What kind of floor is better and more cost efficient?

2 years ago

I'm in the very early process of adding a four-season sunroom onto the back of my house.

My house is an older home, built in the 1930s, and small, roughly 850SF. At the same time, I would add the sunroom, I'd also have the kitchen done, as the sunroom would come off the kitchen.

The kitchen is a project all its own, given it's a rectangle, roughly 8 x 15, and the current layout is awful, to say the least. Also, the house was used as a rental for several years before I bought it so everything in it is substandard. In addition, because the layout is so odd in the house, the dining room is tiny, tiny, tiny, and is just outside my bedroom.

It's just me and my dog, but I'd like more room to move about the house. I've considered moving the dining area to the sunroom and making the dining area a sitting area, complete with an overstuffed chair and lamp. Something kind of cozy.

One thing I'm considering is a concrete floor, glossed to look beautiful, for the sunroom. While cost IS a consideration, I was hoping professionals and those who have done this before could/would advise me as to whether or not a concrete floor is a better idea than a build up to the height of the back door, then going with a wooden floor? I'm not thinking just concrete and move on, but something that looks attractive.

(Finally, this is my forever home, only paid $26000 for it seven years ago and it will be paid off in three more years. It's not about "selling the house and getting something bigger. It's about adding onto my existing home to better suit my needs.)

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Comments (7)

Sharon Fullen
2 years ago
The first to getting support via the forum is to provide ample pictures and layout diagrams. There are often multiple ways to accomplish your desires but without seeing things we are just guessing. You have several questions rambled together so i’d start with providing more info such as priority, budget, DIY capability and planning.

You asked about flooring in title. The “best” is affected by lots of factors and “cost efficient” isn't the same for everyone. A top quality hardwood floor is a big budget item but it’s long-lasting beauty and ability to be refinished and updated makes it a wise long investment.

Why not give us more info and start breaking down your most critical questions? Don't forget to provide us with some inspiration pictures so we can address your design and style needs.
Nancy Marine
Original Author
2 years ago
I'm not looking for a full-blown quote on a floor for a sunroom. I'm looking for general advice and ideas, particularly as it pertains to a treated concrete floor vs. a raised wooden floor.

I'm three years away from this even coming to fruition, so asking me for an actual architectural rendering is WAY premature. I'm looking for the thoughts of professionals and people who have done this before.
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jmm1837
2 years ago
OP- without some idea, even a rough sketch, of the current layout and type proposed layout, along with an idea of orientation and elevation, it's very hard to give you any meaningful suggestions. No one is asking for final drawings, but some idea of the style and layout of what you're considering would generate more useful replies.

In the absence of more info, I would go for wood over concrete every time. The latter is just too tough on aging feet and backs.
Nancy Marine
Original Author
2 years ago
What I'm considering is a four-season sunroom added onto the back of my house, which will become an extension of the kitchen.

This is the extent of where I'm at. I'm on what is my step 1, which is the floor. Do I have a contractor pour a concrete floor and gloss it up, adding two steps for stepdown from the kitchen to the sunroom? Or do I have them bring it two steps up, thus no steps at all, and do a wooden floor?

Anything else will require my coming back in about three years, once I have the plans drawn and a couple of quotes from contractors.

A real estate agent recommended I come here for some good ideas, and that it would be easy to separate the wheat from the chaff, as far as commenters go.

All of this being said, this is my first question and it's already exhausting and tedious. I didn't realize it would be so hard to get a conversation going and spitball some ideas around with people who have "been there, done that."

I'm done with this site and especially these boards. I guess it's my bad to expect people to simply have a conversation w/o using flash cards, a precise drawing from an architect, and color chips already in place.

Sorry to have bothered you with my mundane desire to just discuss.
alwayscold
2 years ago
Nancy, if you are still around…..I haven’t been there done that however I have an opinion for you to consider! With the size of the house and the remodeling you are looking at doing have the 4 season room be on the same level of the rest of the house. A step or 2 down now may be a less expensive route but in the long run I think you will regret not having all 1 level. If not for your mobility one day your pup’s. The step down will also call out “addition”. The other thing with a concrete floor is your location. I tried to go with a concrete floor once in a northern region knowing I was using rugs anyway, it didn’t last and we put in an engineered wood floor. Keeping it all one level and the same floor as the kitchen offers you more flexibility for changing the rooms purpose. You may find in the process you want the addition to be more opened up versus and entry with steps. Try searching the site for sunroom additions and read through what people did with theirs and pay attention to how they handled the floors. Hopefully you haven’t given up on the site yet, yes there are many who want lots of details before they can weigh in, but with some patience you will find others will engage with less details.
ci_lantro
2 years ago
Keeping it all one level is the ideal.

But there can be good reasons why that won't work without being very expensive--the roof, for example. Tying in the new addition roof to the existing. Whereas a step down addition may be a lot easier & less expensive.

OTOH, climate and how the house is sited (grade, etc.) can tip the scale back to putting the new sunroom onto a raised foundation.

So, really, pictures of the exterior are needed a lot more than a floorplan at this stage. And, it sounds like your idea to use the sunroom as an extension of the kitchen (dining) is solid. (Which heavily weights the plan back to going with all one level.)
Shannon_WI
2 years ago
"this is my first question and it's already exhausting and tedious."

Since you said this after just two comments to your OP, I don't think renovation of anything is for you. Renovations are tiring, frustrating, take a long time, and contractors frequently are not responsive and have other jobs ahead of yours. If just two comments are bothering you--and they did give you advice not to proceed with concrete--I cannot fathom how you will manage any home improvements. You will either have to have a paradigm change in your mindset about renovations, or not proceed.

What kind of floor is better and more cost efficient?

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Sharon Fullen

Nancy Marine
Original Author

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What kind of floor is better and more cost efficient?

Comments (7)

Sharon Fullen

Nancy MarineOriginal Author

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jmm1837

Nancy MarineOriginal Author

alwayscold

ci_lantro

Shannon_WI

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Nancy Marine
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Nancy Marine
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