When it comes to home improvement projects, an increasing number of Texas homeowners are choosing to install a sunroom, solarium, or conservatory. Although every family has their own reasons for adding a sun room to their home, those who do find that it ends up being the most utilized and most valued space in the home. If you have been reviewing sunroom prices or talking to a sunroom builder, here are five things you should keep in mind:
1. How will you use it? sunrooms and conservatories are more popular than ever, in part because they're so versatile. When you're looking at sunroom designs, think about how your family will use the space. Will it be a home office, a plant room, a guest room, or a place to relax and hang out? Knowing how the space will be utilized will help you decide on a design.
2. Professional or do-it-yourself? Will you have a professional install your sunroom, or are you looking for a sunroom kit? With a bit of time, patience, and knowledge, a DIY sunroom is imminently possible. By the same token, hiring professional installers is still an affordable option - but make sure to get sunroom estimates before you sign on the dotted line.
3. Choose your design. There are many different sunroom plans from which you can choose. For example, in addition to traditional sunrooms, there are studio sunrooms, gabled sunrooms, and split-level sunrooms. The designer you choose should be able to guide you toward a design that will work well with your home's architecture and that will be a good fit with the room's intended use.
4. Embrace energy efficiency. If you're going to invest in a sunroom, make sure that the quality is high enough to be used year-round. For example, a Texas sunroom won't do you any good if you're sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter. A great design, high quality materials, and energy efficiency means that you should be able to get a 100 percent return on your investment within three to five years.
5. Opt for low maintenance materials. Forget the flimsy sunrooms of the past and instead choose construction materials that will last for 20 years or more. You should be able to find a variety of sunroom designs that may use aluminum, vinyl, vinyl-wood composites, and mahogany. In other words, there are sunroom plans and materials for every budget.
Overall, keep in mind that you'll get a better return on your investment if your Texas sunroom is very efficient and is designed to add real, usable square footage to your home. Whether you're going to stay in your home for the foreseeable future, or plan on selling your home in a few years, you can be sure that a sunroom or conservatory will provide you with wonderful living space while also adding to the resale value of your home.
When you are considering building a sunroom in your home, you probably have a good vision of what it is that you want. Perhaps you have had lunch at a friend’s home recently and marveled at the beauty of being able to sit in the glass enclosed room, enjoying the view of the outdoors, while remaining in the comfort of the climate controlled indoors. But you might not yet have any idea of what sunroom construction will cost. The truth is that it depends. If you select an aluminum sunroom conversion of an existing patio or deck, you’re going to pay considerably less than an all-glass wood-framed room that is built from the foundation up. Plus, actually connecting the room to your home’s existing HVAC system will cost more than building it with the intention of heating or cooling it with other means. But, there are a number of factors which will affect your sunroom pricing, and knowing about them ahead of time will help you to make the right decision for you and your family.
One of the Greatest Variables in Sunroom Pricing
One of the greatest variations in sunroom pricing will come from the person or company that you select to build your sunroom. Selecting the correct sunroom contractor is not something that should be taken too lightly, as you are relying on this person or company to do the kind of quality job that will protect your investment in your home. You want to not only be sure that you’re getting a safe, secure construction project completed, but that in the long run the construction will be cost-efficient when it comes to energy savings for heating and cooling it.
The first place to start when looking for a sunroom contractor is through your existing network of friends, family and neighbors. Ask for references from people you know who have already been through the process – they can tell you who to avoid as well as possibly telling you who to use. A good rule of thumb when getting any major work done on your home is to get at least three quotes for the job – free quotes, that is. If someone is not willing to give you the quote for free, that is a sign right there that you need to move on to someone else. Remember that you are not necessarily looking for just the cheapest sunroom construction cost – you are looking for the best quality for the cost. This means quality of the person or company who will be doing the work as well as the quality of the materials that will be used and the guarantee for the work.
Ensure Future sunroom Cost Savings
When you build a sunroom onto your house, you are adding to the expenses that you will pay every month in order to heat and cool it. But, you can reduce these expenses via a couple of different strategies. First, be sure that you get a high level of quality insulation in the construction. By getting your walls and roof properly insulated, you will be able to keep it at the right temperature for less money. Make sure that the windows and skylights are properly sealed and glazed to help deter heat and hold the cooler air in. If you have constructed a room that is not connected to your home’s heating and cooling system, then using fans, space air conditioners and space heaters are another option. You will want to look for models that are controlled by a thermostat so that you can try to keep the room at a relatively constant temperature during the times of year that you are using it, which will be more energy-efficient than starting the heater or cooler over from the extreme end of the temperature range every time that you want to use it.
