Underappreciated Ways To Use A Sunroom Or Patio Cover

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Underappreciated Ways To Use A Sunroom Or Patio Cover

Underappreciated Ways To Use A Sunroom Or Patio Cover

27 October 2016
 Categories:
, Articles


Adding a sunroom onto your home makes good sense, especially if you spend plenty of time outdoors. It provides a cozy area to hang out, read, barbecue or even just grow your favorite plants. Many people understand the direct benefits a sunroom provides -- additional sunlight filtering into your home, protection from the sun while outdoors, and a serious reduction in the amount of pesky mosquitoes you have to deal with. But these aren't the only benefits; there's other more underappreciated ways to make a sunroom or patio cover useful, too. Maximize the usefulness of your next patio cover installation with these ingenious ideas.

Let Your Kitty Sow Wild Oats...Safely!

If you're a pet owner, then you likely know all too well the dangers kitties face if left to roam outdoors. Cars, poisoned mice, and predators can all take your precious baby away from you in a heartbeat. But cats love being outside, so how do you compromise without compromising kitty's safety?

Install a sunroom with a clear glass patio cover ceiling. Kitty has an entire room available, exposed yet protected from the elements, and can't escape. Run a series of platforms along the interior wall or add giant pieces of driftwood to give your feline friend that true savanna feel. Scatter a few toys around and you've got the perfect kitty escape.

Sheltered Swimming

Love the idea of swimming outdoors, but don't have the seasonal weather for it? There's a way around your problem. Install your whirlpool and/or pool inside a sunroom instead of outside. Then, install decking all around it and extend it around the sides of your house of desired. You will essentially be creating a closed-in patio with the reservoir in the center.

If you live in warmer temperatures, a solid patio cover roof and screening may be enough to keep the weather out in most cases. For cooler climates, sliding glass doors and panels make more sense. Installing one or two sets of sliding doors directly in front of the pool facing your back or front yard will allow you to open the space up to the air in the summer and close it off for heating in the winter. 

Summer Rental Space

Although it will never be quite the same quality as a bed and breakfast or hotel, the creation of companies like Air B&B has allowed more homeowners than ever to rent spaces and make money of whatever space they have. A properly installed sunroom with a secure glass patio cover ceiling makes the perfect space for setting up an affordable, stylish rental space.

Fill it with nature-inspired decor, plants, and other greenery and you'll attract a laid-back crowd who prefer a bit of simple comfort and care, rather than a big chain hotel feel. With Go Green Hotels quickly on the rise coast-to-coast, this is a fantastic way to get a piece of the pie while meeting some really incredible people. Just be sure to insure the space appropriately and double-check that it meets all hospitality codes in your local area.

Extend Your Gardening Space

Not so keen on a full sunroom, but mulling over the idea of a patio cover instead? Here's some good news: you can use the space to extend your garden instead of creating an additional room. This is especially useful for people who prefer to grow their own produce.

What makes building a garden under a patio cover so suitable for greener living is that you can often utilize the cover itself for extra growing space. Wooden pergolas and trellises make the perfect home for everything from hanging tomatoes to beautifully blooming flowers. Also worth trying are:

  • Scarlet runner beans
  • Ivy vines
  • Climbing roses
  • Hanging blueberries
  • Small chillies and peppers

Most of these plants install to your patio cover upside-down, so any plant that grows well in this position is worth a try. To customize the room, consider adding screening to lock out bugs or simply leave it open to the air.

Both sunrooms and patio covers make an excellent addition to your home, especially if you use these three ingenious ideas. Even if you're not sold on these ideas specifically, adding on new features to your home can help to increase its value and may even increase its desirability if you plan to sell down the road. If you're curious about how you can make one of these additions work for your space, schedule a one-on-one consultation with a contractor.

About Me
choosing exterior doors for the home

One thing that I struggled with when doing a complete renovation of my home was choosing the exterior doors. I knew that the doors that I chose would be in place for many, many years and that they would have an impact on the appearance of the home from the inside and the outside. I wanted to allow as much natural light into the home as possible without sacrificing my privacy from the front of the home, and I wanted doors that would be efficient against heat loss during the winter. This blog is all about choosing the exterior doors for your home.

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