Best for: Adding protected recreational space.
A sunroom is an addition to the side of the house that is usually a supplemental living area. Sunrooms typically can be closed off from the main part of the house with doors.
Smaller than a full-size addition, sunrooms are most often made of pre-fabricated materials such as aluminum and thermal-resistant glass and assembled on-site. Sometimes, sunrooms are stick-built from lumber, concrete, and other materials used to build the house itself, resulting in a solidly built living area that visually matches the existing house.
Sunrooms are never used as permanent sleeping areas, and kitchens and bathrooms are never installed in sunrooms. Because sunrooms are not, by code, designed to be year-round permanent living structures, certain features are possible that are not possible when building a conventional addition. For example, sunrooms can be built with oversized glass and other fenestration that it is not possible with a conventional addition. Also, sunrooms are not required to have heating or air conditioning.
