Want to bathe your home in sunshine without leaving your house?
Sunroom installation services are one of the most popular home improvements for a reason. They turn dark, dreary living spaces into bright, energizing retreats that homeowners actually want to spend time in.
But there's more to it than that…
Sunlight is a fundamental necessity of life. Daylight exposure affects mood, sleep, health, and overall well-being. Sunrooms are the best way to soak up that much-needed sunshine.
Let's dive into how sunrooms work and why they are the most beneficial to your home and family.
According to HomeAdvisor data, quality sunroom installation services should provide a minimum return on investment of 50%.
Table of Contents:
- Why Natural Light Matters So Much
- The Real Benefits of Sunroom Installation
- Types of Sunrooms That Maximize Light
- Key Features to Consider
- Making Your Investment Count
- Bringing It All Together
Why Natural Light Matters So Much
Did you know that most people spend about 90% of their lives indoors?
It's a staggering number that highlights a serious problem. The human body wasn't designed to live under artificial lighting.
Natural sunlight:
- Prevents depression
- Improves vitamin D levels
- Boosts productivity and focus
- Encourages better sleep
Artificial light leads to the opposite of all of these things. Instead of relaxing, unwinding, and destressing at home, many people are getting worse in low-light environments.
Humans require regular sunlight exposure to maintain optimal health.
A UK study of 500,000 people found that each additional hour a person spent outside was associated with a reduced risk of depression. The sun truly is a natural antidepressant.
Sunlight also helps set the body's circadian rhythm, or internal clock. This biological mechanism controls sleep and wake cycles and plays a role in mood, metabolism, appetite, and hormone levels.
Home environments that lack quality natural light often lead to sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness.
Healthy bones and immune systems are also a direct result of natural light exposure. Sunlight triggers the body to produce vitamin D, which is crucial for calcium absorption and cellular function. Lack of vitamin D is linked to a host of conditions like rickets, cancer, and heart disease.
Nature is medicine, and sunlight is one of the most important components.
The Real Benefits of Sunroom Installation
A sunroom is the ideal way to harness the power of the sun for your home and family. This home addition is designed from the ground up to allow as much natural light as possible into a space.
The term "sunroom" is more than just marketing jargon. A sunroom literally faces the sun. It also features unique construction elements.
The walls of a sunroom consist of glass windows. While most homes only have one or two windows per room, sunrooms maximize natural lighting with multiple panels of glass.
This translates into some serious advantages for homeowners who want the best of the best. Those considering sunrooms in Las Vegas or other sunny climates stand to benefit even more from this addition.
- 24/7 access to natural light
- Year-round enjoyment with climate control
- More living space without a full addition cost
- Energy savings with reduced artificial lighting needs
Additions like home offices, gyms, entertainment rooms, and dining rooms have become increasingly popular in recent years. Sunrooms are the best of both worlds.
They provide open, light-filled spaces while also helping the home save on electricity costs with ample sunshine.
Don't be fooled by homeowners just trying to make a buck, though. Sunrooms are a tried-and-true home addition that people have been installing for decades.
The average homeowner enjoys sunroom installation services to reap all the rewards for themselves.
Types of Sunrooms That Maximize Light
The different types of sunrooms affect the overall level of natural light exposure.
It's important to know which type of sunroom installation will work best for your space, budget, and lifestyle.
Three-Season Sunrooms
Three-season sunrooms are completely enclosed with glass windows. They do not, however, include any insulation.
That means these rooms are ideal for mild spring, summer, and fall weather in most parts of the country.
Three-season rooms also make the most out of light exposure since they typically have more glass surface area than a traditional insulated room.
Four-Season Sunrooms
Four-season sunrooms have heating and air conditioning installed for year-round comfort. They are essentially complete, habitable additions to the home.
Homeowners can even count the space towards the official square footage of the house.
Four-season sunrooms almost always have the highest return on investment because they can be used every day of the year.
Solariums
If you want to get even more bang for your buck from a sunroom installation, then you need a solarium.
Solariums are like four-season sunrooms but with a glass roof as well.
The walls may be all glass, but it's the transparent ceiling that really maximizes the amount of natural light exposure the sunroom enjoys.
Key Features to Consider
The features a sunroom installation includes also play a role in how bright it is.
Key considerations include the quality of the glass, the sunroom's orientation, and any additional enhancements that let more light in.
Glass matters more than you might think. Sunroom installation services must use special low-E glass to protect furniture, flooring, and artwork from fading and damage while still allowing through beneficial ultraviolet rays.
Directionality is critical, too. Sunrooms with a southern exposure receive the most consistent amount of natural light all year long.
Rooms on the east side of a house enjoy morning sunlight, while west-facing additions soak up the afternoon sun.
When it comes to getting the most out of a sunroom, even the little things can make a difference. Consider the following:
- Skylights
- Light-colored flooring
- Mirrors and reflective surfaces
- Open, unobstructed sightlines
- Window placement to capture morning and evening rays
The right combination of features and design elements work together to ensure the sunroom is bright from morning until night.
Making Your Investment Count
Sunroom installation is a big investment for most homeowners.
It is also a home addition that can pay serious dividends in the future.
According to HomeAdvisor data, quality sunroom installation services should provide a minimum return on investment of 50%. This means that a $50,000 sunroom installation increases the home's resale value by about $25,000.
Of course, the real benefits of a sunroom can never truly be quantified. Sunshine, for example, makes a dramatic difference in people's lives. Better moods, more energy, and an easier time sleeping at night all add up to quality of life improvements.
Homeowners who want to capture more of those benefits should work with a professional sunroom installation team that knows what they're doing.
Sunrooms aren't DIY projects that can be handled on the weekend.
Attention to detail and using the right materials, however, make all the difference. Here's what to focus on:
- Choosing the right sunroom type for the climate and budget
- Orienting the sunroom for maximum sun exposure
- Selecting the highest quality glass available
- Working with a contractor that specializes in sunrooms
- Installing additional features like skylights
Bringing It All Together
Sunrooms are one of the most important home additions homeowners can make.
They turn dark, poorly lit indoor spaces into sunny, bright oases.
Sunroom installation services offer multiple benefits for homeowners who know what they're doing. The best installation services know the difference quality makes.
Sunrooms with higher amounts of natural light lead to healthier, happier, and more energetic occupants. That, in turn, also makes the sunroom more valuable from an investment perspective.
To quickly recap:
- Sunlight is crucial to health, mood, and productivity
- Sunrooms have more windows than traditional rooms
- Glass roofs and walls in solariums let in even more light
- The best sunrooms face the sun for maximum exposure
- Quality installation service matters for investment ROI
Homeowners who install sunroom additions to their properties have the upper hand. Sunshine streams into the home where families actually live and spend their time.
The home feels more alive. The mood of everyone living under that roof lifts. And the natural light works to make a real difference to overall happiness.
That is the power of a quality sunroom installation.