Postpone autumn’s chill with a Suncoast Enclosure
With the shivery-cold days of fall upon us, the warm glow of summer is just a fading memory. Not so fast, say homeowners who have turned to Suncoast Enclosures to add a three-season sun room or screen room to their back yards.
Suncoast Enclosures can turn decks, patios and just about any other outdoor space into an oasis that can be enjoyed for three glorious seasons – even in Saskatchewan.
Don Larwood, general manager of Suncoast Enclosures Saskatchewan, says his company custom builds three-season sun rooms and screen rooms to suit home and commercial building owners’ individual spaces or purposes. The structures, which can be free-standing or constructed up against buildings, don’t need special foundations or pilings and can be placed on just about any surface, such as wooden decks, concrete pads, paving stones or wooden timbers, provided that the walls can be fastened down.
Larwood’s company has constructed an enclosure as small as three feet by four feet – just large enough for the homeowner to retrieve the daily paper without worrying about snow on the front steps – and as large as 3,600 square feet for the owners of a residence in Lumsden. Most homeowners, however, choose enclosures that are somewhere in-between, usually about 12 feet by 16 feet.
The choices are not limited merely to size. The use of varied materials can determine whether the enclosure serves to simply keep the mosquitos and wasps at bay or if it is to act as a three-season extension of the home’s living space.
Homeowners who want an insect-free environment without hindering the view choose the lightest screen available. It is very transparent and allows those beautiful prairie breezes to pass freely through.
The second grade of screen blocks 65 per cent of the wind and 85 per cent of the sun’s UV rays. “It reflects heat to help keep the area cool. Virtually no snow blows through, but you do get a bit of rain blowing through it, and is still very, very easy to see through,” says Larwood.
Those who want more privacy opt for Suncoast’s densest screen. It stops 90 per cent of wind and 85 per cent of UV rays. “It keeps the wind out and keeps the heat out completely,” says Larwood. “It’s a little bit darker and acts as a privacy screen – you can see out quite well, but people cannot see in because it looks like a black wall.”
Any of Suncoast’s screen enclosures can be fitted with removeable vinyl windows, which have the appearance of a single piece of glass but are much stronger. The windows make the enclosure a true threeseason extension of the home’s living space but are so light that a costly foundation does not have to be built. Four tracks built into the frame allow three upper panes to slide downwards and bes stored behind the bottom pane when their additional protection is not needed.
Suncoast’s clients are also able to choose from several roofing options, each with its own advantages. Screen, a common choice of roofing material for swimming pool enclosures, is the best selection for those who want optimum air circulation. Screen allows rain to fall through, though, so polycarbonate is often chosen instead to cover living areas. “The polycarbonate gives you a waterproof roof and it comes in white, silver and clear. The white and the silver are both 100 per cent UV-blocking, so they reflect heat but still let light into the building,” says Larwood.
A third option, the louvred roof, can be free-standing or used in conjunction with an enclosure. Controlled with a hand-held remote and charged by a solar panel, it allows home, cottage or restaurant owners to block out rain and sun, thus protecting objects and people from water and harmful UV rays. The louvres can be opened to appreciate the warming effects of the daytime sun or to gaze at a spectacular nighttime sky. Louvred roofs, constructed from maintenance-free, powder-coated aluminum, are covered by a 10-year warranty, and are designed to complement the style of the existing building.
Regardless of the type of structure or its size, all of Suncoast’s enclosures (including the fibreglass screens, which are actually part of the structure itself) are strong enough to withstand whatever assault the prairie climate might offer, barring, perhaps, tornados. “Every one of our buildings has an engineered roof with a lifetime warranty for snow loads and winds,” says Larwood.
He adds that residential or commercial property owners have few regrets when they have a Suncoast enclosure installed. Their only lament: “Why did we wait so long?”
For further information, visit Suncoast Enclosures’ showroom at 3401 A Pasqua Street or visit www.suncoastenclosures.com/Saskatchewan.