good day sunshine

Feature Story

Sunrooms have come a long way from the days of using them as passive solar collectors to help warm the house or as simply a place to grow plants year round. “It’s a unique room addition,” said Larry Chavez Jr., sales manager for Dreamstyle Remodeling, Inc’s Sunrooms, Patio Covers, & Stucco. “It’s a living space but unique and different than standard construction.” With modern design delivering more inside-outside living options, a sunroom is one way to have the best of both worlds, he said. “It brings people closer to the outside,” Chavez said. “But protecting them from the elements: the winds, rains, snow and the dust that we have in New Mexico. And at different times of the year it can be too cold or too hot to be outside, but you still can get that feel with the sunroom.” The various uses are numerous as the people seeking sun rooms. “In our years of doing these, there’s not a right or wrong way of people using these rooms,” Chavez said. “Ideas include a home office, an extension to the living room or extension to the dining room or as a kid’s playroom.” A creative mind can come up with all kinds of interesting ways to utilize the space, he said. “We’ve done a number of combinations of projects with a hot tub or swim spa and enclose them that so they can use those all year round,” Chavez said. “You’re not chased by the heat of summer or cool of winter.” Because it’s a full room addition to code, that even expands the possibilities more. “They can have full electrical packages just like a room in the house,” Chavez said. “It’s a fully functional space - you can put in TVs and entertainment system in the room. It’s a unique living space.” Its configuration often times is determined by the way it will be attached to the existing house or the space it’s filling, he said. “We have an all-glass option, glass roof and glass walls so you can see the sun and stars; you can see the sky, you can see the clouds and sun during the day and the stars at night,” Chavez said. “It’s a really open feel. And regardless of the type of roof they do, they can do corner to corner glass.” The options abound, he said, as some clients fill existing spaces like patios or porches or decks. “It’s just really vast the different things that can be done,” Chavez said. “Whatever is there, we can do just a wall system to enclose that space.” The process starts with an in-home consultation so designers can get an idea of what the client seeks. “We talk to them about their needs and wants and ideas for the project and find out what their goals are and what they want to achieve on their project,” Chavez said. “And then we’ll go through our product line and figure out what is most appropriate to fit their needs.” Versatility is the key to a successful project, he said “We have 14 different styles plus a series of customizations that are done based on customers’ preferences,” Chavez said. “Door style, location, how much glass they want. There are tons and tons of different options. We really work with the customer based on what they want and fitting it within what they can afford and what we’re capable of doing to bring their ideas and their dreams to life.” Decades ago, sunrooms were a popular way to deliver solar gain passively as well as create an arboretum effect. “But it’s way different from the greenhouse stereotype of years back,” Chavez said. “Thirty or 40 years ago, solar gain was a huge aspect to these rooms. The evolution of people’s use of the room has minimized that as being much of a selling feature or an attractive benefit. With the advancement of glass and framing technology, from an energy efficiency standpoint it’s really a room addition rather than a greenhouse or a place for plants.” The company does get the occasional request for use as solar room to help heat a house and “it’s possible but not just as common,” he said. “It’s much more common to use it as living space. In our displays in the showroom, we set up as a living area, loveseats, coffee tables, pool tables and foosball tables.” Using glass rather than plexiglass or polycarbonate product greatly enhances its livability, he said. “We use actual glass a heavy-duty aluminum frame and heavy-duty tempered glass,” Chavez said. “It’s as strong as automobile glass relative to impact strength, heat-gain and heat-loss energy efficiency. It’s truly functional.” Since Dreamstyle is a full remodeling enterprise, it can deal with any type of flooring situation, as well. For instance, if there is existing concrete already in the desired space, the sunroom can be built on top of that, or another flooring can be used. “Anything from tile flooring, laminate wood flooring, actual hardwood floors and carpet is always an option,” Chavez said. “Engineered wood and tile are very popular because of the low maintenance. It really reverts back to the customer. Sometimes they’ll want to use something real similar to be consistent with what’s in the rest of the house. Some people stain the concrete. The way the stain is absorbed, it gives it its own look and feel.” Harkening back to the days as an arboretum, the old, durable, green carpet was popular, but that too has been on the way out. “Years ago, indoor carpet for high-traffic and durability was used,” Chavez said. “But carpet in general seems to be a floor covering of the past, especially if you have dogs.” As for cost, it’s hard to put an exact figure on it, he said, because of the variability of each project. “Because of the custom nature, it’s not easy just to set a price,” Chavez said. “For general purposes one of the references we use is projects tend to run the price of a brand-new car with an average price of about $30,000. We’ve built some for more than that and some for less.”