Picture yourself in hot and sunny Orlando. You’re sitting on a spacious, open patio during a peaceful evening. Suddenly, you feel little mosquitoes pecking at your legs and you have to rush into the house!

Now imagine relaxing on your partially covered patio while enjoying the crisp, fall weather Chicago has to offer. Without a moment’s notice, the wind picks up, it starts raining, and you are soaked from head to toe.

Wouldn’t you like to get away from all of this? These two examples demonstrate exactly why it makes sense to enclose your porch. Enjoy maximum usability, year-round!

An existing porch that boasts a well-constructed ceiling and roof offers a ton of potential for the space to be enclosed into a sunroom. The advantage of having a sunroom allows homeowners to enjoy the outdoors without the hassle of being bothered by pesky insects, light rain and varying hot/cold temperatures.

The four components you must consider when constructing an enclosed porch are insulation, temperature, electrical power and lighting.

Insulation & Temperature
In order to determine how much insulation is needed, you must decide the purpose your enclosed patio will serve. If you would like this space to function as a home office, the walls and the ceiling should be fully insulated for temperature control. If you would like to construct a sunroom, the space should be screened-in, or walls (with very little insulation) should boast wall-to-wall glass windows. You may even want to add a sliding glass door for extra ventilation and access to the backyard. It is possible to extend your existing heating and cooling systems from the main house into the converted sunroom. Another option is to add ceiling fans, air-conditioning wall units or baseboards heaters.

Electrical Power & Lighting
Your existing electrical system can be extended into the sunroom. However, the best part about having a sunroom is taking advantage of the natural lighting. Walls of windows not only offer breathtaking nature views, but they also allow streams of sunlight to pour into the space. Consider building skylights into the ceiling! Additional lights allow you to enjoy peaceful nights inside the sunroom, and surround sound speakers are great for parties!

Once you have converted your porch, it needs some spice! Stay tuned for a future post, giving you tips from Buy Owner on decorating your sunroom.