A sunroom or conservatory is a great addition to any home and one which you can enjoy throughout the year, not just when the good weather is with us. A sunroom obviously captures light more than many, if not all other rooms in your home and it is this feeling of spacious light which provides the great appeal for many who have one or want one.

Here are some design hints to help you when you are considering a sunroom.

Internal Floor Area

When you are ordering materials, most merchants will use external measurements for the materials you will need. Use the internal measurements to be more accurate and avoid over-ordering – typically, the internal depth (or projection) is around a foot less than the external depth and the internal width is almost 2 feet different. This translates into a significant perceived need for more materials than you will actually use.

Mark Out the Sunroom

When you are in the design process and looking at getting quotations for the work to be done, manually mark the sunroom out on the ground where it will stand. This will help you understand what the finished design will look like and help those preparing quotations to accurately bid for the work with no hidden surprises. You can do this easily with a few stakes and some string to outline the area and proposed build.

Cheap Cost is not as Good as Value for Money

The cheapest quote is not usually the best or most appropriate bid for you to choose. You should consider the quality of the materials being employed and the standards of the workmanship in construction as well as what guarantees are being given for the work and finished sunroom. It is better to consider what represents best value for money rather than the cheapest bid from the selection you have obtained.

You are likely going to have cheap quotes from suppliers who will do everything they can to get the lowest bid in which is accepted, but then either cut corners during the construction or seek to increase the cost being charged to you when the sunroom is not yet finished.

Anticipate Contingencies

When you have a final bid which you are prepared to accept, then you should add a further 10% as a contingency provision. This will serve to cushion you from any unexpected developments when construction starts and will also mean that the project can be completed to the standard you expect and allow your family to enjoy it to the full.

Add a Time Capsule – Just for Fun!

Building a sunroom is a great investment but you can also involve all of the family from the very beginning of the project by adding a time capsule. This is often a fun task for the children and all you need are some newspapers, personal effects and best of all is to get the kids to produce some drawings and paintings and write some “personal letters to the future”. You can then bury the contents in a waterproof container or jar and have a ceremonial burying of the time capsule in the ground underneath the sunroom.

Author Bio: Keith Smallwood is the president of Creative Energy Exteriors, a leading provider of Richmond home improvement services such as Richmond windows and Richmond decks. Creative Energy Exteriors can be found online at: CreativeEnergyExteriors.com .

Category: Home Management
Keywords: sunroom, conservatory, addition, home addition