Groundhog Day came and went and it is snowing all over the place.  Lucky are those who can sit and enjoy the snowfall from inside their Betterliving patio room! A sunroom owner from Chicago sent this photo.  I’d love to see photos of how other sun room owners use their sunrooms in the snow.  Drop me a comment!

The weather outside is frightful...but the sun room is so delightful...!

Flat Andy is a better dancer than the real Andy!

For the first time in 23 years, my alter ego, the real Andy, got up on the dance floor at the annual Betterliving January Dealer Meeting.  It happened when our DJ, “Nassau Steve,” played Who Let the Dogs Out. 

 Elizabeth Warren, “The Sunroom Lady” from Vermont and owner of Otter Creek Sunrooms, Awnings & Custom Closets, invited Andy to dance.  Anybody watching quickly understood why he’s bee reluctant all these years.

Stick to sun rooms, Andy!

What Sunroom Design Would Be Best For Me?

If you are thinking about adding a sunroom to your home, consider the following:

1. Your climate
2. The season are you at home the most
3. The amount of rainfall in your area
4. The construction style of your home
5. The traffic patterns in your house
6. The set back requirements on your property
7. The local building codes
8. Directional exposure to the sun
9. The “discomforts” that keep you indoors
10. What you do in your leisure time at home
11. Your need for extra space
12. How much privacy do you want

The design of your home and the climate you live in will determine a lot about how your sunroom will be designed.  Many homeowners want the height and airiness of an A-Frame roof, but these are more costly and sometimes require the addition of a “dormer” to your existing house roof in order to obtain sufficient height for the vaulted ceiling. A studio, or sloped roof, is the simplest design and can be raised with the addition of transom windows under the roof line.  Sunrooms can also be installed under existing porch roofs.

The size, amount of insulation, and foundation requirements all have impact on both the design and the cost of a sunroom.

Most homeowners prefer walls of glass in the sunroom, using a combination of sliding windows and doors, but you can also add solid wall panels for privacy in part of the sunroom.

Sunrooms often extend from the kitchen, family room or master bedroom.  The exposure to the sun and the time of year you expect to use your sunroom the most will help you determine where to situate your new sun room.

Once you think about all of these issues, it is time to call in your sunroom professional to help you design a sunroom addition that truly fits your needs and budget.

Upgraded sunroom glass – is it a good idea?

Putting Low E glass into your sunroom is a sizable investment regardless of which brand you choose.  Low E glass will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool the room.  That not only will result in lower utility costs, but will also mean less stress on your heating or cooling unit.

If you plan to use your sunroom during the outdoor season without heating or cooling, Low E glass will keep it more comfortable on hot days.  Betterliving sunrooms have  Low E tempered glass in all of its sunrooms windows and doors.

Leaks: Don’t take on a sunroom project as a do-it-yourself project, unless you live in an area where it never rains. If you live in an area where it rains, you will be fighting leaks forever.

Permits:  To receive a permit from your local building department, you will have to meet the requirements of a patio room. It will take you many discussions with them to get it designed to satisfy them.

Engineering: How much of a snow load do you have to meet where you are? Will the sunroom be subjected to things falling out of the sky, like pinecones? This will determine the best material to use for the roof panels.

Heating and Cooling: The roof and glass you choose could generate a lot of heat, and the more glass you have, the more heat it will generate. What sort of a climate are you in?

Flashing: The thing to remember when designing a glass enclosure is that it will leak either by condensation or penetration. To avoid having to deal with constant nagging problems provide an exit (weep holes) for these leaks and a built in gutter to channel water to the exterior. Don’t forget flashing where the structure joins the house.

Professional installed manufactured sunrooms may seem high priced, cut they have been designed and tested to avoid all of the problems do-it-yourselfers have trouble with.

1. Sunrooms are an affordable way to add extra space to your home
2. Sunrooms increase the value of your home
3. A sunroom is a space you WILL use!  On average – sunrooms are used 4 hours a day, according to research by sunroomkey.com.
4. Every year, sunrooms re-coup most of their value when the home is sold, according to annual reports by Qualified Remodeler Magazine.
5. A sunroom allows you to enjoy the beauty of your garden in comfort – rain, wind or shine.
6. Sunrooms can be used in a variety of ways – dining, exercising, playing cards, doing homework, growing plants, reading….
7. Sunrooms benefit your health – the fresh air and sunshine are stress reducers

For everyone who entered our Win A Backyard Makeover contest last year – I wanted to share the article that was published in Nashville recently:

(From The Advertiser News, Nashville, Tennessee, July 29, 2009)

John and Tamara Smith of Thompson’s Station were the grand prize winners of the 2008 Betterliving Patio & Sunrooms Backyard Makeover Sweepstakes.

The contest, sponsored by Betterliving Patiio & Sunrooms, received 11,800 entries nationwide. John and Tamara Smith were the lucky winners of the grand prize, a 10 x 12 sunroom.

Tom and Dede Bailery, owners of Betterliving of Nashville, a participating dealer in this contest, are thrilled to have someone from their territory win the grand prize.

“This is extra exciting as this is the first time John and Tamara have won something of this magnitude; in fact we had to call them several times before they even believed they actually won the contest and a sunroom!” Dede said.

John and Tamara have been married for four years and moved to Thompson’s Station in October of 2006. They always wanted a sunroom and when they heard about the Betterliving Sweepstakes from a television commercial, they registered online.

“I was so happy for the Smiths. They really needed the extra space and have a beautiful backyard, which they now can enjoy everyday no matter what the weather and without the bugs. I think their two dogs love it just as much as they do,” said Tom Bailey, president of Betterlivif Nashville.

Best of Souderton Award Honors Their Achievement

SOUDERTON June 8, 2009 — Better Living Patio Rooms has been selected for the 2009 Best of Souderton Award in the Sheet Metal Work category.

Each year, The Best of Souderton Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The Best of Souderton Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally and data provided by third parties.

About The Best of Souderton

The Best of Souderton funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of Best of Souderton Award is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The Best of Souderton Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs.

SOURCE: The Best of Souderton

My new Betterliving Sunroom

Thank you, Mrs. Gilmore, for sending us a photo of your new sunroom in the mountains in upstate New York. You told us that you often have bears coming out of the woods to wander in your yard. I hope they admire your new room. You will be able to watch them safe and sound behind the tempered safety glass that is used in both the windows and doors of all Betterliving sun rooms! But keep an eye on your porridge!
Thanks for writing!
Flat Andy

Exterior solar shades are a great way to keep your sunroom cool without obstructing your view to the outdoors. See them in motion in the product video gallery found on this site.