Build Your Sunroom in Stages: Start Small
You’ve been contemplating it for a while now: adding a sunroom onto your home. Every time you visit a family member or friend, you spend the majority of your time in theirs; you find yourself wishing your own patio could have controlled air, and the idea of not being able to enjoy the outdoors and indoors at once upsets you. With all the benefits a sunroom can bring, we’re right there with you.
While there are undoubtedly numerous and creative ways to take advantage of the benefits a sunroom offers, not everyone is ready to make the type of investment a sunroom requires. There are a lot of considerations a homeowner must ask before beginning construction on such a significant addition to their home. For some, the upfront costs can be prohibitive. The labor and materials that the construction of a sunroom requires can be quite high, and furnishing the room only adds to the expense. For others, there is sometimes concern about how the room will look when it is finished. It is one thing to see a model or design in a book, it is quite another to erect a large edifice onto the side of your house. Making sure the sunroom matches the overall design and style of the rest of the house can cause some homeowners to drop the idea of a sunroom entirely.
It is regrettable that some homeowners never get to enjoy the benefits that a sunroom can provide, particularly because it is possible to address the concerns listed above while still building a sunroom. An increasingly common practice is to build the sunroom in stages, which allows homeowners to spread out the costs over time and gradually match the style to the overall theme of the house. A smart homeowner will build the sunroom in a way that allows him or her to enjoy the benefits from the very first stage.
Stage One: The Patio
The patio is the first step in building your sunroom. A patio is typically a relatively simple and inexpensive project that involves pouring a foundation of concrete and adding outdoor furniture such as a table, chairs, and maybe a fire pit or barbeque. Patios are perfect for an outdoor party, or simply for enjoying a sunny afternoon with your family. Patios are a logical first step in building a sunroom because they serve as the foundation for the eventual room itself.
Stage Two: Patio Covers and Pergolas
The next step in building a sunroom is to create what is essentially a roof extension on your home. To do this, you can choose to construct either a patio cover or a pergola. A patio cover is essentially just a simple roof that extends over the patio, providing shade on sunny days and helping anyone under the patio cover keep cool. Pergolas are more of a stylized cover that provides somewhat less shade but is more aesthetically appealing. Many homeowners add vines or flowers to their pergola to enhance its appearance as well.
Stage Three: Sunroom
If you are happy with your patio and patio cover, it is only a matter of time before you will choose to finish what you started. Our builders will be able to utilize the already constructed pieces of the sunroom (foundation and roofing) and convert them into a well-lit and cozy sunroom. The functionality and value of the space will be improved dramatically once it is converted from a covered patio into a sunroom. Instead of sitting in weathered outdoor furniture, you can lounge and read a book on a comfy sofa! If after building a sunroom you find that you miss having a patio for barbeques and sunbathing, not to worry! We can simply build a patio next to your brand new sunroom!