
Cost-to-Build Comparison: A screened room can be less than half the cost of a sun room, as screened panels are very cheap to make. There are advantages and disadvantages to all types, but the screened porch has a lot of advantages over the sun room:ġ. We had looked at making our porch a permanent enclosure but it is outrageously expensive to add glass, so the Porch Enclosure Systems product was a great alternative.” PES offers all the same year round living advantages of a sunroom while maintaining the charm of the porch and connection to the outdoors. “We really love our screened porch, but wanted more use of it year round. Laura Gourley, a homeowner in Stevensville, Maryland said she loves her porch and uses it often, but the weather in Maryland is hit or miss. PES roll-up panels being added to this screened porch. The living room remains the living room, and the porch remains a porch. Let Your Porch Be a PorchĪ screened porch, on the other hand, is a quasi-outdoor space, used when the weather permits, and as such, does not end up dominating the home. Once you “glass in” a screened porch, it becomes something that is not a porch – and the room leading to it may also become useless. Why not let porches be porches? For those that love the great outdoors, the point of a porch is to be in the environment, listening to the birds, crickets or water, not in an enclosed space indoors. So, what started out as a nice spot to sit in the shade, out-of-doors, away from the bugs, ends up turning into a family room made of a conductive material, nearly impossible to heat or cool, and kept dark with window shades. The logical next step is to add curtains or other window treatments to the sun room windows.
Built a sun spotter tv#
Once you move the TV out to the sun room, the family room just becomes a hallway to the “main hangout room.” When the sun room becomes the “main hangout room,” the family might start watching TV there during the day as well, when the light through all that glass reflects off the screen, making it hard to see. They then move their furniture out into the sun room, leaving the living room or family room as an unused space between. Suddenly, you have an inefficient room that is a utility bill nightmare to heat and cool. The logical next step is to add space heaters and an air conditioner. They quickly realize that the space is hot in the sun and cold at night or in cold weather. People glass-in screened porches, then try to make them into living space. The contractor’s salesman may suggest the room will be “like a screened porch” if you open up all the windows. If you are building a screen porch, your contractor may suggest building a sun room instead, with the promise that “you will get more use out of it,” the additional cost is not that great, and it will add value to your home in the long run. In many cases, it seems easy to convert your screened porch into a sun room by replacing the screen sections with sliding glass door panels (option 2). Others build on a sun room without ever considering a screen porch. Many people “covert” their screened porch to a sun room, three-season room, Florida room or lanai. It seems like a no-brainer: you want more living space, or to enjoy your outdoor space longer. For true “outdoor” parties you’ll have to build another porch or patio.


You won’t hear sounds of nature and you won’t feel the breeze.You are now officially indoors this area no longer functions as a porch.Requires the necessary building permits for your area.Properly constructed, attractive addition can add considerable value to your home.You’ll have extra space in your home for entertaining.Walls are insulated, so for all practical purposes it becomes additional living space in your home. For our purposes an “addition” is a room with tempered, insulated, UV-protected glass.
Built a sun spotter windows#
Some refer to their addition as a “sun room,” especially if it has many windows and is the sunniest in the house. When converting a screened porch to a sunroom, your options are:ġ. Homeowners decide to convert their screened porch to a sunroom, 3-season room, or to find a way to temporarily enclose it. When you have a great screened porch, you naturally want to use it more often. Many people add a sun room to their home, or convert their screen porch into a sun room.
