How to Design a Sunroom for Your Home

August 28, 2023

Not all sunrooms are created equal or perform the same. You could design a simple screen enclosure or a complete habitable space with heat and air conditioning. Or remove the exterior wall between your new sunroom addition and your existing house. Understanding your sunroom design is key to the outcome of a successful build and determining what you will need to spend for your new sunroom project. A properly designed sunroom is just like building a new addition to your home. The sunroom will add the same, if not more, value to your home as any additional new space would.

Choosing Your Sunroom Style and Location

Thoroughly discuss with your sunroom designer what your needs are and what you would like your dream room to look like. Remember, the reason you are designing a new sunroom is to enhance the functionality and appeal of your home. 

Two design elements in determining the final design are discussing the best location to build the sunroom on your house and planning the space by visualizing furniture arrangement. The most frequent place to build your new sunroom is adjacent to the kitchen or family room. The advantage of a sunroom is an abundance of glazing on the walls and sometimes the entire roof, all made of glass. The natural light from the sunroom will flood the nucleus of your home, always making it a happy place.

Importance of Size Planning

The biggest complaint I receive from customers is, “I made my room too small.” Size is an important decision! Again, I tell my clients to plan the space within the walls of the sunroom. Do this first by using paper cutouts of furniture, then by using the cut-and-paste method to arrange the furniture until you are satisfied with the design. For example, you might find that the planned dining area was originally intended as an 8-place table, but your table does not fit in the new area. Making the wrong room size decisions could forever create an uncomfortable space that fails to meet your needs or desires.

Make sure you establish a flow path where you will be walking to the exterior doors. For example, do not put a table or couch in front of a door. Moving through the room without interruption is an important design requirement. It may mean you locate the sunroom’s exterior door at another location in the sunroom.

3 Different Sunroom Designs

Below are three examples of different designs for a sunroom addition. Each one represents a different level of use and cost. 

1. Unconditioned Seasonal Sunroom

This sunroom will be an unconditioned seasonal space, as shown in the simple design below. This room will be thermally isolated from the conditioned areas of the house. A sliding door is usually left in place or newly installed for access. These types of rooms typically use lower-performance glass or insulation to save building costs.

2. Heated and Cooled Sunroom Space

This sunroom space is one that is heated or cooled. This room is considered a habitable space. The sunroom will again be separated from the house using the existing exterior wall. Usually, higher-performance glass is used. Solid wall insulated areas, if installed, meet all the building code requirements. This room is designed to be used all year during all four seasons. 

3. Fully Open Sunroom Addition 

This sunroom space is open to the house and is seamlessly congruent with the interior space. The sunroom and interior space of the house are one in the same. The sunroom is conditioned with heating and cooling, the same as the house. The components of this sunroom are the most energy efficient, with lots of glass to make this design the most dramatic and comfortable room in the house.

Get Sunroom Design Help From Colorado Sunroom and Window

Be sure to make your sunroom your own. With Colorado Sunroom and Window, you will get a sunroom that has multiple design features. You will also be working with a company that has the ability to locate windows and doors wherever you need them to be. Good luck with your sunroom design! You can contact us by calling at (303) 715-0777 or contacting us online. Tom Thompson can be reached at Designteam@coloradosunroomandwindow.com