A solarium, often referred to simply as a sunroom, is a great addition for your home. These rooms are nearly all windows, so they bring a large amount of natural light into the space. It gives you the feeling of being outdoors while you remain safely inside. Adding a solarium off the back of your home is also a good choice financially—these rooms typically cost much less than a full addition would.
Solariums are also great for growing plants and food especially if you live in a colder climate. You can buy a premade solarium like Sojag has or you can build your own. If you’re considering building a solarium in your backyard, here are a few tips that may make the process easier.
Work Out All of the Logistics First
It may be tempting to buy some materials and get to work right away, but you do need to carefully plan everything out in order to avoid making costly mistakes. Sunrooms aren’t usually huge spaces, but they still need to be mapped out. You want to determine the precise location and take into account any factors that might cut into your budget. For example, if you build a solarium off of your back door, you save on the cost of cutting into your home’s exterior and adding in a new doorway. Look at where you have trees, outbuildings, and other items in your backyard, too. Avoiding the need to remove or move any of these items will also reduce your time and cost.
One thing you definitely need to determine before building your solarium is the location of any buried power lines, sewer lines, and other utility lines. If you build over power lines and the utility company later has to dig those lines up, they may legally be able to remove your solarium.
What Will You Use Your Solarium For?
Few people add on to their home just for the sake of adding on. They usually have a purpose for the addition. So what will you use your solarium for? What you plan on using the space for should play a part in determining its size and other factors. If you plan on using it as a living room, you want to make sure it is large enough to hold your family. If you want it to serve as your home office, you will want to take into account factors such as having enough power outlets for your computer and other equipment. You may also need to think about extending your home’s HVAC system to the solarium if you will need to use it year-round. Again, as we earlier discussed many people use solariums for growing plants and vegetables.
Integrating Your Solarium into Your Home
You likely don’t want your solarium to look like it was just stuck onto the back of your home. You want to be sure it’s integrated into the overall design and looks like it has always been a part of your home. This can mean adding additional sidewalks to reach the solarium door, if it has one, or adding certain features to the exterior. You may need to do some landscaping after the solarium is installed in order to make your backyard look like you want it to. Be sure you include all of this in your budget. Otherwise, you may find yourself spending more money than you anticipated.
Purchase Pre-Made
If building your own solarium seems a little daunting, don’t worry—you can purchase this space pre-made. These fabricated sunrooms can be adjusted to meet your specific measurements and needs, so they remain custom built in that sense. However, you don’t have to worry about determining the amount of materials you need, learning how to properly install windows, or other tasks. If you’re ready to add a solarium to your home but are a bit overwhelmed with the idea of a full DIY project, buying pre-made is the ideal solution.
