When building a solarium or Florida room or sun porch, you must first decide for what purpose you will be using it. For what activities will you use the room? The design of your solarium is dependent upon your planned uses. It can be a home office, a quiet and bright reading room, a room for entertaining, or even a greenhouse.
Principally, a solarium provides you with outside views while not having to deal with outdoor discomforts like rain, snow, wind, or the pests like black flies and mosquitoes.
Solariums typically are built with hard floors such as stone or tile as most people use them to house plants as well as entertain. Thus, the floor can withstand the water from the plants etc.
Once you have decided the use of the solarium, you now can design it around the function that the room is built for and then determine the size and style for the requirements it must meet. To get ideas on this, browse the online sites of solarium manufacturers and you can incorporate some of those ideas in your design.
You will want to build the room with the primary windows facing the solar south to maximize energy efficiency and this design will produce solar energy in the winter and lowers your utility bill. Concrete, stone and brick for the floor also promotes energy efficiency by absorbing the suns heat during the day, which keeps the room cool, and releases that heat at night, which keeps the room warm.
You will want to use materials like aluminum and pressure treated wood to withstand the changing of temperatures so in other words whatever a full calendar year will throw at the room. Other products would be double glazed windows. In addition, you may need those, which reduce glare, and provide insulation. All the materials however, must meet local building codes and you must inquire about local building regulations and permits.
Now you must decide how much to budget for the project and whether or not you should hire a contractor or do the project yourself. Your do it yourself experience and your budget while play major factors in this decision. If you choose to hire a contractor, be sure to check the builder’s references and make certain the contractor has the licensing and insurance to avoid any costly mistakes.
The construction of a solarium is not very difficult, even for the amateur do it yourselfer. Simply do your homework with reference to the design, the kit, the materials, the contractor should you decide to hire one, and of course the permits. Once constructed, you will then enjoy 365 days per year of healthy, comfortable living both indoor and out. All the while, you will be reaping the benefits of lower utility bills, a brighter home and a warm, quiet room to relax in all year round.
Be sure to utilize your new solarium to its maximum. Often when something is new it gets used for the first while then becomes forgotten about.