How to Design a Sunroom

A sunroom can be a delightful addition to any house. In addition to brightening the house and providing a peaceful sanctuary, the sunroom can provide vitamin D during the winter months when it may be too cold to go outside. Consider these steps as you design a sunroom addition to your house.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Determine how you plan to use the sunroom. Decide if it is going to serve as a greenhouse, a family meeting room or just a private retreat. Although the sunroom can serve a multitude of purposes, select one main function of the room as you design it.

2. Decide if you are going to build the sunroom yourself, order a kit to do it yourself or hire a contractor. Unless you are an expert do-it-yourselfer, you may want to hire professional help with this job.

3. Search for designs online. Also visit sunroom manufacturers.

4. Consider thermal exchange floor types in your sunroom as you design it. A floor such as brick stores heat as a thermal mass when the sun shines on it and releases that warmth back into the air as the sun goes down. This type of heat exchange can help improve the efficiency of your sunroom.

5. Locate the sunroom on the solar south of your house. In order to get the full benefit of the sun's rays in your sunroom, the room needs to be within 15 degrees of compass south.

6. Incorporate water and other natural elements such as wicker furniture into your sunroom design. The goal is to bring the outdoors into your home.