Mr. & Mrs. Blandings “improve on” the architect’s plans for their dream house.
I haven’t mentioned this before because I was afraid I might jinx it if I talked about it, but over the past few months we’ve been working on plans to build a sunroom. I am so excited about this. I have always wanted a three-season room and can hardly believe I’m finally going to have one.
You may recall what happened to our deck furniture in April. At the time I mentioned that it might be a sign it was time to build a screened porch back there.
I even showed you some of the pictures I had on my “Want-It-So-Badly-It-Hurts” Inspiration Board:
Since then, we’ve hired a builder and had an architect draw up some plans.
Several plans, actually. When we started this project, we turned into Mr. and Mrs. Blandings, dreaming about all the things we’d like to add to the porch.
Before we knew it, we had tripled and size and cost of it. Oops.
Our simple screened porch had somehow evolved into a full-blown sunroom.
In my fantasy world, Dave & I look Cary Grant & Myrna Loy.
We are justifying the expense because our family room is small, and we turned our living room into a home office for Dave. We can definitely use some extra hang-out space.
The sunroom will be 17′ x 18′ with a vaulted ceiling.
One door will open onto the deck and another connects to our mudroom.
We’ll have a heating and A/C unit installed so we can use the space as much as possible.
Here’s the architect’s drawing of how it’ll look on the back of the house:
I still need to choose the flooring, and I’m considering some kind of slate tile. But I don’t know.
Bottom line is the flooring has to be fairly inexpensive, which rules out hardwoods.
The site survey has been done, we got the HOA’s approval to move forward, and the building permits just came through. In the next few weeks, we’ll finally break ground. Can’t wait!
I’ll keep you posted as things move along. Cross your fingers that the building process will go more smoothly for us than it did for the Blandings!
What a fabulous project, a space that will most certainly get endless use! I hope you share a lot of the process. AND I just have to say, love that movie, any movie with Cary Grant…fun, fun! Janell
.-= Janell Beals´s last blog ..A Coaster Project & Today Im At Look Linger Love! =-.
I’m a Cary Grant fanatic. I just love having his photo at the top of my blog today. I might never change it. -Julia
I’m so excited for you!!! I can’t wait to see what it looks like. And I love slate. I don’t have it but I’ve wanted to for years. We just don’t have the right space for it. Although, usually when I’m hesitant about something, it’s because I haven’t found the thing I *love* yet. Good luck!
.-= Amy Button´s last blog ..Walking Miss Daisy =-.
Congratulations! It looks like a great plan and I know you will LOVE having a sunporch. I just don’t know of anyone that wouldn’t! I like the idea of slate, but don’t have any personal experience with it. Happy weekend…
.-= pk @ Room Remix´s last blog ..Dining Chairs and Tables – Numbers you can use =-.
Hello,
That is so exciting! Have fun creating your sun room. We did this a couple of years ago and it’s my favorite room to hang out in. I love having the outdoors come in. Also love all of Cary Grant movies. Enjoy and have a great time designing. Looking forward to your posts.
Have a good weekend.
Claudia
.-= claudia walsh´s last blog ..Its quiet this morning! =-.
How exciting! I have never lived in a house with a sunroom, but think they are really charming. Can’t wait to see yours completed!
xo,
cristin
.-= cristin @ simplified bee´s last blog ..Design Blogger Series- What Would You Do =-.
Oh Gosh! I just LOVE that movie — I think it started my love of houses and decor. I have Blandings Synrom too — dreaming up waaaaay more than what we start out planning. I can’t wait to see what your sun room looks like! 🙂
.-= Amanda@The Hand Me Down House´s last blog ..More Silhouette Projects! =-.
Julia,
I dream of having a screened porch. We live by a river and it’s gorgeous here ( I’ve posted about that before at my blog) and we have a huge deck overlooking the river. It’s beautiful, calming, but in the summer we suffer with so many bugs, from mosquitos to bees and everything in between! 🙂
So, I screened porch would be ideal for us to enjoy it all year around.
Your backyard seems to be great, judging by the picture and I can just imagine how perfect it will be when you’re done with the porch. You’re house always look fantastic when you accomplish something. Slate is a good and long lasting material. You will probably have to use an area rug for some comfort and warmth. It will look great, just try to enjoy the whole process instead of stressing over it. Have fun! 🙂
Let us see when it’s done, ok?
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I agree, Luciane. I’ll definitely need some area rugs to warm things up! -Julia 🙂
Soooo darn exciting! Can’t wait to see the final product!
