Whole Home Resource
Interiors
The Whole Home
Let the Sun Shine In
As we’re seeing less of it these days, we’re thinking of it more...more sun.
Call it a conservatory, a sunroom, an enclosed porch, a solarium or an orangery, it’s one of the most-requested additions to a house.
What distinguishes one of these additions from another? A conservatory will have a glass roof, an orangery or a sunroom will have a more substantial roof with skylights. You’re more likely to see a conservatory in England. In fact, there are good examples of conservatories and orangerys at www.jrwilloughby.co.uk.
As we’re seeing less of it these days, we’re thinking of it more...more sun.
Call it a conservatory, a sunroom, an enclosed porch, a solarium or an orangery, it’s one of the most-requested additions to a house.
What distinguishes one of these additions from another? A conservatory will have a glass roof, an orangery or a sunroom will have a more substantial roof with skylights. You’re more likely to see a conservatory in England. In fact, there are good examples of conservatories and orangerys at www.jrwilloughby.co.uk.
I’m not talking about a greenhouse here. I’ve rarely seen a greenhouse effectively added to a house. It is difficult to control the temperature and ventilation in a greenhouse and not all plants thrive in high heat. Summer watering can be a daily chore. If there are no doors to seal off the greenhouse there is the potential for excess moisture (as well as any invading insects) migrating into the house.
Add a potted orange tree to the orangery or a palm to the conservatory if you like, but leave the greenhouse to the experts.
A sunroom provides a comfortable extension to the living room. Like a screened porch, it is free of mosquitoes, but better than a screened porch in this short-summer climate in that it allows us to extend the season on either end and to use furniture that doesn’t need to be stored in the winter.
I have an older friend who added a sunroom to his condo and except in the winter, now rarely spends time anywhere else. He’s moved a television and a leather recliner out there. He’s abandoned the darker dining room and eats his meals in the sunroom. His addition has made him much happier.
According to Paul Austin, architectural designer of Whole Home Resource, who has designed numerous sunrooms, “A sunroom or a closed porch is a great addition to a house-it’s another way to have a vacation at home.”
One of the sunrooms Austin has designed was for Cathy and Mike Francoeur of Portland. A deck overlooking their pool was removed and an existing addition with a bay window incorporated into the sunroom. A window in the kitchen became a pass-through and the former room became a dining area. They’ve got two ceiling fans in the room and use mini-blinds to control the sun. They now spend most of their leisure time in that room, and because it seats ten comfortably, family and guests congregate there. With radiant heat under the bamboo flooring, it’s a comfortable year-round room. “It’s everything we wanted and more”, says Cathy. “It looks like it’s always been there.”
If you’re considering adding a sunroom, Austin suggests the most important first step is to determine the building setbacks for the zone you’re in. Then ensure your addition fits the style of your house. It shouldn’t appear as if it was tacked on. If possible, put it in a place that is relatively private. You don’t want to have to curtain it from the neighbors at night.
Austin believes the substantial roof of a sunroom is more appropriate for this climate and will provide more protection from direct heat in the summer than a conservatory-style roof. In addition, the roof provides room for additional insulation.
In this area, if the sunroom is attached to the house it will need concrete piers or a frost wall that extends four feet below grade.
Don’t stint on the windows. A good-quality window makes a sunroom more usable, easier to heat and cool, and will require less maintenance in the future. Austin prefers double-hung windows because you can get ventilation even during a rainstorm by opening the top window.
He doesn’t recommend floor-to-ceiling windows as they must be made of expensive tempered glass. Shorter windows allow more insulation in the walls and make it easier to place furniture in the room.
A ceiling fan is a requisite and ventilation in the roof is highly desirable. There are skylights that open by remote control and will close automatically when it begins to rain. Otherwise put an opening skylight where you can reach it easily, preferably on the shady side of the room.
If you want a four-season room, you’ll have to consider an additional heat source. One of my clients is adding a gas fireplace to the corner of her yet-to-be built sunroom. The two of us have chosen the rug, and are already deciding on colors and upholstery fabric while the footings have yet to be poured for this much-anticipated room.
We have a closed porch where we spend most of our time during three seasons. We don’t heat it in the winter (one reason we only used 120 gallons of fuel last winter) so opening the door in the spring feels like opening a vacation cabin. With an old metal glider that’s a coveted nap spot (with cushions in fade-free Sunbrella fabric) and dark green shades to control the sun, this room doubles our living-room space during guest-filled summers. We walk out the door and it’s only a few steps to the outdoor shower.
We spend as much time in there as we can. And although it’s only 10’ x17’, we sit there, look around, and call it our “great” room.
Next week: If you can’t build on, create a sun trap instead.