Understanding the Difference between Screened Porches, Sunrooms, and Additions

Do you know the difference between screened porches, sunrooms, and full additions? Many homeowners have an idea of what they are looking for but may not know whether it is considered a sunroom, screen room, or an addition. Screen porches and sunrooms allow you to enjoy the outdoors while avoiding unwanted elements of nature such as mosquitoes or rain while an addition is an expansion of your home. Knowing how you will use the room and during which seasons you would like to utilize the space will help you decide which style best suits your family’s needs.

Screened Porches
A screened porch is very similar to a sunroom but rather than using glass windows we use fiberglass screens allowing the breeze to flow freely through the room, creating a space that invites the outdoors in. Many of the screen porches designed by Archadeck.

As your local Chicagoland porch builder, we often recommend using Eze-Breeze vertical 4 track windows. These unique window designs consist of 4 panels, allowing homeowners to open the window 25%, 50%, or 75%. This lets you choose how much fresh air you would like flowing through the room. At first glance the window panes, made of strong, flexible vinyl, appear to be glass, giving the room a more finished look. As these windows are lighter weight than glass windows, we are then usually able to build your porch on pier footings rather than with a full or trench foundation sunrooms require.

Design elements such as this make adding a screen porch more affordable than a sunroom while still protecting from outdoor elements, creating a wonderful space to spend time with family and friends during not only sunny weather but also during a light rainstorm or December snowfall.

Sunrooms
A sunroom is built to protect homeowners from rain, wind, and snow while optimizing the amount of light that enters the room, meaning lots of windows! The windows are designed to heat the room by intensifying the sun’s rays, creating a wonderful space to curl up and enjoy during light rain or even snowfall during the cooler seasons. During warmer seasons, windows can be opened to allow a warm breeze to flow through the room, bringing the outdoors in. Archadeck’s sunroom designs are not insulated and do not include heating or cooling, although a small space heater heats the room well on a mild winter day.

Additions
An addition is simply a room or rooms being added to the home. Additions include more wall space rather than window space, heating, and cooling systems, and insulation. These spaces are fully functional year-round and are quite literally an expansion of your home.

If you are looking for a protected area to enjoy the outdoors, a screen room or sunroom may be just what you need. Design options are customizable and endless! Sign up for a free design consultation or call Archadeck of Chicagoland at (847) 250-4100 to speak with a design consultant and begin creating your new dream space.

See you in the Backyard!