.-= anna see´s last blog ..Furniture Transformations =-.
What great news! It’s so wonderful to have one’s dreams come true. I have always wanted a screened in porch and our dream came through the year before we retired (2007). We decided not to have a 3 season or 4 season room because it is just the two of us and we already have a living room and family room. Our porch is 16 feet by 18 feet. And it is similar to what you are planning on building…an open deck area and a screened in porch which opens into our dinette area with a Pella French door. We had two stairs built off the deck. We had a type of composite flooring put in that looks almost like a wooden floor and is so comfortable to walk on – no nails or screws showing. We had a bead board ceiling installed too with a ceiling fan/light and four ceiling pot lights in each corner of the screened in porch. You can see BEFORE and AFTER views here: https://teacuplane-sandy.blogspot.com/2010/05/show-and-tell-friday-before-and-after.html.
.-= Teacup Lane´s last blog ..Happy Vintage Vegetables =-.
Love your porch! Thanks for sharing it. -Julia
I am so excited for you and I think that slate is a great idea!
.-= MissCaron´s last blog ..FOOD- INC =-.
Hey, Julia, that’s great news! You know how badly I want a screened porch, but it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. I know you’ll enjoy your new space. I had a small sunroom in my old house in GA & loved it. All that light coming in was so nice. I think slate floors will be very nice in there or even porcelain tile is pretty inexpensive. They have some gorgeous stuff out there now. Can’t wait to see it coming along!
.-= RHoda @ Southern Hospitality´s last blog ..Feature Friday- Megan with Honey We’re Home =-.
I think slate is a great idea. I think it would feel cooler in the hot weather than a lot of other choices.
My back porch is giving my brain fits right now and the thought has crossed my mind to screen it in or turn it into a sunroom one day (been in the house less than a year so…). I’ll be watching this project with interest!! We have a slab foundation and had the concrete on the back porch scored and stained to look like a wide plank wood floor. It’s looks really cool and everyone always asks about it. I love the look of slate too.
.-= jana´s last blog ..Thursday Thoughts Did he really just say that =-.
How exciting! Looking forward to seeing it being built. Have you priced the Bellawood from Lumber Liquidators…I keep hearing good things about it (and the price).
My parents replaced alot of the flooring in their house with bamboo flooring. It winds up looking like hardwood, but was considerably less expensive. I don’t know how much, but it may be worth looking into. I’ve never had slate floor, but it sounds cold.
I did a sunroom for a client with slate flooring a few years back. We used copper slate on an angle with 1″x1″ glass tiles every so often (the glass tiles were approved for floor use). It is beautiful and slate is a durable and budget friendly flooring choice. Some slate tiles will flake so you will be sweeping up slivers every now and then and it is an uneven surface so you will have to put padding under some legs of furniture to get it to set straight. You can always use area rugs under furniture groupings if you are afraid the slate will be too cold; but saying that, I think slate, because of it’s texture and color variation is a warmer look in a room than most ceramic tiles. My client is happy with her choice!!
.-= LuxuriousLife´s last blog ..From Inspiration to Reality =-.
Sounds beautiful! Thanks–I didn’t realize they might flake. -Julia
Hi, Julia! I am so excited for you!!! I know it will be a beautiful addition to your home. 🙂 We had slate floors in our foyer when I was growing up, and my mom disliked them for the reason “lindseydawn” mentioned. I think they look beautiful, but I’d want to be sure to have a good rug down for the winter. Keep us updated!!! 🙂
.-= Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..Ornament Silhouette T-shirt =-.
Oh my word, Julia, that is SO exciting!!!! I adore sunrooms, truly, they can be the BEST room in the house. How lovely that you’ve put your dream into action! Someday…… I hope to enclose our courtyard too with a conservatory/sunroom. I swear, I’d never leave home! You just might be moving your ‘office’ to your new sunroom, I’m sure you will love being in it that much. Congrats!
Kate
PS LOVE Mr. and Mrs. Blandings . . one of my most favorite movies!
.-= Centsational Girl´s last blog ..Home Office- Take Two =-.
My husband said the same thing, that I’d be moving my office out there. Ha. Should be a perfect spot for me and my laptop to get some work done… 🙂
How exciting! A house that we are trying to buy right now has a sunroom and I have been dreaming of all kinds of ideas for it too! I have slate in my entry right now and I have really liked it. It has held up great! Mine has never flaked! We just got ours from Home Depot. I would recommend it to anyone! Good Luck!
.-= Sunshine´s last blog ..Kitchens =-.
