Converting screen porch to sunroom during winter
sojay
13 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (11)
john_hyatt
13 years agosojay
13 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 MoreHow many people have added porches/sunrooms to older home?
Comments (3)We installed a functional, commercial lean-to greenhouse with plexiglass panels against one ell of our house. Put in a gas fireplace and it is heated in winter and used year round. It is 12 x24 and multifunctional now. We keep it heated in winter, at one time it was used as an office for my business, and forced into use as a place to overwinter nursery stock for propagating. Since my business has been phasing down and is now phased out we simply use it now as a great buffer zone against the elements. My back door and two other household doors remain open to it year round. I have a fountain in there and hang ferns in winter. It has brick floors and is a great transition room from our outdoor activities to inside activities.......home for coat racks, boots and animals who shoot out our back door without leashes, lol. Gets a good amount of solar gain and helps our heat bills too. We have a ventilator fan at its apex to pull out heat, have a shade cloth we can use in summer, and a storm door for the outside entrance, so we can screen in summer. I can't imagine not having it now and it's a lot handier than the creaky old back porch we pulled off. It's like having both functional outdoor and indoor space added....See MoreSunroom/3 season porch window type?
Comments (2)Thanks PG. I do like the look of the awning windows and the fact that they can block the rain if left open when we are not home. The crank open windows I was trying to describe in my original question are called casement windows I believe. Are these also recommended for sunrooms/porches? I guess a severe storm that is blowing the rain sideways can cause water to get inside through casement windows though. Are casements typically cheaper or more expensive then awning windows? The other option would be sliding windows although again the protection from rain when we are not home is not there. Thanks!...See MoreDeck, screened porch, or 3 or 4 season sunroom
Comments (16)We were mulling over the same question a few years ago. We started out thinking screened porch but then realized how much we needed a 4-season gathering space when we entertained. Friends who had gone the 3-season route told us they were essentially 'no season' rooms because they were too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter (you know Minnesota extremes). So we decided to ante up for a 4-season room and we are so glad we did! We went 16'x24', put in 2 sliding glass patio doors to the deck, plus 8 good-sized windows, and a double French door to the dining room. It is a room of light all year round! We followed our furnace guy's recommendation to put in a gas fireplace for heat and a ductless minisplit for air conditioning. They both work splendidly and we can just turn them off and shut the door to the rest of the house when we're not using the room. We love the room in all seasons. With the help and advice of some very skilled siblings, we did almost all the work ourselves and it cost around $40,000....See Morejohn_hyatt
13 years agoshiane
13 years agoKEVIN
8 years agoam429
8 years agocsellers61
8 years agodawnknapp
8 years agojoan_kimmett1
6 years agoDan D
4 months agolast modified: 4 months ago
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