Seasonal window cleaning; to screen or not to screen?
caroline94535
10 years ago
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Comments (6)
emma
10 years agoeteinne
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Screened porch or Four Season Room (Sunroom)?
Comments (36)We enclosed our previously screened-in carport, placing two small conventional windows on the SW side, facing our tiny sideyard. Both the SE side (facing our back garden) and NW side have sliding glass doors, the NW doors having glassed-in miniblinds. Both sliding doors have thermal drapes that can be used to cover them completely in weather that is too hot or too cold, and I have both a portable dehumidifier in the SW corner and and a large "end table" automatic quartz heater in the NW corner. I placed three large area carpets over the concrete slab, giving me essentially three different areas in which to arrange things. The slab absorbs both heat and cold, so if I am attentive to the room's needs it is entirely possible to keep it comfortable year round by adjusting the drapes, ventilating, and running the dehumidifier and heater. My sliding glass doors are screened, so on a good day I can open the doors at both ends and have a wonderful breeze through the entire room, and almost have the look and feel of a sun porch *and* a screened in porch, but without the inconveniences. The NE side opens into our tiny dining area, and we have an air conditioner in there. On very hot, humid days, our "sun room" is cooled sufficiently from that and a ceiling fan we added. This is a fairly low cost solution for anyone with a roofed-over carport or garage that they never park in; it's incredible the amount of living space that can be added to a home--it's now the largest room in the house, and the most attractive in terms of view, lighting, and general comfort....See More3 season room screens etc
Comments (5)hee hee....my 3-seasons room has sort of evolved and taken on a life of it's own. When I first designed this house, there was going to be a deck off the diningroom, and a deck off the master, both at the back of the house. I was going to put a water garden between them. then I changed it to 2 screened porches. Then I changed it to one large screen porch, 47' long and 14' wide. Then I changed it to double-hung windows instead of screens (now it's turning into a 3 seasons room). It was supposed to be unheated...but we have since decided to add a nice fireplace and an window air-conditioner so it can be a 4-seasons room. Since it's heat and air are independent of the rest of the house, I can leave the windows open for most of the year and enjoy the sounds of nature, but I can easily close them and make the temperature comfortable on the hottest and coldest days. This room is going to be everyone's favorite beause of the view. There is a huge, double opening french door between the dining room and the sun room so for big family dinners we can just open the doors and make the two areas feel like one big area. I LOVE this design!!...See More3 Season Screen Porch Remodel
Comments (1)You could either use a screened porch kit to build your screened porch on your existing deck or patio - or you could construct columns, roof and frames for the screens....See MoreScreen Porch that converts to 4-season room
Comments (13)I am looking at ReliaBilt windows at Lowes. They are made so the windows come out for cleaning - I will be taking them out and leaving them out for the summer. I will certainly be careful about buying windows with the correct heat gain coefficient and U factor. I am concerned if I do not completely take out the windows, I will still get too much solar gain in the summer from the south facing windows. As to water entering the room: The north wall is the original house wall so there will be no windows there. The east wall is beside a covered porch so no rain will enter there. The south wall could be problematic for sun and rain. I am hoping to minimize these problems by having a 2-ft roof overhang and then running an 18" awning type porch valance across the overhang. The west wall will also have a 2-ft overhang. These windows will have awnings to help protect the interior from sun and rain. I do plan to fully insulate the room and to use a direct-vent gas stove to warm it in the winter. I don't plan to cool the room at all. I will install 2 ceiling fans (the room will be 16 x16). I live in the mid-atlantic region. I looked at the Harvey Industries system, but they are not located near me. I plan on having a regular foundation. I appreciate all the comments....See Moreoldfixer
10 years agoemma
10 years agorockpine
10 years ago
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