If you want a new space for relaxing at home that’s bright and sunny, open and airy, and always comfortable, that’s a sunroom, right? Let’s pause for a moment and explore that assumption. For some homeowners, a sunroom truly is the ideal choice. For others, not necessarily! You may actually want a screened porch without realizing it.
Experience the Archadeck Difference
When you first meet with Archadeck of Nashville to discuss the outdoor living project you have in mind, we will ask you many questions. It’s to your benefit that we do so. Archadeck builders use a thorough design process that helps each homeowner bring their project into focus by clarifying their own “wants” and “don’t-wants.” We call this step in the process a comprehensive needs analysis.
Even if you begin our meeting absolutely certain you want a sunroom, we ask that you humor us by answering our exploratory questions. You may be surprised by what rises to the surface as you examine your wants and don’t-wants with our guidance.
— Nashville custom sunroom.
Sunroom builder Archadeck of Nashville brings a wealth of experience to this design process. We have worked with hundreds of Nashville-area homeowners and have found the needs analysis serves an extremely important purpose. Through it we will either confirm that a sunroom is what you really want or reveal that a screened porch may actually satisfy your cravings more fully.
Here’s the point: We want to save you from experiencing regret later, after your sunroom is completed, wishing you had requested a screened porch instead. That’s the Archadeck difference.
1. Essential question: Screens or windows?
Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting in a comfortable chair in your new outdoor living space. What images float through your mind? Do you picture yourself surrounded by screens or by windows? A room with screens is very different from a room with windows, so allow yourself to “try out” both possibilities. Try to imagine your new room as a screened porch. How does it feel? Are you relaxed? Then imagine yourself in a sunroom. How does that feel? Which feels better in your new space, screens or windows?
— Interior of Eze Breeze porch in Nolensville, TN, built by Archadeck of Nashville.
There is a third possibility that’s somewhat of a hybrid. Are you familiar with Eze-Breeze windows? The Eze-Breeze porch system provides screens when you want screens and windows when you want windows. We call this outdoor living space a three-season room/porch. Talk about the best of both worlds! Each window opening is filled with a screen and a clear, vinyl window panel. When you want a breeze, slide the window panels aside – or remove them entirely – and enjoy the fresh air. You can open 75% of the window panels at one time by sliding them out of the way to reveal screens. When it’s too cold outside, you can close all of the window panels for a sealed room.
2. Essential question: Outdoor experience or indoor experience?
Do you want an outdoor oasis or an indoor oasis? A screened porch design positions you in the midst of nature. As you relax there, you can hear the everyday sounds that fill the outdoors. In the morning, you might enjoy hearing a rooster or the chirping of baby birds in the nest. In the afternoon, distant exclamations of children playing or honey bees buzzing from blossom to blossom. In the evening, Canada geese passing overhead. Later at night, an owl in the treetops. Do you find pleasure in these sounds or would you prefer they not intrude?
— This open and airy screened porch brings you closer to nature.
Relaxing on your new screened porch, you’ll smell the scents of nature as they float by. Close your eyes and try to imagine the scents of freshly-cut grass, flowers in the garden, and a neighbor’s backyard cookout. Do these imaginings take you to a place you enjoy – or one you want to escape?
— Imagine enjoying the sunset on this custom screened porch!
Surrounded by screens, you’ll feel the temperature’s gradual drop from afternoon into evening. As nightfall approaches, you may find yourself pulling on a sweater or pulling up a fleecy throw over your legs. Do you find that transition relaxing, or does it intrude on your enjoyment of the space?
In a sunroom, you have more control over the sounds and scents surrounding you. If you would prefer listening to music without the intrusion of neighborhood noises, a sunroom will suit you best. If you’d rather not smell whatever your neighbor is grilling, a sunroom will seal off the wafting scent of charred meat and vegetables. If you prefer a constant temperature of your choosing – unaffected by the sun’s path across the sky – you need a sunroom.
3. Essential question: Breeze or air conditioning?
Will a ceiling fan’s breeze keep you comfortably cool most days? Will the warmth from a fireplace keep the night’s chill at bay? If you prefer to experience nature first-hand, including the highs and lows of our Middle Tennessee temperatures, you may find a screened porch more enjoyable than a sunroom. If fans and fireplaces are your solutions to finding comfort in an outdoor setting, we think a screened porch is going to offer you ultimate relaxation.
On the other hand, if temperature control is your top priority and humidity is your worst nightmare, a sunroom is your best option. If you want to experience full sun in an amazingly bright and airy room without ever feeling uncomfortably warm, you need a sunroom’s total climate control.
At Archadeck of Nashville, we will never judge your ability to luxuriate in the sounds and scents of nature or your desire for complete control over your environment. We simply want to help you make the best decision when it comes to planning the perfect outdoor living space for you and your family.
If you are looking for the most qualified Nashville sunroom and screened porch designer and builder, call us today at (615) 640-3628!
