Let the Sunshine In!

After a long, cold winter, it’s time to let the sunshine in – or get out in it! Get working on finding a builder to create a new patio, porch or sun room. Even though you might not get on the builder’s calendar in time to finish it this summer, you can enjoy it into the fall and make your home a three-season or four-season home. For example, if you create a new sun room with windows on three sides and an exterior door leading to it, you can use it as a sun room or screened in porch through October in northern Virginia. Even as the autumn winds begin to blow, a porch area still brings the outside in and can be an enjoyable haven. This screened porch won’t require conditioning or insulation because you won’t be using it in the winter.

However, if you want a four-season room, you’ll need to be prepared to spend a bit more money. A sun room to use all year round would have access to the rest of the home through interior doors and requires insulation and conditioning to meet home interior codes. While a room that is all windows is costly, it gives you the benefit of the heat and light of the sun. The four-season room requires well-insulated windows and doors, and the use of screens and blinds can help with temperature control. The screens let the air in during the breezy, warm months, and the blinds help to keep either the cold or heat out during the more extreme-temperature months. Because this room would be an actual enclosed addition to your home, its higher-grade windows and building materials would help you to keep it at a similar temperature to the rest of your home.

Choose your flooring to match your lifestyle – whether it’s granite or stone, tile or turf, make sure it’s functional for the way you live. New patio additions and screened-in porches are very popular requests at this time of year. If your general contractor can schedule you for some time this summer, he’ll be able to see the correct angles of the summertime sun and build the porch or patio accordingly. The bad news is that it takes time to do a quality job. The good news is that it takes time to do a quality job. If you have the vision to bring outdoor living into your home, or vice versa, talk to your general contractor today, to let the sunshine in!