Sunrooms, Patio Enclosures

If you're thinking of adding a sunroom or enclosed patio onto your home, join the half million Americans who are discovering the benefits of 3- and 4-season enclosures each year. According to the U.S. Census, about half of the 1.27 million new, single-family homes built in 2001 had some kind of attached porch.

And there's good reason for the popularity - aside from relaxing and enjoying the sunshine and stars with the comforts of indoors. Adding a sunroom or patio enclosure can extend your living area, often at less than half the cost of a standard home addition.

Costs less than conventional addition

A sunroom addition can range from $12,000 to $70,000, depending on models and features, compared to $30,000 to $80,000 for a conventional room addition. And sunrooms and patio enclosures can often be built where underground obstacles, or building codes and zoning ordinances, restrict conventional backyard additions.

Then consider that adding a sunroom has one of the highest returns-on-investment of all home improvements, and it's no wonder that America's going sunroom-crazy. Some sources estimate that you'll recoup between 65-95% of your investment when adding a sunroom, depending on your geographic location and features included.

A sunroom helps sell your home faster and for more money

Because of all the financial and usage benefits, sunrooms are the third most popular amenity requested in homes over $250,000, according to a recent survey in Builder Magazine. And homes with a properly designed sunroom tend to sell faster and for far more money than those without.

According to some estimates, the average cost to install a sunroom on an existing home is between $125 and $150 per square foot. This includes the room itself, installation and related construction work, such as foundations, floors and tear-out work. Keep in mind that these are averages, and final costs can vary dramatically based on where you live, contractors, complexity of the project, quality of products and the need for extra construction work on your existing home to accommodate the addition. Adding a sunroom or patio enclosure to a new home will be significantly less expensive.

Inform your insurance company

You will need a building permit for your sunroom or patio enclosure, so you need to ensure that your sunroom or patio enclosure contractor is licensed. Discuss with your contractor who will obtain the permit, and ensure that you have one before any work begins. Then once your sunroom or patio enclosure is complete, inform your house insurance company of the addition to arrange adequate coverage. And keep in mind that a sunroom is usually not considered to be a square footage addition to your home, but a patio addition. Check the local bylaws to be sure.