Once you’ve decided that you want to add more value to your home and have more sunlight within your walls, it can be hard to envision what needs to happen to follow through on your dreams of adding a sunroom. What are the next steps? To make things easier, we’ve broken down each step of the installation process. That way, instead of being overwhelmed, you’re ready for the process moving forward and are prepared to be thoughtful about each of the choices you’ll be asked to make. Here are each of the steps of your sunroom installation.
1. Prepare Your House for an Addition
The first step toward adding on a sunroom is to decide where the sunroom will go and prepare your house. Depending on how your house is situated on the plot and where you’d like the sunroom to go, you may need to cut a large hole in your exterior walls. Otherwise, you can use an existing door as the entrance into your new addition. During this step, you’ll need to make sure you’ve taken the wiring, plumbing and other infrastructure into place before making any changes.
2. Pour the Foundation
Just like the early stages of building your home, the next step to installing your sunroom is to lay a foundation for the space. That is, as long as you’re not building a sunroom on any existing concrete previously used as a patio or carport. The foundation is important because if it’s not poured properly, the sunroom won’t be structurally sound and your new addition won’t last long. During this step, there will be digging and leveling to ensure that everything is done correctly, safely and up to code.
3. Frame the Sunroom
Next in your journey of adding a sunroom is to frame the walls. At Global Solarium, we only use thermally broken aluminum frames because they are durable — meaning they won’t warp or rot over time — and provide insulation to your sunroom. As the walls go up, the framing is sealed to the house to prevent any air or water leakage. All of this works together to allow you to use your sunroom in all four seasons.
4. Install Doors and Windows
During the planning and design stage, you will have decided which type of doors and windows you prefer for your sunroom. Your options for doors include large staging doors, French-style doors and single doors. The windows — the predominant feature of your sunroom — are built to last. Global Solariums uses high-performance dual-pane glass that minimizes ultraviolet and infrared light. These qualities make it so that your windows will reduce the amount of heat transfer between the inside and outside of your sunroom.
5. Install an HVAC System
In order to make your sunroom more comfortable during the summer and winter, you may want to add a heating and cooling system in the space if your existing home’s system can’t be extended. If you do need to add an HVAC system, a popular choice is a ductless heat pump, which allows you to control the temperature in the room. With either route you take, you can rest easy knowing that the room will be well-insulated, optimizing the heat or air conditioning used in your new addition.
6. Add the Touches That Make it Your Own
The last step in the sunroom installation process is to complete all of the final touches that truly make your new home’s addition truly yours. This includes adding vinyl, aluminum or wood interior frame — all of which come in a wide variety of color and finishes to match your style or to be cohesive with your existing home’s design. Other touches, such as adding fixtures, fans, furniture and decorations make the room more comfortable and ready to use.
Now that you’re aware of each step of the installation process, you’re ready to start the journey of adding a sunroom to your home. Global Solariums makes it easy and worry-free by using the highest quality materials and providing installation to a room that you’ll come to love using year-round. You may even begin to wonder how you ever had a house without a sunroom!
If you have any questions about adding a sunroom to your home or if you’re looking to become a dealer call the experts at (800) 810-7666. Global Solarium has been providing excellent dealer service in the Portland OR, Los Angeles CA, – Sacramento CA,– San Jose CA, – San Francisco CA, – Salt Lake City UT, – Seattle WA, and Spokane WA areas.