Most Calgary homeowners are united in one common goal: how to get some extra space in one of the quickest growing cities in Canada. Depending on your financial situation, there are a few possible avenues to pursue. The most obvious, but also most expensive, is a full home extension, but this requires lots of big digging equipment, as well as permits and permissions that can take a long time. On the cheaper end is building a patio somewhere on your lawn to give you an extra outdoor entertaining space. While this is a cheaper option, it’s only usable when the sun is out and the temperature is warm. A compromise between these two is a screen room, and there are many ways to use a screen room to help you get the most out of your Calgary home throughout the year.
What Is A Screen Room?
Even if you’ve never seen one before, it’s relatively easy to visualize what a screen room looks like. A screen room is custom-framed to fit existing openings (under a deck in a walkout area, or enclosing under an existing roof), or it can be a complete room with one of DSP’s many different roofing products. Walls can be floor-to-ceiling screening or feature solid/glass kickplates. It’s a permanent addition to your home meaning that will up your budget somewhat compared to other home improvement projects, but it’s also easy to build directly on top of an existing deck or patio which helps to save costs on digging foundations for your new space. The dimensions of your screen room will be dictated somewhat by your outdoor space, but you’ll be amazed at how much extra room you get just by covering your existing deck or patio with a screen room.
Benefits Of A Screen Room
There are many benefits to building a screen room as a way of getting more space for your home. Firstly, it has one of the highest return on investment ratios of any home improvement project as the costs are relatively low but you’re gaining a whole new room. Secondly, you get to enjoy all the benefits of being outside while getting protection from the sun, wind and bugs. Finally, you can plan and build a screen room on top of your existing deck or patio in a number of weeks, meaning that you can reap the benefits of a screen room in Calgary almost immediately.
Uses For A Screen Room
For many Calgary screen room owners, their new space simply becomes an extension of their living room or dining room; a place to relax and enjoy the benefits of indoor outdoor living. However, with some planning and decorating, you can use your screen room space for some unique purposes:
- Formal dining room – for most Calgary homeowners with a deck or patio at the back of the house, these outdoor spaces tend to get used for dining as much as they get used for relaxing and sitting. The advantage of using your screen room as a dining space is that you’re no longer constrained by the weather, and there’s something satisfying about being able to eat a meal enjoying all the benefits of being outside without having to worry about bugs, the wind or a sudden rainstorm. Most people who use their screen room as a dining room make it their formal space with a nicer table and chairs, and better tableware, than their day to day dining room, even though you’ll find that you use this space more frequently. The only downside is the room will still be on the cold side during cold winter months, and in that case, an all-season sunroom would be the answer.
- Plant room – if you’re one of thousands of Calgary residents who took up indoor plants as a hobby during the pandemic, then your screen room has a lot to offer you. It’s an uninterrupted space where your plants can get as much sunlight and fresh air as they need, while being protected from bugs and heavy rainstorms. To make the most of your screen room plant room, install a shelf against the half wall section of the screen room. This will give you plenty of space to put your plant babies where they’ll get the most sunshine and fresh air. The straight line will also make it easy to set up an indoor irrigation system so that you don’t have to worry about watering them frequently.
- Home gym – there’s nothing more motivational about a workout than one that you can do outside, but lifting weights in the park or your garden can feel weird. Turn your screen room into a home gym so you can get your daily exercise with a beautiful view over your garden. You can make it as simple or as complex as you like to meet your budget and your favourite types of workout. On the minimalist side of things, you just need a bench, some weights and maybe a yoga mat to add some stretches and bending to your routine. For a more serious home gym in your screen room, invest in machinery: an exercise bike, rowing machine and a treadmill will all fit comfortably in most screen room set ups and will give the opportunity to work out from the comfort of your own home without getting in anyone’s way.
- Guest bedroom – your friends and family will want to come and check out your new screen room, and once they arrive, it will be hard to make them leave again. Impress them with a room with a view by making your screen room a guest bedroom, at least during warmer months. This gives your visitors somewhere quiet and away from the rest of the house to call their own, while also giving them relaxing views and cool breezes from your garden. It’s easy to set up your screen as a guest bedroom either as a permanent fixture or as a split usage room. For the former, you just need to think about your decor as you would any other bedroom, complete with bedside lighting and storage for clothes. If you only want your screen room to become a guest bedroom infrequently, then you’ll want to buy a fold out sofa bed, and think about using ottomans and chests for storing bedding and clothes so you can use the screen room as a living room throughout the rest of the day.
