Building a sunroom is one of the best ways to enhance your daily quality of life. Not only does it add valuable square footage to your house — a sunroom can increase your exposure to natural light, curb your utility costs, boost your mood, and ultimately provide a gorgeous centerpiece for your home.
But the decision to take the plunge can feel overwhelming! Here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind about building a sunroom.
Set your budget
The price range for a sunroom install is huge and depends on a wide array of variables. At the lower end of the price range, a prefabricated solarium kit starts at $8,000. The upper range is around $80,000, but as with any fully customizable project, the sky is really the limit. Global Solarium customers usually end up spending between $10,000 and $30,000 on their sunrooms.
To get the most out of your new sunroom, you’ll also want to factor in the cost of finishing and furnishing your space. Flooring, furniture, paint, and decorations will range in price depending on your style and vision.
Consider the pros and cons of a contractor
Global Solarium’s prefab solariums have everything you need to build a stunning addition, making them an ideal home improvement project for any handy and budget-conscious DIYers. Working from a kit, rather than from scratch, will also make it easier to schedule inspections and acquire permits. But even if you elect to purchase a prefab kit, you may still decide to hire a contractor to guide you through the installation.
A good contractor will also be able to walk you through any permitting regulations relevant to the project — different municipalities have different laws surrounding safety regulations, setbacks, and other zoning considerations. By guiding you through the entire process, a contractor will also help ensure that you’ll be able to claim the additional square footage if the time comes to sell your home, guaranteeing you the best possible return on your investment.
Three-season or four-season?
Not all sunrooms are built equally: There are four-season sunrooms, which act more as a full addition to your home and connect to your existing heating and cooling systems, and three-season sunrooms, which are easier and cheaper to build but lack the infrastructure needed for full climate control.
Even if you choose to build a three-season sunroom, there are plenty of other ways to help keep the space cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Strategically-placed hinged windows can help establish a cross breeze on a hot day, while a ceiling fan will keep the air moving. In the cooler months, electric space heaters are an effective tool to keep your addition toasty and cozy. And don’t underestimate the power of good insulation — Global Solarium uses high-performance dual-pane glass and thermally broken frames. Our thoughtfully designed windows and aluminum sunroom parts minimize the transfer of cold and heat between the interior and exterior of your sunroom.
Both three-season and four-season sunrooms typically involve building a foundation (though that’s not universal, either! Some sunrooms are built on existing decks, or include live dirt floors for flora-friendly spaces used primarily to cultivate plants).
Remember that every house is different, and any potential sunroom addition should enhance whatever makes your home special.
Pick the right location
Where should your sunroom go? There’s no single right answer, and it depends on how you want to use the space. If your main objective is to maximize the natural light, you’ll likely look for a spot on the south side of your home (for Northern Hemisphere dwellers, that is). Sunrise lovers will want an unobstructed view to the east; sunset lovers, a view of the west. If your main consideration is privacy, you’ll likely want to install your sunroom on the backside of your house. It’s truly up to you.
You’ll also want to weigh the practical considerations of the plot of land you plan to build the sunroom on. For example, it’s possible to build a sunroom on a slope, but the project will likely be more expensive and require the expertise of a contractor.
Make sure you want a sunroom for YOU
While a sunroom will add value to your property, it’s not a home improvement project that guarantees a very high ROI. HomeAdvisor estimates that people who install sunrooms typically recoup around half of their investment in the home’s sale price, making it one of the less lucrative additions a homeowner can build. A well-staged sunroom can nevertheless become the focal point of your home when it goes on the market, and it has the potential to make a residence much more attractive to prospective buyers.
However, the value of a sunroom is deeper than that. From a practical standpoint, it’s a place to fully enjoy all the benefits and natural light of the outdoors while remaining shielded from the less pleasant elements (rain, wind, and bugs, to name a few). But building a sunroom means creating a sanctuary — whatever a sanctuary means to you. Relax, gather, play, entertain. Soak up the rays in the dead of winter, or curl up with a book, or savor a leisurely Sunday breakfast, or sweat out a workout.
Yes, sunrooms are appealing to homebuyers. They have the potential to add value to your house. But before you embark upon such an exciting project, think about why you want a sunroom — how it will enhance daily life for you and your family? More than any other consideration, that vision should guide you.
Global Solarium is a top-quality provider of sunrooms, conservatories, skylights, sunroom materials, and solarium repair services. If you’re weighing options for solariums near me, call us at 800-810-7666 or email us at info@globalsolariums.com. We offer dealer service in Portland OR, Los Angeles CA, Sacramento CA, San Jose CA, San Francisco CA, Salt Lake City UT, Seattle WA, and Spokane WA.