It is helpful not to be too impulsive when adding a sunroom to your house. It is safe and wise to fully consider and understand some important things about sunrooms before going into this type of home improvement. It is necessary to take into consideration the following: concept of a sunroom; misconceptions about sunrooms; two types of sunrooms; and, cost to add a sunroom.
A sunroom is a general term that refers to a solarium, a patio, a greenhouse, and an atrium. It is an additional room that provides enough sunlight at the same time protection from wind and rain. It is a dream home improvement for many. Yet, before jumping into a project such as this, it is helpful to consider the following things first:
Concept of a sunroom
A sunroom addition would generally do not have a central heating and cooling. It has a lower cost per square footage as compared to other additional rooms in the house. Its primary purpose is to provide ample light for reading and for plants too.
Misconceptions about sunrooms
The following are the three common misconceptions about adding a sunroom:
- Does not need a building permit - it isn't true. You need to secure a building permit when making such addition.
- Cost less compared to a stick-built addition - not always the case. Sometimes, sunrooms could cost more due to a lot of extras and add-ons.
- Does not need a foundation - building a foundation for your sunroom is basically needed, although, the type of requirements for foundations might vary depending on what your localities impose.
Two types of sunrooms
A sunroom is classified into two types:
- Prefabricated sunroom - is also known as greenhouse type. This constitutes mainly aluminum and glass materials. The sunroom is being fabricated in another place and then shipped to your place. You can assemble it yourself or you can ask your supplier to install it for you instead.
- Stick-built - also known as site-built sunroom. This type would require you to a hire a contractor to construct the sunroom as you would have built any regular addition room. The whole job is done on-site such as the laying of foundation, framing of walls and building of roof.
Cost to add a sunroom
A sunroom would vary in its cost. There is sunroom manufacturer that charges $ about 19,000 with about $ 900 for shipping. This is the cost for a large size sunroom, which is about 24 x 15 feet. A medium size, which is 9 x 15 feet, would cost about $ 11,000 and a shipping rate roughly at $ 700.
Unless one is able to give utmost attention to every detail that relates to sunrooms, he won't definitely have a full appreciation of it. In fact, in order to have the best sunroom addition, it is necessary to fully understand the concept of such project.