I wonder if certain types flake and scratch more than others? I need to look into that… Thanks!
We are about to lay Trafficmaster Allure plank flooring in our basement. I am REALLY picky and skeptical about products that are supposed to look like wood, but this one looks really good. Because it’s a flexible vinyl, it’s actually a little softer than regular wood or Pergo, but not at all plastic-y feeling like vinyl. And it’s VERY reasonably priced – $1.79/sf in our area. I’m sure in a space like this you have the same concerns as we do with water and moisture in a basement, so a tile or vinyl is the best solution.
All that said, though, we haven’t laid it YET. The jury is still out, but from what I’ve heard from people with this product or similar ones, we’ll love it.
Hi Julia,
I had a slate foyer in my previous house and my sister has slate covering her kitchen and dining area. While it is gorgeous, it’s also cold, absorbs spills and water and hard/uneven on your feet. I’m not using it again in the house I’m currently building. It just wasn’t practical enough for me. I would do porcelain tile with in floor heating. Then it’s cool in the summer and warm enough in the winter that you can use the room if needed!
I definitely need it to be practical. I think you guys are talking me right out of the slate idea. This is very helpful to hear all the pros and cons–thanks!! -Julia
Yay! Julia, I’m so excited for you!! What an amazing feeling to take something off the inspiration board and turn it into reality, am I right?
Your plans sound amazing, I can’t wait to see and hear more about it!!
.-= hip hip gin gin´s last blog ..St Germain and Champagne =-.
So happy for you!!!!! I love sunrooms and agreed to buy the house we’re in because it has one. 😎
Enjoy and share pictures of the progess often, please!!!!
I will definitely be taking lots of photos as things progress. You guys will be sick of hearing about my sunroom by the time we move our stuff into it. Ha. -Julia
You won’t regret it – probably it will become your favorite room in the house!
Congratulations. It’s so exciting to start a project — especially one that will ADD space to your home. I can’t wait to see the final results and hope you’ll update us with the progress along the way.
.-= Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last blog ..Modern and romantic a great combination =-.
My parents have slate floors throughout their cabin, and they are wonderful! They hide dirt really well and are so beautiful. Their tile has a lot of color variation.
Best of luck with the project! I am so excited for you!
…this sunroom could not happen to a nicer person…
…and your comment could not have been nicer… 🙂
Julia,
I am so happy for you!
Honestly I think slate might be too cold for a sun room, especially in the winter.
A bamboo floor might work great, and through Lumber Liquidators it would be pretty inexpensive!
thanks for sharing this dream with us!
I would love to have a screened porch or sunroom. My neighbors have one and it is gorgeous. They use it all the time! The floors you have chosen are pretty! We had a bluish slate on our patio at our old house, and I loved it. After our kitchen flooded, we decided not to ever have hardwoods in a kitchen. Ever. Again. (Especially since we have four water lines that flow to our kitchen!) We chose a limestone and travertine combo in a pinwheel pattern. I love it! It took a little getting used to the pitting that comes with limestone, but I think it gives our kitchen character. We were stunned at the difference in price between hardwoods and stone. We saved enough money that we were able to install a Fireclay Belfast sink! Thanks for sharing your exciting news with us, Julia, and keep us posted on the progress.
.-= Ricki Jill Treleaven´s last blog ..Literary Friday- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie =-.
YIPEEEE! This is going to be fun to watch! Congrats!
.-= linda @ Lime in the coconut´s last blog ..Politics weary Check this out… =-.
If you’re still considering options for flooring… Daltile makes a ceramic tile, which is pretty inexpensive, that looks like hardwood. (https://www.daltile.com/series.cfm?series=342&c=40#5251) That could be a fun option too. Are you considering in-floor heat… tile and slate could be pretty cold on the feet if you are using it in the winter?
I’m loving your inspiration photo… can’t wait to see how it develops. 🙂
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..Support Local-Small Business Give Thought to Your Choices =-.
That’s interesting! I hadn’t seen that before. Thanks, Ashley! -Julia
I can’t wait to see pictures! What about getting unfinished wood flooring and painting it? It would be warmer than slate and could be easily changed up if you get tired of the color or pattern you painted. Painted wood floors are so charming in sunrooms and porches.
I hadn’t thought about doing that. Could be a fun option! -Julia
Your sunroom will be marvelous; it has always been on my wish list as well. As far as the slate goes, I was planning on installing it in my kitchen until I talked to a number of people who have or have had it, and they all had the same comments as the other posters – it “sheds”, its uneven, and difficult to keep clean. I have decided to instead go with porcelain tile that looks like slate, but does not have the issues associated with the real stuff. To make it more natural looking, I am buying the tile in a few very similar shades so it has the irregularity that the natural one would, and laying it at a diagonal to add a little drama.
