Sunrooms that Connect the Indoors to the Outdoors

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

We dream of how we’d like things to be. The challenge is to bring our dreams to life. If you’re like most people, you’ve dreamed of adding a sunroom to your home. Today there are so many sunroom choices that your dream can become reality. The first step is to decide on the function of your sunroom.

The three most common functions of a sunroom are, connecting the indoors to the outdoors, more space, or natural sunlight and passive heat. Woodland suggests that you select only one function to focus on because it will determine the foundational design and then budget permitting, you can add other options. In the end, you’ll have the room you dream of.

Connecting the indoors to the outdoors

Source: memorabledecor.com

Illinois’ four-season climate puts on a show for the senses. Wintery white snow covered trees, spring sunshine yellow daffodils, summer sounds and smells, and fall picturesque orange foliage. This also means cold, wind, rain, bugs, heat and humidity.

Sunrooms can maximize the pleasures and minimize the harsh realities of Midwest living.

Categorized as three or four season rooms based on whether the sunroom can be used in cold or very hot weather, sunrooms connect the indoors to the outdoors in three different ways. Ask yourself:

• Do you want a central room completely open to the sunroom? 
• Do you want the sunroom viewable using oversized glass doors?
• Do you want the sunroom to be a separate room altogether?

Use your imagination to design the space that will connect the indoors to the outdoors. Depending on the space you’re designing, here are some suggestions to consider in your plan.

Source: Pinterest.com

Extending an existing room

If you currently look at a solid wall and visualize nature on the other side, you’ll need a sunroom with enclosed walls. Open to the main structure of the house, heating and cooling considerations will be part of the design. This means that all openings, such as windows, doors, or skylights will need to comply with additional requirements for air infiltration and water penetration resistance, thermal performance and structural requirements.

Opening an entire exterior wall to connect an existing room to the sunroom is one of those projects that win awards in home magazines.  Strive to select a style and products that make the room feel as if it was always a part of the original home. Lastly, insulation choices are key so as not to cause unnecessary transfer of heat or cold throughout the rest of the house.

Oversized glass doors connect the existing space to the sunroom

Source: foldingdoorszare.blogspot.com

Connecting the indoors to the outdoors using glass doors is one of the hottest trends today. This style means that the sunroom is more self-contained than the previous choice because the room is thermally isolated from the rest of the house. This design is heated or cooled by a separate temperature control. Energy performance and water filtration resistance and structural requirements need to be considered for your project.

Today’s selection of patio style doors come in expansive widths and heights, which can give you a seamless transition and expansive views between your home and the sunroom.

A door connects the sunroom to the home

Source: onekinddesign.com

Adding a sunroom with easy access from main living areas, which gets adequate sunlight can be difficult for some homes. In these instances the sunroom maybe a retreat off the master bedroom or a den at the end of the hall. This design can be finished as either a three-season room or a four-season room like the aforementioned spaces. Three-season rooms may use screens in place of glass, may use less insulation, and may not have heating or cooling units. Four-season rooms will give you the added choice of using the room all year. This design is isolated from the rest of the home with far less potential to affect the integrity of the other structure.

Let your imagination run wild with these three potential designs to connect the indoors with the outdoors. Which option best suits your dreams, needs, your home, and your budget?

Next week, we’ll discuss sunroom designs to add space to your home.

Sunrooms have become a much sought after item by homeowners, so we’ll devote several blogs to this topic. We’ll discuss important things you need to know.

• Location strategies

• Energy efficiency

• Structural requirements

• Optimizing sunrooms for less desirable locations

• Woodland sunrooms

Woodland Exteriors specializes in sunrooms. For information about our sunrooms and to hear from our sunroom customers, please visit www.woodlandwindows.com