Sun Porch Perfection

Project Summary

In Minnesota, there are probably 5 days out of the year that are idyllic for sitting outside on your uncovered deck, in the direct sun, where you won’t suffer from heat exhaustion or blood loss from mosquitos in short order.

“So, you’ve got this beautifully manicured backyard to enjoy and no way to really enjoy it at your convenience,” recalls project manager Ben Murphy. “That’s what really drove this project.”

In any remodel the biggest question is always why? Why are we doing this project? What pain are we trying to make go away or a problem to solve? In this case, the homeowners wanted to dramatically extend their outdoor living enjoyment and do so without the cost of a 4-season porch addition.

“Our solution was a relatively new product called Sunspace, that takes those 5 good days on the deck and turns them into 9 months or so of comfortable living,” explains Murphy, “And for probably 25% less in cost and a traditional four season porch.”

Audio: client testimony about the before and after of the project.

Before

After

The product uses a combination of adjustable bug-proof screens and clear vinyl window membranes to control airflow, heat, and weather. We also replaced the decking with Coretec Pro Plus Enhanced HD luxury vinyl plank flooring.

We tied the porch into the roof and painted everything to match the existing exterior color so the remodeled space would look as if it was part of the original build.

Just in case you might get the "how hard can it be?" bug about doing your own addition tie in to an existing roof, here is a detail on how it should be done and why a project like this is on average in the 60k - 90k range.

“Not all of these hybrid 3-season porches have additional heat sources, but these homeowners really wanted to see how many extra months of usage they could get so they added a couple of Infratech Comfort infrared heaters to the package,” explains Murphy. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find out they could be out there as late as early December or as early as late March.”