As the weather gets warmer, a homeowner's fancy often turns to the outdoors. Sunrooms, screened porches, and other room enclosures can be an easy sell to clients looking to bring the outdoors in. A comfortable transition from indoors to out is what homeowners are after, says Mike Smith, brand manager for NatureScape Sunrooms and Eze-Breeze. He finds that a room enclosure is a good way for people to get more use from their existing outdoor space. “It helps to reclaim an unused patio or deck,” he says. “People are finding creative uses for these. The three-season style with the sliding panels is a great enclosure for a spa. It allows people in more temperate zones to have use of their spas year-round.” Creating an outdoor space is often done one piece at a time. Remodeler Robert Bell of Duluth, Minn., often goes back to a previous deck job to add a screened porch. “Lots of people do it in stages.”
Having a sunroom service can be a good way for remodelers to get that kind of repeat business. “You can add it without a large investment. The crew is probably already prepared to do the work,” says Smith. Most companies send the complete set of enclosure components in one shipment, making it easy to manage a project and get it done more quickly, resulting in happy clients and a healthy bottom line.
English Heritage Conservatories. The company's conservatory systems employ Quantal, a durable, external roof system that can span larger areas, like swimming pools. Homeowners can choose from Victorian, Edwardian, Gable, or Lean-To styles, or can mix and match. The company promises to match any paint or stain color, and will work with architects on custom designs. 866.225.1466. www.englishheritageconservatory.com.
Four Seasons Sunrooms. Constructed of high-performance vinyl, the Ultra Living Collection comes in two sunroom models and two conservatory models. The collection also offers Ultra Select, a range of embossed interior crown molding styles, including Florentine Sea Foam (shown). A number of color choices and other style options are also available. 800.368.7732. www.fourseasonssunrooms.com.
PGT Industries.NatureScape sunrooms come in three styles: Three-Season, Three-Season Glass, and All-Season. The Three-Season room offers up to 75% ventilation when its Eze-Breeze sliding panels are opened. The All-Season room's 3-inch thermally broken wall panels offer maximum climate control, the maker says. The sun-rooms' easy-maintenance Solarkote panels come in beige and white. www.pgtindustries.com. 800.282.6019.
TEMO. The newly-designed Ventilated Solarium boasts an expanded 36-inch overhead viewing area, made possible by the extreme radius of the glass in the roof. The solarium's triple drainage system provides a leak-proof roof, the maker says. An insulated solid roof panel system reduces condensation, and exterior finish trims cover the rafter castings and conceal screws for a smooth look. The insulated, UV-resistant glass has nearly one inch of dead-air space. 800.344.8366. www.temosunrooms.com.
Reiker. The Room Conditioner is a ceiling fan and heating unit in one. It efficiently heats a 200-square-foot room and monitors the temperature, the maker says. A computer-controlled transmitter senses the actual room temperature and maintains the exact temperature desired. The remote thermostat controls the heating function, ceiling fan function, and lighting fixture. The Room Conditioners have a 54-inch blade circumference and mount to the ceiling like a standard ceiling fan. Several finishes are available. 866.473.4537. www.buyreiker.com.
Vixen Hill. The three-season porch system encloses an existing or newly built patio or deck using pre-engineered wall panels and joining posts. Homeowners can choose from a variety of wall panel widths and decorative wooden inserts to customize the porch's look. Modular design makes installation easy, the maker says, and the pre-assembled components are shipped with all the necessary hardware. 800.423.2766. www.vixenhill.com.
