Tools & Tips: Outdoor Room Addition Basics
Email To Friend | share this article | Posted by Dan on June 12th in Tools and Tips.
The key to getting started with an outdoor room addition is planning. Deciding on a design that fits you and your lifestyle is of the utmost importance, and there are several ways you can go. In order to heighten the appeal and the value of your home, you will want your outdoor addition to have three important characteristics. It should be dry, warm, and have power.
Keeping it dry is easily accomplished as the room will be attached to the house, connecting to the existing roof in some way. A qualified roofing contractor will make sure all is water tight.
You will have a few options for keeping it warm. Outdoor rooms are inherently solar structures, as they are usually full of large windows. Because of this, however, outdoor rooms are often too warm in the summer. Try to have operable windows on at least two walls to maximize the flow of fresh air. You can also use semi-transparent blinds that will still allow some light to shine through while providing shade simultaneously. Nonetheless, keeping warm in those colder months is important too. If it’s impractical to run your heating ductwork out into the room, you can check out baseboard heating, for one option.
Outdoor rooms are also the perfect candidates for passive solar heating. By selecting and strategically placing materials with high thermal mass in your room addition, you will save money on heating and cooling down the line.
CalFinder can help you find a certified electrical contractor to wire electricity into your outdoor room addition. I recommend keeping lighting low-key in an outdoor room as they are rooms where most people go to relax and take in fresh air. One possible exception would be plans to use the room for games such as billiards. Even then, dimmer switches are an excellent choice, they not only give you control but save energy.
The outdoor room addition is an appealing project right now, with spring fever, and soon summer fever, at full height. What would be better than a nice, relaxing, bright spot to read a book, have the morning coffee, or play games.