Congratulations!
Congratulations! You definitely deserve to have a nice sunroom. I can’t wait to see what everything looks like once it’s done. Good luck with everything!
That is sooo exciting. I’m sure there might be one or two Blanding’s moments to come but that will make for good blog content. I’d love a sun room too like you are planning. I bet it will be the room you are in all the time once it’s done. Congratulations! Can’t wait to hear all about it on the blog.
You’re right, Nita–at least it’ll give me something to talk about if things don’t go according to plan. Ha. -Julia
Congrats!
Must warn you, however, slate is VERY slippery when wet.
I have had a sunroom in every house I have ever lived in throughout my entire life! I love them and will never buy a house without one. We have one now in our 1920’s bungalow on Cape Cod — it’s a smallish sunroom — about 12 x 12, but we use it all the time, every season… My girls love it, especially on chilly weekend mornings when we sit in the sunroom, read the paper, and sip coffee and hot chocolate… As for slate floors, my parents had a house in Weston, MA that had a room with a slate floor — I absolutely loved the look of the floor, but it was very cold on the feet, and it was very, very hard, so even with a rug on it, when a plate or glass was dropped accidentally, it would break…. The floor also was scratched easily by chairs moving back and forth, and it often looked dusty-ish, even when it was completely clean…. Good luck with the decision!
Thanks, Mary! I hadn’t thought about the slate scratching easily, and I’m afraid that might really annoy me. I love how it looks, but it also has to be practical. I’m just a practical kind of girl.
I can’t wait until I can sit in my sunroom sipping hot chocolate with my kids. Sounds wonderful! 🙂
Oh no! The Blandings ended up spending so much. Hope that doesn’t happen to you 🙂 *fingers crossed*
.-= Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com´s last blog ..Cover to Covet- Gorgeous Costume =-.
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see the finished product! Any chance you are doing radiant heat under the floor? I bet it would make it really easy to use year round. 🙂
.-= Nichole´s last blog ..Binswanger Glass Has Risen From The Dead! =-.
No radiant heat, sadly, for us. Wish we could afford it. We will have a heating and A/C unit, but that’s it. -Julia
The slate you picked out in that picture is so pretty. It’s such a soft color palette. Maybe it’s not the kind that flakes. Anyway…I hope you enjoy the process almost as much as your going to love your new room :-).
We are getting ready to do up plans for our sunroom, and have been gathering advice and ideas from others. Best piece of advice today, was that if your bathroom is at the back of the house , also have it opened up to the sunroom for hot tub use ! Walk from bathroom into hot tub area
Looking forward to watching your project !
I am worried about cutting down the light that enters the back of the house ?
Enjoy !
That is good advice! I won’t have a hot tub, but there is a powder room right inside the door from the porch, which should be handy in case we ever added one! 🙂
I am concerned about blocking too much light in the kitchen, so we’re building the sunroom so it will only block one window in there (the one over the sink). We rejected the idea of building the sunroom across the entire deck, which would have also blocked the big bay window in the kitchen. We’ll build farther out into the yard instead. -Julia
Will you keep the window and have it open onto the sunroom? I rather like that, you could even make a breakfast bar sort of deal.
Yes, we’ll keep the window, so it’ll still have a little light coming in. And it’ll be nice to be able to hand drinks and things through from the kitchen, I guess! 🙂
I think I could do a blog titled “Hooked on Cary Grant”!
I LOOVE sunrooms, how lovely and exciting to be planing yours. I have no idea what kind of floor to suggest. This is one room where you don’t keep redoing the floor! I’ll be anxious to hear what you finally decide. I do lean toward wide plank distressed harwood, or a similar laminated look, or pickled pine, once again wide planks, or brick, or subfloor with a stenciled rug on it, or ….never mind. I see what a hard decision it is! What ever you choose will be Mrs Blandings lovely!
.-= Pat´s last blog ..Hidden =-.
That sounds so exciting! We have slate floors throughout our kitchen/family/dining area, and they are very easy to look after, and really low-maintenance. The only downside – our floors are black, and with our blonde Labrador, it really shows the fur. But if you go for a lighter grey or taupe, I’m sure you’d have the perfect solution for your sunroom. Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.
.-= kerri´s last blog ..A thank you update =-.