Saving Money With Do It Yourself sunroom Construction
For those of you who are handy around the home already, then you may want to consider a do it yourself sunroom construction kit. You purchase these kits from sunroom construction companies, and then assemble them on your property. You will need to think about whether or not you have the skill set, the time, the patience, and the friends to help you when you are thinking about doing this kind of construction work yourself. It’s possible that you will be able to do most, but not all of the work on your own. For example, you might need to hire someone to do the grading of the foundation and to pour the slab for you, so that the area is prepared for the installation of the kit.
Even the cost for the kits themselves will vary greatly by the size area that the kit is designed to cover and by the materials that are included. As an idea of what you might be able to save by doing it for yourself, kits can start in the $2.000 area and go as high as $8.000 to $10.000. In comparison, you can pay someone to convert your existing deck or porch to a sunroom for somewhere between approximately $5.000 and $15.000. And in order to have someone do all of the room work from cement to ceiling, with permits, taxes and labor, you could pay as much as $35.000. These sunroom prices will vary greatly from area to area as well.
Selecting the right kit is essential to the sunroom of your dreams. Make sure that the size fits in all the furniture that you plan to place inside it. The size of the sunroom kits should be such that it compliments with the other rooms of the house. Moreover, it should not look as if it is an extra part of your house protruding outside, but it should appear as an integral part of the room beside which it is placed. The sunroom kit includes a number of items with the help of which even you can build your sunroom yourself. But, before purchasing sunroom kits, there are a few factors that you should consider.
Factors To Consider
One of the chief factors that you should keep at the back of your mind is the foundation of the sunroom. It should compile with the codes of the local building. Consider the climatic condition of your area. If in winter your area freezes, you need a foundation that goes around four feet deep below the frost line. This will ensure that the foundation of the sunroom does not contract and expand with the ground depending on the weather. If the area where you want to build the sunroom is a level land, it is best to place slabs to achieve concrete block foundation sunroom. If you can not do so, you will have to place a framed foundation and top it with footings that are concrete. The walls of the peripheral foundation should be of cement block or concrete.
The second factor to consider is the roof. Other than the roof of the prefabricated and all glass sunroom, the other ones generally have roofs that are framed with the aid of joists of varying spacing, sizes and insulation. You can also give skylight opening on the roofs. Make sure that the glass used in the sunroom complies with the safety codes of local buildings. Usually the windows of the roof and the set skylights meet the requirements of safety system.
The third factor to consider while purchasing the do it yourself sunroom kit is the type of wall that you will need. There are mainly three types - PVC, wood and aluminum. The PVC walls have good insulation and require very little maintenance. They are extremely economical and are available in varying colors. The walls of wood will lend an authentic look to the room and requires frequent maintenance. They are costlier than the PVC ones and can be easily painted or stained. The aluminum sunrooms are almost like the PVC ones but it does not have good insulation capability. They are less expensive than wood and more than the PVC ones.
Contents Of The Sunroom kit
Some of the common contents of the sunroom kit include the foundation material, the wall material, the doors and windows, the roofs, nuts and bolts, ball bearing wheels, panels and more. They include roof glazing, wall glazing, selection of single or double pane types, doors that can be easily fit into any place, aluminum frames with hollow tubes in white and bronze color. They are provided with clear wall glazing to allow maximum amount of light transmission. The panels also have solar guard glazing for reducing heat by the maximum amount. The frames can be purchased according to the design that will suit your house best. The frames in white and bronze can give you a finish of baked enamel. They are available in various sizes. You can opt for the Cathedral type with vaulted ceilings and slanting roofs. The Conservatory style uses numerous glasses in the roof that merge into a single beam. You can give a classic touch to your room by styling it in Victorian and Georgian models. They can also be styled in Straight and Curved forms. The Insulation Factor
A sunroom is built with the aim of providing round the year comfort. But to indulge in daily work or enjoy nature sitting in your sunroom, you need to make the glass enclosed area well insulated. In order to maximize insulation, you need to opt for an insulation material with a higher grade. As far as the studs are concerned, it is best to install larger size studs measuring 2X6 for enhanced insulation. Glazing is an important factor that controls the amount of heat and light in and out of your room. It is best to select a high performance material for glazing which can collect the natural light, block the rays of the sun and retain heat if you need it. Thus, make sure that before you purchase the sunroom kit, you have properly chalked out your requirements according to your budget on the size, style, color, walls, panels, and overall appearance of your sunroom. This simple task will provide you with an all season sunroom that will not only keep your comfortable and cozy, but will also enhance the overall appearance of your house.
