Estimating a sunroom’s cost can tend to get a little confusing hence, you need to remain focused on what your needs are and at the same time use good ol’ common sense.
Sunrooms are usually constructed as part of a house, so that you can enjoy the outside surroundings and landscape. They work well to shelter a portion of the outside structure of a house from heavy rain and wind. They are also called conservatories in the UK, despite the fact that they do not contain any plants! They can also be constructed near a patio or the living room for an extended as well as secure look. Essentially, sunrooms provide additional space to the living room.
The walls of a sunroom are predominantly made of glass or screens. Four season sunrooms are a good option that can be installed during the construction of the house itself as they come along with the deck. Being a great investment for a house they do cost a little higher when installed professionally. The cost of a sunroom also depends on the type of material that is used for constructing it.
Estimated Cost of a Sunroom
There are various factors that are taken into account while building a sunroom. The two most important and the costliest being raw material and labor. They make up the major chunk of the cost involved. After that come factors such as the existing condition of the house – to gauge if the foundation of the house will be able to withstand anymore construction or not, whether the owner wants to install any customized furniture or fittings in it such as a fireplace, or extra windows.
Materials
Nowadays the three most popular materials used to build sunrooms are aluminum, wood, and vinyl. Based on the reports by users, an average-sized, good quality sunroom can cost anywhere up to $30,000 and above. There are people who have spent around 15K on such rooms, however, going by the looks of it, it probably serves only 2-3 months of the year, that is when the temperature is perfect outside. A good quality sunroom should have proper ventilation that can stave off the cold as well as a lot of heat.
If you break up the cost, the material’s cost is roughly $10,000, then comes the labor, based on the type of sunroom you build and the area that you’re taking up, it can go up to $15,000. This is one reason why a lot of people prefer DIY kits. Another advantage being that the design of the roof is entirely in your control. Of the materials used, vinyl is the cheapest and wood is the most expensive, besides, wood requires frequent maintenance.
The most simple kind of a sunroom is a two seasoned room with a screened deck and porch which starts at $500 to $1000, a custom built sunroom will cost more than a regular one. Prefabricated rooms that come with glasses are priced $10,000 plus, for a space of 8 x 10 feet, which means that the average sunroom’s prices can climb up to $15,000 to $35,000, for a three or four seasoned sunroom. If we look for the average cost of building a good quality sunroom, it may house at the range of $45,000 to $55,000 and more.
Types of Installation
There are two methods by which a sunroom can be installed. Asking a professional to do the job for you and pay him whatever he asks for, and the other one is to build it the DIY way. The first option is very costly as the sunrooms cost are multiplied as per the labor charges of the professionals. Several types of DIY kits are available in home improvement stores that are less costly and also custom-made. A fact to note here is that custom-made sunrooms take time to get designed, hence, you have to plan your DIY project accordingly. Anyone building a sunroom on a budget should always opt for the DIY kit, this is because there is no labor cost.
Existing Conditions
Along with the above-mentioned aspects there are two more factors that play a key role in deciding the sunroom’s cost. Before going ahead with the plans, you need to submit your plan with the building and planning authority. This can increase your cost by $700 or so based on your location. The other thing is home decorating. If you want to buy new sunroom furniture or set some new designs for the place, then add that too in your estimate of the sunroom’s cost. There are ready-made sunroom planners that are also available at around $5 to $25. You can consult them as well as the Internet for more ideas.
Therefore, taking into account the following factors which are the materials, labor or DIY, fittings, preparing your house to accommodate the new construction, and cleaning and preparing the base, the cost of your sunroom can go up to around $40,000. Yes, it is indeed a little high on the budget, however, true admirers are ready to take that on to enjoy the summary feel that a sunroom gets into the house.