Congrats and good luck!
If hardwoods are out, I’d probably wouldn’t go for slate for the reasons above. It could be a great time to get creative, like painted plywood “planks.”
https://www.homeenvy.com/db/1/221.html
Can’t wait to see the finished project!
Interesting idea!
Great plans Julia! I definitely think you should go with the slate. Can’t wait to see the finished project!
.-= Desiree´s last blog ..Fun Friday Links =-.
That is truly one of my favorite movies of all time!
Mine, too. Love it!
Fantastic Julia! Sun-room obsessions are my favourite…look forward to learning
from you, while preparing my own.
I actually have a poured concrete slab, which I am going to paint over with
an turn of the century geometric design that suits the home. The garage paint is very insulating as far as a barrier goes on concrete. If you put in tile, their is paint available
so that you can add your own custom design…ie: fern outlines anyone?
Just an idea or two for your dream-room….er, sun-room 🙂
Julia…this is exciting news! You are going to live out there once it’s done! I can’t wait to see the “progress” posts! 🙂 The plans look great! Congrats!!!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..The Best Lasagne Ever! =-.
You have the most infectiously wonderful blog!
As for inexpensive sunroom flooring options, have you considered (no joke) plywood? Not OSB or anything with knots showing… the clean stuff that you can stain to your heart’s content before sealing with marine varnish. You can cut a 4’x8′ sheet of plywood and lay the squares out like tile. Or you can cut a 4’x8′ sheet of plywood into four 1’x8′ pieces and lay out a design like traditional wide plank hardwood.
It ends up being a VERY inexpensive option (less than $1.20 a square foot) with high impact, durability, and warmth underfoot. Google has some interesting search results under photos with the entry of ‘plywood floors’.
Just a thought…
Seriously though, you have such an inspirational blog!
.-= The Mrs.´s last blog ..Christmas Prep =-.
I have black slate floors in the bathrooms and I mainly like them, but they can stain from water, like a lime deposit. If you go to Lumber Liquidators, they have discounted wood for floors.
Exciting! I’m looking forward to seeing how your project unfolds. Have you thought about using cork for the flooring? It’s resilient and inexpensive. I would fear the slate could be a bit unforgiving or cold.
.-= Amy from China Shepherdess´s last blog ..Super Hyper Micro Link- A long project- finished « Kerf Design =-.
Whatever you do, don’t use slate look ceramic tile with a relief. I inherited a faux stone ceramic tile in my house and I HATE it! When I first purchased the home it was attractive, but it’s impossible to keep clean and it cannot be sealed. Even though the tile is not poros, the dirt get’s trapped in the pattern and it won’t come out! GRR!!
Thanks for the warning, Jennifer! Good to know. -Julia
We have a sunroom, and we used porcelain tile because it is a solid color all the way through. It is also approved for areas that are wet, as it is not as slippery as other tile. You should check out Dal-Tile. They have an outlet in Cinti.
We live in an 1927 house and the sunroom has the same floors as the downstairs — white oak. So, I can’t really add anything there except to say we tiled our breakfast room, which was probably originally a screened porch and was inclosed, I’m guessing, in the 1950s. It would have been nice to reclaim the original fir (I’m guessing from what we can see) floors there but there was too much other junk installed on top. Anyway, to the point, we’ve been happy with the DalTile ceramic tiles we installed — some kind of Mediterranean name to them. We bought several different related colors and mixed them up in an interesting pattern. They’re slightly textured and we sealed them. They’ve held up extremely well through a lot of foot traffic and many, many dog depradations (our dogs are old and have some digestive/incontinence problems). Considering the dog factor, wood floors probably would not have worked, no matter how well sealed they were. If you think your sunroom will get a lot of use then tile is a good way to go.
I would love to have a screened porch like this, however our short summers really don’t allow for this. We will be redoing our deck next year- about 1000 ft2 of itA big expense. My relative in Florida will be redoing her 1000 ft2 porch soon as well.These projects are time consuming but well worth the wait and the views!
I think your idea of slate is a good start- it is classic and does not date- depending also on the clors you choose and of course it is always cool underfoot when it is hot outside. Good luck with your project. Can’t wait to see the end result!
.-= karen hofatt@family fire pit reviews´s last blog ..Madison Fire Pit in Black with Brass Mesh Screens – Antique Style With Modern Technology =-.
Or use MyDesignGuide.com to design this space…I bet you could get a discount:)
Thanks, Champe! I’ll keep that in mind. -Julia 🙂
Yea! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
.-= angela | the painted house´s last blog ..A Ranch House Patio Dressed Up =-.
