All-Season Rooms Stretch Outdoor Enjoyment – and Living Space
  We can all agree that it's been a rough winter. By now, most residents of Northern Virginia and the entire DC Metro area are really glad to see Spring finally arrive. So now is the perfect time to start dreaming of and planning to add an "all-season" room to your home so it can feel like summertime year round, despite rain, sleet or snow. You'll stretch your home's living space – and value – while avoiding cabin fever next winter!
Creating an all-season room can be as simple as enclosing an existing porch or patio, adding a sunroom enclosure, or creating an all-new sunroom custom-built for your tastes and lifestyle. If you're working from an existing structure, you may not need to excavate a new foundation. Depending on the type of room, you may not need to install heating or plumbing systems or the same level of insulation as required for regular living spaces, which can make all-season rooms very affordable.
No matter what type of room you're creating, the orientation of it on your property is a major consideration. For example, a south-facing room is ideal for optimizing the beauty of natural light and great in the winter, but you'll need to find solutions for keeping the space from becoming uncomfortable on a hot, sunny summer day. For a more finished sunroom, this might require a cooling and ventilating solution more sophisticated than a ceiling fan. Energy-efficient windows, ductless heating and cooling systems, and certain building materials and construction techniques can all be combined to help even out temperatures and make all-season rooms comfortable year-round.
Ideas for Season-Spanning Spaces
Porches: A screened porch is a great three-season option. Add sliding glass doors along with the screens and you gain a fourth season when you can enjoy the view in comfort. When you want to feel the breezes but not the bugs, open the doors but close the screens. If it's too hot, too cold or it's raining, close the doors and you are surrounded by your view but protected by glass. Windows are also available that are panels that can withstand high winds and seal out driving rain, sleet and snow, yet fold open to almost completely eliminate the wall between you and the outdoors.
When planning the porch, note that the wider the porch, the easier it will be to create inviting furniture groupings that bring friends and family together. Pay attention to the visual value of details such as the moldings, panels and pilasters. Add height and architectural interest with features such as a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams. Creative lighting is valuable for illuminating the space at night without an over-exposed "fish bowl" feeling. To add a porch without robbing interior rooms of light, consider adding skylights to the porch roof.
Sunrooms: Sunrooms can range from very simple, casual spaces to elegantly appointed rooms with soaring windows and the finest finishes. To open the room to sunlight and views, the room should feature a minimum of structural elements. Walls and ceilings should be fully insulated, with insulated glass used for windows and doors. While natural sunlight will flood the room during the day, expert lighting design is essential for making the room enjoyable at night as well. "Wow" features for sunrooms can include large, arched windows, skylights, built-in planters, and even fountains and fish ponds that create the feeling of an indoor garden. Tile is a nice flooring choice for an "outside" feel, while carpet or wood create the cozier ambiance of a sitting room.
Patios: No longer just a slab of concrete, patios today are conceived as outdoor rooms with columns, half-walls, pergolas, as well as open spaces. These outdoor rooms can include a built-in barbeque, counters, sink, fridge and stove for stylish year-round entertaining. A dramatic fireplace or simple fire pit adds warmth – and the fun of making popcorn and toasting s'mores – even on wintry evenings. Hot tubs and spas also can be incorporated into the design of your outdoor room.
Adding a porch to your existing home, remodeling your patio into an outdoor room, or building a new sunroom treat you to living space you can enjoy throughout the year. These types of remodeling projects can also enhance your home value – as long as they're designed to complement the existing lines of the house and constructed to weather the outdoor elements while providing a great indoor environment, too. If you'd like to explore "all-season" possibilities for your home, just give us a call!
Don't Miss the Open House This Sunday for a New Custom Home by Winn
A new custom home in McLean, built by Winn Design+Build, is finished and going on the market this week. There will be an OPEN HOUSE this Sunday, April 27 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. The address is 6632 Hazel Lane, McLean, VA 22101.
The home is in the Kent Gardens School District, and is approximately 5,800 sq. ft. including 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, an open kitchen floor plan and a theater room. You can see more photos of the home here.
Contact us if you'd like more information. We hope to see you there this Sunday!
Maintenance Tip: Inspect Roof and Gutters for Winter Damage
Damage to your roof that occurs during the harsh winter months can lead to larger problems in the Spring. Inspect and repair loose or damaged shingles, gaps in the flashing, and leaks in the seams and at the corners of gutters. Preventive maintenance to keep your roof from leaking will likely be much less expensive than repairing water damage to your home – both exterior and interior – after a storm.
Thank You for the Referral!
We'd like to thank The Hamptons of Vienna for referring Mrs. Haque of Vienna to us to help her with a remodeling project.
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See you next month!
Mike Winn |
