Blog Post Updated on: August 17, 2022.

In this post, you will learn …

• The types of sunrooms and enclosures available.
• The differences between screen rooms, three season rooms, four season rooms, and solariums.
• What to consider before choosing your sunroom or enclosure.

Do you love your patio, porch, or deck, but wish you could spend more time on it? Bugs, rainy weather, and the hot sun can keep you from enjoying the outdoors. Enclosing your existing space with a porch enclosure can protect you from the elements and extend the use of your space. Whether you’re looking to simply screen in your existing space or add a room you can use year-round, Patio Enclosures® has the perfect solution for you.

Types of Patio and Deck Enclosures

Screen Rooms

If you’re looking to experience the beauty of the outdoors without the inconvenience of inclement weather or insects, a screen room might be the right choice for your home.

A Patio Enclosures screen room can be created by adding a specially engineered screen frame and rolling screen panels around your deck or patio, allowing you to experience the beauty of the outdoors from the comfort of the indoors. Insects will stay out, but the breeze and natural ambiance will remain unhindered. Our screen rooms utilize black aluminum screen mesh which is more durable than traditional fiberglass and is practically invisible.

Three Season Rooms

A Patio Enclosures three season room allows you to enjoy your beautiful space from spring to fall. You can choose between single- or double-pane glass based on your needs and budget. This type of patio or deck enclosure is not meant to be climate-controlled on an ongoing basis.

For unseasonable chilly days, a portable heating unit typically works well to keep your sunroom warm. For breeze-less, humid days, turning on a ceiling fan and opening all of the windows and doors can really help with air circulation.

Four Season Rooms

Framed-in glass can transform your deck or patio area into an enticing, weather-resistant, and bug-free four season room that you can enjoy all year long. Double-pane insulated glass window and door rolling panels make up the walls of each room and come standard with all Patio Enclosures four season rooms.

For even more comfort, upgrade to our most advanced sunroom glass, Comfort-Gard® PLUS High-Performance glass. Add a room heating and cooling unit and you’ve just added a brand new living area to your home, perfect for your family, pets, or company.

Solariums

Sunroom Comparisons

Screen Rooms

When you're looking for enclosed patio ideas on a budget, screen rooms are usually the least expensive patio enclosure option and provide you with fresh air from the outdoors. Screen rooms keep insects out and there will be no glare from our black-screened panels.

Three Season Room

Three season rooms are an enclosed outdoor patio idea that offers you weather protection and keeps the pesky bugs out. While they aren’t engineered to be heated and cooled on an ongoing basis, three season rooms stay comfortable spring through fall.

Four Season Room

While they tend to be more expensive than three season rooms and screen rooms, four season rooms offer a completely climate-controlled system that expands your living space year-round.

Solarium

With floor-to-ceiling views of the outdoors, solariums allow you to be surrounded by nature without having to deal with any of its nuisances. While they tend to be more expensive than screen rooms and three season rooms, solariums are also engineered to be heated and cooled for year-round use.

How to Decide What Type of Porch Enclosure Is Right for Your Home

Determining how you and your family will utilize the space is the best place to start. Knowing this will help narrow down the options. The next thing to consider is where the room will be built. Are you thinking about how to build an enclosed porch or enclosing an existing porch, patio, or deck? Or maybe you want to create a completely new space? If it’s a new structure, where is the most ideal location from a space and functionality perspective?

While you can let your imagination soar when it comes to design, there may be some limitations depending on your existing space and its condition. Things to ask yourself when planning enclosed deck ideas include:

• When enclosing an existing space, what elements of the space are important to keep and incorporate into the enclosure? Which elements can be eliminated?
• What does the roof-line of your existing home look like?
• Are there obstacles in the way such as existing windows, balconies, decks, etc. that need to be considered?
• Do you need a foundation? Or is there an existing foundation that can be used?
• Do you want the new space to flow seamlessly into the existing space? Or do you want the space to look different?

If you are not sure of the answers to the above questions, scheduling a free, in-home estimate with Patio Enclosures can help. Our experts have experience guiding homeowners just like yourself through this process. During your appointment, we’ll listen to your vision and needs for the space, assess your existing space, take measurements, and help design and quote the best solution for your specific needs.

A Few Things to Consider When Designing Your Sunroom

Flooring

When designing your enclosure, you’ll have several choices when it comes to flooring. If you choose insulated flooring for a four season room, it’s important to be aware that the job may require additional time and resources, whereas a simple concrete floor could be completed quickly. See our detailed Patio Enclosures product catalog for all of our custom design options.

Furniture

When it comes time to choose your furniture, keep in mind the amount of light entering the room and choose fabrics and finishes that aren’t affected by the sun.

You’ll also need to decide what activities you plan on using your sunroom for. Give each activity a number in order of importance, and then set aside areas of the room for them. Next, get out a pad and pencil and start sketching. View our sunroom planning guide to gain inspiration on your sunroom’s furniture design, as well as tips on other subjects, including your color palette, budget, and floor plan.

Then, during your in-home design consultation, we can help bring your ideas to life using our Patio Enclosures Sunroom Designer and 3D Visualizer. With this augmented reality program, you can see what your space will look like from the inside and out! 

Sunroom Cost and Budget

The final cost of your beautiful new sunroom enclosure depends on just one thing: You! Whether you dream of a heated and cooled room that you are able to use year-round, or a screen room that allows the warm summer breeze to pass through, it’s important that you receive the patio enclosure of your dreams.

One important thing to discuss during your in-home estimate is what you want and what kind of budget you are working with. You can find price estimates online, but they differ wildly, due to a wide variety of available options. Our design experts will come out to your location when it fits your schedule to provide a custom, in-home estimate for you.

View our specials and financing page to learn how you can save on your patio enclosure project. In addition to regular specials, we offer a variety of payment plans to help your project fit comfortably within your budget.

Are you ready to design the perfect patio enclosure for your space? Give us a call at 800-230-8301, or schedule your free, in-home estimate online today!

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