When people are looking for more space in their home, the relatively inexpensive sunroom is often an attractive idea. While a Florida room may be just what some families are looking for, others will find that it fails to address the underlying reasons that they needed more space in the first place.
Before you decide to install a sunroom, instead of a traditional room addition, you should talk to your home addition contractor about why you need more space. They can help you to determine whether or not you will be happy with a solarium.
Is a sunroom addition right for you and your family?
Yes. Adding a sunroom gives you additional square footage in your house at a minimal expense.
It is right for you…
- If you have allergies, a sunroom can provide you with a way to enjoy the outdoors without sniffling, sneezing, and runny eyes.
- If you love the outdoors, but hate bugs and insects.
- If you are looking for a place to truly relax in your house, away from all the noise and stimulation of televisions and computers. Sunrooms are great stress reducers and provide a great place to sit and actually engage in a conversation with your family, play games, or read.
- If you crave sunlight during the winter, but live somewhere it is unpleasant where it is unpleasant to go outdoors. For people who have seasonal affective disorder, this is particularly important.
No. The reason a sunroom is less expensive than a standard room addition is that it lacks many of the features that make a home remodeling project expensive, like plumbing. These are the same things that make a home more functional.
A sunroom is not right for you…
- If you don’t have a large enough yard to provide you with privacy from your neighbors. There is nothing to take away from the enjoyment of a sunroom like the local Mrs. Kravitz peeking in.
- If you have a growing family that needs more space, too many people trying to live out of the same bathroom, brothers or sisters who are tired of having to share a room, or any of the other familiar complaints that lead homeowners to consider a home addition in the first place.
- If you live in a dangerous neighborhood. Having a room constructed from glass is no match for a burglar. A well-to-do friend may love their sunroom, but that doesn’t mean it is right for every house.
By realistically assessing your needs, your neighbors, your neighborhood, and your family, you can make the right decision in the sunroom vs. traditional room addition debate. Making a home addition of any kind is expensive, and it isn’t a process that most people have the acreage or the house structure to repeat in the future. By getting it right the first time, you’ll be happy with your decision about what type of home addition project to undertake.