Unless you’re a vampire, you would be hard-pressed to find fault in plenty of sunshine streaming through the windows of your home. While a picture window or even a skylight is nice for letting in natural light, nothing is quite like a window-lined sunroom.
[10 Ways to Brighten A Room – And Your Home]
What Is a Sunroom?
A sunroom is a fully enclosed room connected to the house, often at the side or back, although it could really be anywhere that gets the most sun exposure on the property. The sunroom walls have multiple large windows — some might even be floor-to-ceiling in design — that flood the space with natural light and are often screened for ventilation.
The roof and frame of the sunroom are built from the same materials as the rest of the home, though there might be a skylight installed in some sunroom roofs. But don’t confuse that with a solarium, which is an enclosed room with a full glass roof.
Sunroom is a convenient enough name, but it also goes by Florida room. Some are called Arizona rooms, or at least many in the Grand Canyon State are. A more utilitarian moniker might be a three- or four-season room; the latter is determined by the installation of an HVAC system that allows it to be enjoyed no matter the temperature.
[How to Decorate with Sage Green for an Earthy Home Aesthetic]
The Draw of a Sunroom
Sunrooms offer the best of both worlds: You can enjoy the feel of being outdoors within the full coverage of a sturdy roof and walls. With all those windows, it might not be the most private room of the home, but it does offer up extra living space that homeowners crave.
“I didn’t even know that I wanted a sunroom until I saw this house,” says Amy Gorin, a registered dietitian and media coach from Stamford, Connecticut, of her homebuying experience. She and her husband have taken full advantage of the fact that their sunroom was outfitted with heating and cooling and have turned the place into a second living room, complete with a TV.
One might think sunny days are the best times to spend time in the sunroom; Gorin’s cats would certainly agree. But Gorin says she especially loves being there to hear “the surround sound of the rain.”
If there’s a drawback of having a sunroom, it’s that there is indeed too much of a good thing at times.
Gorin had the forethought to choose light colors for the rug and furniture in the sunroom, but she has noticed the throw pillows have faded in the strong sunlight. “It’s so bright, and the windows aren’t UV windows,” she says. “If we sit there during the day, we do put sunscreen on.”
Al Ruggie, marketing director of ASAP Restoration LLC in the greater Phoenix area, knows all about it. The company builds just about everything, including sunrooms, the latter of which can be difficult in a region that he says can get “nuclear hot.”
In Ruggie’s neck of the woods, sunrooms or Arizona rooms are often converted from carports or garages. This leads to awkward roof lines, which often have to be augmented, he says. But there’s an even bigger problem with heating and cooling the space.
“Air conditioning in these rooms is a necessity in Arizona because otherwise, this room especially would become a small oven,” Ruggie says. “Since these rooms are typically additions, they almost never have HVAC already run into the area, and doing so would be prohibitive from a cost-benefit perspective.” Most people wind up installing window units or mini-splits so they have a better chance of actually using it in the summer, says Ruggie.
The Cost of Adding a Sunroom to Your Home
As with all home improvement projects, the cost of adding a sunroom depends on various factors, including its size, design and the quality of materials.
A small sunroom might cost around $22,000, while a more luxurious sunroom could run upward of $72,000, according to Angie Hicks, co-founder of home improvement network and information company Angi, who adds the potential ROI is 49%.
Could you DIY it? Possibly, but it’s a big project, and Hicks advises that you “make sure you have the time, tools and talent to do so.” Prefabricated kits are the way to go, although they will be modest in design. If you want something more elaborate, hire a pro.
“For most sunroom installations, you’ll need contractors to pour a foundation, install insulation and windows, wire electricity, put in an HVAC system and various other tasks that require specialized knowledge and training. In many cases, local building codes will require a professional sunroom contractor near you to sign off on the plans,” says Hicks.
[Read: 12 Home Improvements That Don’t Add Value]
Is a Sunroom Right for Your Home?
Not to throw shade on sunrooms, but despite a nice ROI, adding one to a home isn’t always the right move, according to James Wang, founder and CEO of REAI, an AI platform that serves the real estate industry, in Palo Alto, California.
While it depends on your circumstances and the nature of the property itself, Wang says, “Adding a nice deck or patio might be a relatively cheaper solution to have extra activity space while completing a basement or even living space in the attic might add extra space with better ROI sometimes.”
How a sunroom connects to the rest of the house is key, says Candice Krasovec, a Seattle-based certified appraiser and founder and CEO of Inside Values, an appraisal firm.
“If you are building a sunroom that is open to the current living area and not separated by a door, [it] can potentially add to your living area and create a much bigger return on your investment,” Krasovec says. “If you have it closed off and separated, then the return will be much less than what you most likely spent on it to build it.”
French doors happen to be at the entrance of Gorin’s sunroom, but that didn’t bother her or her husband. She recalls how it felt touring the home, saying, “I didn’t know that I wanted this, but now that I see it, I definitely want it.” It’s become a favorite spot for their friends, too, some of whom “literally fall asleep in there” when they visit.
“It’s very calming for everyone,” Gorin says of her sunroom.
More from U.S. News
Are Same-Color Rooms the New Trend?
How to Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays
How to Use Ambient Lighting for a Cozier Home
Are Sunrooms Worth the Investment? originally appeared on usnews.com
