recommended to have a door between the sunroom and the rest of your home both for security and to reduce home heating and cooling costs.

Next, consider the placement of the sunroom and the view.  Do you want to enjoy the morning sun or the golden rays of sunset?  Consider when you normally have leisure time; perhaps it is in the morning when you enjoy a workout or in the evening after work.  The view is another placement factor.  Does your property have a view that you would like to enjoy from a sunroom?  It might be a stunning natural feature such as a lake or it might be a beautiful garden you’ve created by hand.  Building the sunroom onto a wall that has few windows is preferable. 

Heat is another important consideration.  As the sun shines into the sunroom it can become uncomfortably warm even with low-emissivity windows.  When planning the placement of a sunroom, keep in mind that deciduous trees can provide shade and reduce the need for air-conditioning.  In the winter, when sunlight is a welcome, warming sight, the trees will be bare, allowing maximum sunlight to flood the room.  Blinds may also be necessary.  Options for sunrooms range from semi-sheer roller blinds to various styles of wooden slat blinds.  Thermal, reflective film is another option.  This coating, which is professionally sealed to the glass, will reduce the amount of sunlight entering a room.  The reflective properties of the coatings make it difficult for passers-by to see into the room.  Although thermal-reflective treatments may seem expensive at first, you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on blinds while maintaining the view.

If you wish to install a spa (Jacuzzi) in your sunroom, it is best to determine this prior to building the structure.  The sunroom will need to be wired for electricity and the floor must be built to bear the weight of the spa.  Planning ahead for a spa can help you avoid the effort and expense of disassembling the spa in order to install it and retrofitting the room.

When it comes to choosing a style of sunroom, it should blend in with the rest of the home.  If you own a rancher for example, an elaborate cathedral-style conservatory may not look as good as you imagine!  A sunroom should be the same height or lower than the roof of your home.  If you plan to have a short wall around the base of the sunroom, choose a building material which matches your home (e.g., wood, brick, stone, etc.).  If there are wooden or aluminum supports in the sunroom walls, you may wish to paint them to match your home’s exterior.

The roof of a sunroom is particularly vulnerable to hail, branches and other unkind acts of Nature.  Tempered glass or certain acrylic materials can withstand some battering without shattering like normal glass.

Consumers can now choose from either custom-built or prefabricated sunrooms.  Some can take as little as a weekend to erect while others may take a few months.  Make an honest assessment of your building skills when making your choice!  Companies which sell prefabricated structures may or may not include labour; it is always possible to hire builders.

Lastly, when you are selecting a style, you have a great many choices.  You may want to have French doors leading onto the backyard, screens to allow a pleasant breeze to pass through, a wood, tile or concrete floor, and perhaps a gas fireplace for warmth.  What do you imagine?  Whatever the size and style of your sunroom, plan and build it well and it will give you and your family years of enjoyment.