Wouldn’t it be great if you could bring the sun indoors year round?
Well, turns out you can by building a sunroom in Alberta, Canada’s sunniest province. In fact, the area from Calgary, Alberta to Estevan, Saskatchewan boasts more than 2,300 hours of sunshine per year!
That’s a lot of sunlight to give up if you’re indoors often. However, by building a sunroom, you can harness the brightness and warmth of the sun without worrying about the elements.
Let’s take a look at the reasoning and process of building a sunroom to enhance your home.
The Outlook is Bright
On most days in Alberta, the forecast will be calling for lots of sunshine. Whether it’s summer or winter, you can expect lots of blue skies – even when it’s cold outside.
Calgary is actually regarded as Canada’s sunniest major city, seeing the sun more than 300 days a year. However, while the sun shines more than half the time during the day in the city, the weather can be unruly.
The temperature can drop or rise dramatically in a matter of hours, so you might be caught off guard if you’re outdoors. While you can’t do much about that if you’re outdoors (other than bringing the right gear with you), you can control the indoor environment.
Soak up the Sun from Your Couch
Not everyone is within walking or driving range of a beach or major park. Nor should they have to be to enjoy the benefits of sunlight.
In fact, by adding a sunroom to your home, you don’t have to go outdoors at all to feel the warm sun on your face. A sunroom is designed to retain warmth, even in the winter. But you don’t have to worry about getting a sunburn from UV exposure like you would on a beach.
Imagine curling up on your couch with a favourite book, without having to turn on a light or a heater. Unlike reading outdoors, you also will be protected from the wind turning the pages before you’re ready to.
Because a sunroof naturally retains warmth, you can enjoy the space year round without bulking up your energy bill.
Enjoy Nature Without Getting Bugged
One of the big advantages of a sunroom is that you can sit and enjoy the flora and fauna outside, without having to worry about becoming dinner for a mosquito or black fly.
The large windows of a sunroom often allow for a panoramic view of the outdoors, depending on the design. You can enjoy watching birds or the changing colours of the trees from the comfort of the sunroom.
Don’t worry, you won’t lose those cool breezes in summer. You can adjust the windows to allow air flow, without any harsh blasts from Mother Nature.
Enclose an Existing Deck
When you build a sunroom, you don’t always have to start from the ground up.
If you have an existing deck or patio, you can use that as a base for a new addition! Closing in your patio will extend how long into the day and into the season you can enjoy the space while keeping your guests happy.
Like to eat dinner on your deck? Now you can do it without worrying about inviting all of the neighbourhood pests for a meal too.
With a sliding glass patio door or the standard door, you can easily access the rest of your yard to water the flowers. You can even take it a step further and create a garden indoors, thanks to abundant natural light and heat.
If you have an existing porch but no deck, you can also consider creating a screen room to guard against rain and other harsh elements.
Create a Refuge in the Winter
Adding a sunroom is also an ideal space for kids to play in during winter, without having to bundle them up and send them out to the exposed backyard.
While a sunroom can help regulate temperature and protect your family from harmful UV rays during the summer, it can also be a gathering spot in winter.
With efficient windows and the right insulation, you’ll find that the sunroom can be one of the most inviting spaces in your home during the colder months.
In Alberta and the rest of Canada, winter can often mean locking yourself in artificially lit indoor spaces. However, with a sunroom, you can still soak up some vitamin D while it’s snowing outdoors.
Many Canadians also suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) from being stuck indoors all winter. However, natural light (even through a window) has been shown to help prevent this problem.
Custom Designed for Your Home
An experienced contractor, such as HR2 Construction, can build the unit depending on the existing design of your home, so it blends more seamlessly and reduces construction time. No matter whether your home is classic or contemporary, you can get a sunroom that looks like it has been there from the start.
An experienced sunroom dealer will also know how to best construct a sunroom to take the most advantage of daylight.
Building a Sunroom in Alberta Makes Sense
With all of the sunshine but still a lot of and unpredictable weather, building a sunroom in Alberta is a wise choice to save energy and extend your indoor enjoyment.
A sunroom is a cost-efficient alternative to a full addition to your home if you’re looking for additional space. You also don’t have to worry about rebuilding your ventilation system to suit the sunroom if you don’t want to. It features its own ventilation, and the temperature can be regulated by a space heater without forced air furnaces or air conditioners.
You can even add carpeting or an area rug to the sunroom to keep the floor a more constant temperature year round.
Now you have all the reasons for a sunroom and a better idea of how it could work for your home. The next step is to choose a contractor that is a dealer for quality sunrooms and knows how to install them right.
To find out more about the benefits of sunrooms, or to schedule a free consultation,.