I’m sure what ever you decide on will be absolutely fabulous! Here in Phoenix we call our screened in porches “Arizona Rooms” since we live outdoors 8 months out of the year. It’ll be fun to christen your “room” with a special name – maybe the “Blanding Room” — “Let’s take our tea to the Blanding Room” *Giggles* Just a thought 😀
.-= Roxanne´s last blog ..My Room =-.
Beautiful!!!! We have a large patio but we live less than a mile from a river and the “skeeters” are horrible!
.-= Jamie´s last blog ..Wishing My Photo Outtakes Were This Darn Cute =-.
So happy for you Julia! How exciting. Enjoy the process…
.-= Sally´s last blog ..Our Security Blankets ? =-.
Saw the elevations and looks like it will be nice. One thought though, not knowing the orientation, but if the windows are to be facing south, east, or west, you might consider longer soffit overhangs and incorporate a “brow” on the gable side to shade the glass during the summer. Your air conditioner and wallet will thank you.
Good points, Michael! I wouldn’t have thought of that.
The back of our house faces west, but our lot is densely wooded, so we don’t get a lot of sun. My biggest fear is actually that it won’t be sunny enough in the sunroom. We considered skylights, but we get so many falling leaves that we’d have to be going up there to clean them off all the time. -Julia
We are considering the same at the moment .. love your pictures and plans. We had slate in a previous house and I really didn’t like it! Kept kicking my foot on one bit that wasn’t flush enough with the rest. Maybe the slate here in Australia is different to what you have there .. but our next extension will be with limestone flooring .. some lovely large limestone tiles (I think). Love your website .. can’t wait to see how it turns out for you 🙂
Hi Julia me again, I spoke to you a few times last weekend…My Ex and I used to build houses for a living. Hope I can help….Slate is nice but if you do choose that make sure you put a few coats of sealer on it cause it will stain…If you like the look of hardwood they do make an Engineered Hardwood that is fairly inexpensive…If you choose tile, A herringbone pattern looks great in any room….I put that down a few years back in my grandson’s bathroom and have gotten more compliments…I can post a picture if you’d like…
I have a few of the same problems with room sizes in my home also….After building for years I swore I would never buy another home that I did not built and here I am…I moved in about a year and a half ago in this newly remodeled house
that I’m remodeling one room at a time to the way I want it….Planning on turning my deck into a four seasons room as well in a few years….I’m very excited for you…I miss that sense of satisfaction I got from each and every home I built and designed…Good luck I hope all goes well…
How exciting! What wonderful blog fodder you’re going to have! My mom and stepdad have a sunroom and spend most of the day in there. It’s Indy’s favorite room too. They HAD slate for flooring, but it scratched very easily (which drove my mom insane) and was FREEZING in the winter (and they live in a fairly warm clime). They replaced it with Pergo (actually not Pergo, but a less expensive version). It wasn’t expensive and it looks fantastic.
I can’t wait to watch your build and see your finished process.
.-= Mom in High Heels´s last blog ..RTT- Movies- dogs- andumother stuff =-.
What a fabulous project to undertake! My parents house has a slate tile flooring in the sunroom, which can be chilly (and definitely very hard – it will break glasses that gets dropped) but we had a full slanted wall of skylights and it warmed the tiles up perfectly! We spent so many icky northwest Ohio winter Sundays up in the sunroom, laying on the warm tiles and pretending it was summer…we’d picnic and call it ‘the turtle club’ 🙂
But if youre not going to have a lot of sunlight in there to warm it up, I wouldnt probably recommend slate. I love the painted wood idea!!!!
I bet at least 1 skylight would be well worth it 🙂
Have fun deciding! Cant wait to see the finished room!
This IS exciting…good for you. We put a three season porch on our house about five years ago and with a small space heater we use it most of the winter, too, because it’s really well insulated. And winter in Minnesota is nothing to sneeze at – ha!
Have you considered putting in a heating element under the slate? It’s not terribly expensive and makes a huge difference on cold days. We didn’t do that and I wish we would have.
.-= CherylK´s last blog ..November Still Life =-.
I’m curious…how did you decide on your windows? We are hoping to be able to have a sunroom in our new house (if we sell our old one!)…and, we want the windows to be energy efficient….but, we are going to have to stick to a budget too. How did you make your decision? Thanks!
It was easy for us because we just told the builder to match the windows in the rest of our house and he did!
I think sunrooms definitely look good on most houses.