Sunroom Learning Center

Building a sunroom is a big project and can also be quite expensive.  When considering adding a new room to your home so that you can enjoy the outdoors from indoors, there are many decisions you'll need to make.  Everything from choosing sunroom style, window and roof types to determining the best location for the new room will need to be carefully thought out.  We've compiled an extensive list of articles, tips and advice below to help you tackle this project.  If you've read through everything here and still would like more assistance, we also offer Free Sunroom Price Quotes from local, reliable contractors.  There is no obligation to purchase and we make it easy to get in touch with a live sunroom pro to discuss your project.

Knowledge Articles

Sunroom Roof Options
An important component of your new sunroom is its roof.  The roof will keep you protected from rain and weather and can also provide an additional venting source to help keep the room cool.  Venting can be from installed skylights that open and close or simply from ceiling fans that hang from the roof ceiling to circulate air as well as give the room more of a definitive style.  Keeping your room cool on hot summer days is important if you want to be comfortable in your new sunroom.
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Best Uses for a Sunroom: Popular and Practical
When adding extra square footage to your home, you'll need to know how to best use the added space.  Knowing exactly what you're getting into will help you know if you'll need to purchase specific decorative items or if you'll need to request customizations from your sunroom contractor to make your room exactly how you'd like it.  Below, we've listed the most popular sunroom uses to help give you some ideas of what to do with your new space...read more

Aluminum, Vinyl or Wood? What Material is Best for my Sunroom?
It used to be that when building a home the materials you had to choose from were simple.  Wood, nails, and perhaps some sort of brick or stone.  In modern times, things have changed.  Today there are many material choices for you each with their own advantages and disadvantages.  When it comes to the materials used to build sunrooms, the three most popular choices are aluminum, vinyl and wood...
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How Much Does a Sunroom Cost?
So you've been dreaming of a new sunroom addition but you're not sure if you can afford it?  Luckily there are many sunroom options to choose from resulting in a fairly wide price range.  Prices will depend on size, materials, customizations, window types, roof types, insulation and more.  Before you start listing out all the things you'd like, you should first check if you are even allowed to build in your neighborhood.  Check local building and zoning codes to give you an idea of the size, design and sunroom type allowed in your particular area.  Depending on where you live, things may be very restrictive or the sky may be the limit.  The last thing you want is to get your hopes up on a particular sunroom design only to later find out you can't legally build it even if...read more

Sunroom Styles

All Season Sunrooms
Most homeowners admit that their sunroom is the most popular room in their home.  Most will agree that they'd like to spend as much time as possible in it enjoying the natural light and the view of nature's beauty.  If you are considering adding a sunroom to your home and you live in a climate with four seasons, you'll want to go with an all season sunroom or four season sunroom so that you won't miss it once the snow or heavy winds come...read more

Conservatories
If you’ve started to research sunrooms you have likely come across a room called a conservatory or a solarium.  Like most people, you are probably left wondering about how the two rooms are different.  Homeowners are commonly confused about the differences between the two and that’s partially because many sunroom manufacturers have somewhat blurred the definitions. ..read more | watch video

Screen Enclosures
There multiple ways to refer to a Screen Enclosures.  Common names include Patio Enclosures, Screen Rooms, Spa Enclosures, Pool Enclosures, Screened Porches, Covered Porches and Patios.  Regardless of the term used, they all essentially refer to the same thing.  A screened room is most commonly built from a deck or concrete patio, it is covered with an aluminum or wood roof, and is surrounded by screened walls.  These rooms are ideal for seasonal use as they do not have any windows or insulation.  Despite not being insulated, they still provide protection from the sun, they keep out annoying insects, and give you an extra room to enjoy...read more | watch video

Solariums
The term ‘Solarium’ is derived from the Latin word ‘sol’ which means sun.  Solariums were popular in Rome and even in medieval times where they could be found on castle towers as a circular room surrounded by glass.  Conservatories have their roots in European tradition.  Commonly, wealthy homeowners used them is a modernized version of a green house to grow plants.  In the 18th and 19th centuries, those wealthy enough could grow many species of plants and fruits in these rooms year round...read more | watch video

Studio Sunrooms
Studio sunrooms are perhaps the most popular choice among homeowners when it comes to a room that is easily matched to your current home design.  They are also popular because they typically are a more affordable option.  Studio sunrooms appear as a natural extension to your existing home and can be used as a family room, home office, art studio, library or anything else you can think of where you'd like more light and the feeling of being outdoors.  They are usually best suited for single story homes but can be adapted to fit other home styles usually at a higher cost.  Studio sunrooms can withstand all seasons when built with high thermal performing and insulated windows and walls or they can be constructed as simply a seasonal room.
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Sunroom Brands

Admiral Sunrooms Inc.
Admiral Sunrooms Inc is a  major player in the sunroom industry with operations on both the east and west coast.  Their primary operations are out of California where the company was originally founded in 1954 by a man named Admiral Farmer.  Today, the company has a vast dealer network that spans the United States delivering quality service backed by their double lifetime, fully transferable warranty on their products.  Admiral focuses on quality and affordability making a winning combination for homeowners who are looking for a cost effective sunroom...read more

Champion Window Company
The roots of the Champion Window Company date back to 1953 when it was founded by Arthur Stevens and Alvin Levine in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The company initially specialized in window replacement and was an innovator in the vinyl window movement as companies were beginning to investigate options other than aluminum.  As far as sunrooms and patio rooms are concerned, 1990 was a turning point for the company when they recognized the growing popularity these rooms and set up a completely separate division devoted to patio rooms and porch enclosures...read more

Four Seasons Sunrooms
Four Seasons Sunrooms is a leader in sunroom products.  Since its beginnings as a greenhouse supplier in 1975, they have set the standards for high quality and durable materials as well as unique and innovative designs for the home.  The company manufactures all of its products out of its main facility in New York which has undergone major expansions in the previous years due to company growth and demand for its products.  Four Seasons Sunrooms sells sunrooms nationwide in both the residential and commercial market...read more

Joyce Manufacturing Company - Oasis Sunrooms
Joyce has been in the sunroom and patio enclosure business for a long time.  Since 1955 when the company was founded by Gustav Schmidt, they have remained family owned and operated focusing on high quality aluminum and vinyl sunrooms.  Their bread an butter is working with vinyl and are actually the largest manufacturer of vinyl sunrooms in the country.  Joyce has a line of Oasis Leisure rooms which are distributed through a nationwide dealer network of qualified installers...read more

Patio Enclosures, Inc.
Patio Enclosures, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of Sunrooms in the United States. Founded in 1966, the company focuses on manufacturing Sunrooms, Solariums, Conservatories and Screened Rooms as well as a list of additional home improvement products including replacement windows, awnings, window treatments, furniture and more. Their manufacturing plant is a large state of the art facility located in the heart of Macedonia, Ohio.  The company handles both residential and commercial projects and is consistently listed as a top performing sunroom company.  They distribute their products through a nationwide network of dealers and franchisees who are professionally trained to provide the best service possible...read more

TEMO Sunrooms, Inc.
The TEMO story begins with its founder Giovanni Vitale who came from Italy in the 1960s.  He started the company with a focus initially on aluminum skirting for manufactured homes.  In working in this business, he soon realized that many customers desired a cost effective separate place in their homes where they could gather and be free from insects and mild weather.  This need from homeowners fueled Vitale as he recognized an opportunity encouraging him to start manufacturing aluminum porch enclosures.  As the popularity caught on, in 1971 Vitale incorporated the company TEMO (which stands for Trust, Enthusiasm, Motivation and Opportunity)...
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