► About Betterliving | Andys Blog | September 2009 | Do It Yourself Sunrooms: 5 Reasons Why It Might Not Make Sense

Do It Yourself Sunrooms: 5 Reasons Why It Might Not Make Sense

  1. Leaks: Don’t take on a DIY sunroom project as a do-it-yourself project, unless you live in an area where it never rains. If you live in an area where it rains, you will be fighting leaks forever.
  2. Permits:  To receive a permit from your local building department, you will have to meet the requirements of a patio room. It will take you many discussions with them to get it designed to satisfy them.
  3. Engineering: How much of a snow load do you have to meet where you are? Will the sunroom be subjected to things falling out of the sky, like pinecones? This will determine the best material to use for the roof panels.
  4. Heating and Cooling: The roof and glass you choose could generate a lot of heat, and the more glass you have, the more heat it will generate. What sort of a climate are you in?
  5. Flashing: The thing to remember when designing a glass enclosure is that it will leak either by condensation or penetration. To avoid having to deal with constant nagging problems provide an exit (weep holes) for these leaks and a built in gutter to channel water to the exterior. Don’t forget flashing where the structure joins the house.

Professional installed manufactured sunrooms may seem high priced, but they have been designed and tested to avoid all of the problems do-it-yourselfers have trouble with.


| 9/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | 0 comments

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