How to Bring the Outdoors Inside with a 3-season Sunroom

Here in Edmonton it’s beginning to feel a bit chilly—winter is in the air! I wish the summer was a bit longer, and you probably do too. Well, take a look at how this one family decided to extend summer in their home: by adding a 3-season sunroom. It’s got some great features to bring the outside in. If you’re considering ways to bring the great outdoors into your home so you can relax in a really natural setting that feels great to be in, take a look at this addition for some ideas.

Sliding/Folding Windows and  Doors

The most obvious way of opening up the inside of your home to the outdoors is with windows. However, on the very nicest days, you don’t even want windows between you and your yard—you want to open it up all the way. In this sunroom, we installed glass folding doors and windows, to create an open space from the yard right into the house.

When thinking about what kind of windows you want, talk to your contractor and research your options. This Lexario window and door system is a bit of a higher-end option, but it allows for large open spaces in your walls, and the glass completely folds out of your way when you open it up. It is also made in Canada to stand up to some of the extreme weather we experience here. If this is something you want to use, it’s important to check with your contractor as your sunroom addition may need to be designed to handle these large openings in your walls.

Decking

This sunroom opens right out to a backyard deck. We designed this particular deck to wrap around one of the trees in the yard. This tree has sentimental value for the family, but it also is a great way to bring greenery right up into this new space they’re creating.

So when you dream of your sunroom, think of how you’d like to transition from the home space to the yard space. In this design there’s a very gradual transition—from the kitchen through the large window that opens up to the sunroom, then from the sunroom through the folding doors to the deck, and then from this deck down into the yard.

How do you want your deck to interact with the green space of your yard? You might be able to think of many creative ways to keep the natural world very close to your living space.

Interior Cladding and Finishing

This is a renovation in progress, so you aren’t able to see all the details in place yet! But every detail has been thought through to bring a warm, natural feeling into this sunroom space. For example, the interior will be finished in a great wood product that will continue the treed-in feeling into the room.

There’s a lot of opportunity to bring in natural-feeling finishing touches, so keep this in mind when planning how you want your sunroom to look. It’s these details that can take your space to the next level. Stay tuned to this blog for future glimpses into how these finishing touches come together in this home.

You can bring the home of your dreams into reality. The little details of your dream home matter—so talk with your contractor about your vision.