Once you’ve decided to increase your home value and upgrade your daily life at home by adding a bonus room to your floorplan, now you have to decide what type of sunroom is right for you. The first question to answer is whether you want a three-season sunroom or a four-season sunroom. Let’s discuss the difference between the two and what benefits there are to comfortably access your new room year-round.
Three seasons vs four-seasons
As the name suggests, a three-season sunroom is built to be used during the warmer months: spring, summer, and fall. The walls are not insulated, so the sunroom is not built for use in the winter. With the Pacific Northwest’s relatively mild winters, this is an option to consider. However, a four-season sunroom comes with its own set of benefits. Its insulated walls keep you warm, even in the heart of winter, with storms that bring with them strong winds, freezing rain, and snowfall. Witnessing these events from the comfort and safety of a cozy sunroom can be a magical experience. This same benefit also applies to those brisk spring and fall days. In fact, you can reap also the benefit of a four-season sunroom during the summer. With energy-efficient windows and insulated walls, your sunroom ends up doing a better job at keeping the cool air inside your home and the warm air out.
Sun during the darkest days
If there’s ever a time of year when we should be savoring sunlight, it is in the winter. With fewer hours of daylight, wintertime for some people brings about depression and a bit of isolation. With a four-season sunroom, you’re able to spend the extra hours you spend indoors in a room that invites the precious sunlight into your home. Once you’re wrapped under a blanket drinking your morning coffee and basking in the first light of the winter sunrise — that is when you’ll truly understand the benefits.
Utility all year round
One perk of having a four-season sunroom is that you can use this extra space in your house regardless of what the calendar says. So, if you need extra space to do your daily yoga or weekend crafts or if you plan to use the space as a home office, making your sunroom useful all throughout the year is hugely beneficial because it means you won’t be limited. No one likes having to rework their routine around the weather. No matter what you want to use your sunroom for, you’ll be grateful that the added floorplan provides you that escape all year long.
Added elements for cozy winter nights
One of the ways you can ensure a four-season sunroom is a room you enjoy even into summer is by choosing a design that is warm and inviting. You can still have a glass ceiling with a four-season sunroom, with a Sun & Stars design, or one that includes curved eaves. What better way to watch the snow flurries dance their way to the ground than by sitting in your sunroom sipping a cup of hot cocoa. To create a warm feeling, consider elements such as natural wood accents, a brick fireplace, and carpeted floors or rugs. All of these elements invite your family and your guests to linger, enjoying the uniqueness of the space in a way that is sure to create lasting memories.