At first, there’s all the excitement of winter – the first snowfall, the way the cold nips your nose, not to mention the seemingly never ending run of holidays. However, once January rolls around, you suddenly realize that the cold weather is here to stay for a few more months, and those dreaded winter blues set in. With the majority of days being spent inside, it’s time to start thinking about installing a sunroom, also known as a sun porch, to bring some joy back into your life.
Key Winter Features of a Sun Porch
A sun porch is a full extension to your home that is quick to build (especially if you’re installing it on top of an existing deck or patio!) and considerably cheaper than a full building addition. The key features that make a sun porch the ideal winter addition include:
- Big glass windows – the first thing that will catch everyone’s attention when they walk into your new sunroom this winter is the big glass windows on all two/three external walls. These windows let in a large amount of natural light, and provide unparalleled views out over your winter garden. Whether you’re enjoying the sunny bluebird days, or want to sit up close and personal with a Calgary snow storm, your sun porch is the best place to hang out all winter long.
- Insulation – an all-season (or four-season) sun porch carries multiple layers of insulation that will make it incredibly energy efficient throughout the cold months. Firstly, the windows are double glazed which will trap all the sun’s heat in your room. Secondly, you can add a layer of internal insulation inside the hollow walls which keeps the cold out and the heat in. Finally, you can add insulating seals around the doors that connect your sun porch to the rest of the house so there’s no heat loss between rooms.
Customising Your Sun Porch
A sun porch is a great addition for any Calgary home due to the features laid out above, and the fact that it’s got a large return on investment compared to other home improvements. You can use some of these savings to make customised changes to your sunroom design when you’re working with your sun porch contractor. These customizations can be on the macro scale, such as the layout of the room and the size and position of the windows, or on the micro scale, such as the materials you’ll use for the flooring, and the optimal position of your furniture to help make your sun porch a relaxing haven to beat the winter blues.
