When it comes to sunrooms, you can’t make a bad choice if you’re using it for spring, summer and autumn. The big windows will let all the Calgary sunlight in, and the small size of the space will trap the heat to keep you warm well into the night hours. Winter is a different proposition in the city however, and you’ll need a sunroom that is able to stand up to the harsh temperatures and heavy snowfall that come with the turning of the seasons. This is where you’ll want to talk with your sunroom contractor about an all season sunroom.
Features Of An All Season Sunroom
An all season sunroom is exactly what it sounds like: a sunroom that is specifically designed to be used year round as an entertaining or eating space. Just like any other sunroom design, an all season sunroom has big glass windows that allow plenty of sunlight in, and during the winter months, these windows also trap the heat from leaving your room. An all season sunroom usually sits on the back of your house where a deck or patio would normally go, which means that you can organize the seating to give you a front row seat to watch the snow fly. The specific features that make it suitable for winter use in Calgary include:
- Connection to your HVAC system – the biggest difference that you’ll notice when you’re talking through the design for your all season sunroom is that it’s designed to be retrofitted into your current HVAC system. This means that even on the coldest days, you’ll be able to keep the sunroom at a pleasant temperature without having to resort to extra (and expensive) room heating options like a pellet stove or a space heater.
- Multiple glazes – your all season sunroom should come with a wide range of thermally engineered design options to trap heat in during the day for slow release at night. One of the easiest pieces are double, or in some cases triple, glazed windows. The extra layers of glass allow the sun’s heat to be trapped between them. During the winter, this means that the cold air from outside will be mostly excluded from your room, meaning you’ll lose less energy in heating costs.
- Double wall insulation – the other major difference between a three season and an all season sunroom is that the gap between the double walls in an all season room is wide enough to allow a variety of insulation options. Just like multiple layers of glass glazing, wall insulation provides another barrier against the frigid temperatures of winter. You’ll want to talk to your sunroom contractor about insulation density and material options to make sure you’re making your all season sunroom as energy efficient as possible.
Benefits Of An All Season Sunroom
It’s clear to see that investing in an all season sunroom can help your whole home to become more energy efficient. You’ll also find that by making one smaller space comfortable and warm all winter long, you’ll spend more time there. This in turn means that you can reduce your heating in the other communal areas of the house. Winter is also home to multiple holidays, including Christmas and New Years, as well as big sporting events like the Stanley Cup Finals. Having an extra entertaining space with beautiful views out over the winter wonderland will make your house the place to be all season long.
Alternative Uses For Your Winter Sunroom
While it’s very common for Calgary homeowners to use their winter sunrooms as an additional space for entertaining guests (either as an extra living room or a formal dining room), there are plenty of other uses for this space during the colder months:
- Indoor plant room – growing tropical and exotic plants at home has become a big hobby for many Calgary homeowners, with a lot of people getting into the hobby during the pandemic. This works well during the summer when a lot of the most common plants can be placed outside, but the harsh Alberta winter storms means that most of the plants need an indoor home for winter. Your winter sunroom makes for a perfect home for your plant pets, as you can regulate the temperature and humidity levels simply by closing the doors, and the big windows will provide as much sunlight as possible throughout the day.
- Home gym – snow and ice make travelling around Calgary tricky, and even when the roads are clear, there’s something uninviting about having to leave the house when it’s cold and dark outside even when it means you get to work out. Turning your sunroom into a home gym can be a great way of motivating yourself to keep in shape throughout the winter months, especially when there’s a lot of parties and celebrations to derail your healthy habits. You can make small and simple changes like buying a yoga mat and some weights, as these objects can be stored inside your normal sunroom set up and taken out when needed. If you want to turn the sunroom into a full time home gym, then a treadmill or elliptical machine is essential to get your cardio, and a weight bench will help you get the strength training you’ll need for shovelling.
- Guest bedroom – winter is a time where lots of Calgary families get together, and your sunroom will make your home the centre of just about every celebration. You can take the stress out of having family come to visit by turning your sunroom into your new guest bedroom. Again, you can make a small upgrade by swapping your regular couch with one that turns into a bed at night, and you’ll be able to store the spare bedding elsewhere. You can also make it into a full upgrade with a permanent bed and side tables. Just make sure that you also invest in thick drapes or curtains to stop your guests being woken up with all the sunlight that comes into the room!
