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.

You have very few choices. No type of vinyl will work...no vinyl plank, vinyl, Luxury vinyl, etc etc etc. No laminate, no wood. Possibly a floating vinyl fiber floor with a large expansion gap could work but will not be manufacturer approved. Carpet or Porcelain ceramic tile will work and can be warranted. That is really about it. This is why most have carpet. Sorry. Other posters may disagree somewhat, but you can take this info as fact. We sell it all and have seen it all. We had 5000 sq ft of vinyl plank blow up 6 weeks ago because it was laid without proper heating source installed yet, than it got warm and it lifted 3 inches off the floor in spots. Tore it all out. Good Luck.

Well I get this question so often. I think if you want a four season room then just build an addition and get it over with. I live in the Northeast and I love my porch, but I really can't use it in the winter. But thru the Spring, Summer and Fall its' just great. Thats where I read my Sunday paper! Where I fall asleep or hang around with my kids. In late fall, when it really starts getting cold, we close it up for the winter. The three seasons we get out of it each year is something we look forwar to opening is the Spring. Can't you give up that one season! In my opinion a four season room is just another room added to the home. But the screen porch, oh - the breeze. Here is a link that might be useful: My Album

jane ny, I was in a similar situation last year. For me the sequence was paint first, then flooring, then baseboards, But it looks like you may have baseboards already installed. Painting first worked for me because I did it myself and there were spatters on the subloor before I was finished. You might want to check on whether your subfloor is indeed covered with plywood, because you may need an underlayment before installing your floor, depending on what you choose. Best to check where you buy the flooring. With some help from a friend who knew what he was doing and owns a Skill Saw, I installed a plywood underlayment in less than two hours. I too wanted tile with a slate or similar look, but the room was already over budget (long story) and I chose to spend my money on high end French doors because the floor could always be changed later. I got some advice from the flooring forum while deciding. You can always post a message there before you proceed. We narrowed floor choices down to either loose-laid sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles. My friend chose the tiles because the color and pattern seemed to fit well in the sunroom/porch. The original intention was to keep those tiles for about a year while I shop for tile and find a good tile installer. But the floor has held up well, despite some abuse like beach sand, rain coming in when some airhead (