While we have been enjoying Illinois winter and unpredictable weather, designers are focusing on bringing more light and nature into the home with remodeling projects for 2020. Trending ideas include refreshing kitchen and bathroom spaces through decor, plants, lighter paint colors, solar tubes, and other sustainable pieces. Architects look at sunrooms or screened-in porches as a perfect way to combine indoor and outdoor living in any climate. Create an inviting indoor/outdoor space is ideal for curling up on the couch with a good book, cup of tea and be warmed by the sunshine – without exposing yourself to the cold weather!
As the Chicago’s North Shore architect and home builder, Michael Gould believes adding a sunroom to the family home has several benefits and applications.
Two Main Lifestyle Benefits of Bringing More Natural Light Into Your Home:
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Socially: It’s as an ideal lounge area for entertaining family and friends in any weather. Enjoy this addition to your home on those sunny, yet cold days or even on a rainy day when you can’t spend time outdoors.
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Health-wise: Sunrooms can help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) commonly known as winter depression. Using light therapy, in this case by bringing in more sunlight into your home, will help increase vitamins such as B12 and seratonin which boost your mood, improve sleep, prevent weight gain, and help with fatigue.
Imagine the joys that adding a sunroom onto your current living space or remodeling an existing room into a sunroom would bring into your life. We can assure this new area for relaxing, soaking in sunlight, and spending time with love ones may dramatically improve your family’s quality of living and extend overall wellness into this new decade! Michael Gould believes that the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to start planning your home project for 2020.
4 Financial Benefits of Adding a Sunroom to Your Home:
- Cost-effective: Sunrooms are not required to have central heating and cooling (HVAC). They usually have fan-driven heaters or electric baseboards. If you were building a true room addition, it would need to have the same central HVAC as the rest of the house. Wiring your sunroom for electricity is still not a requirement; however more and more clients are having their sunrooms wired because they are often used for entertaining. All of the natural light and sun will conserve on electricity costs. Families benefit when we are able to cut our utility spending.
- Value: Sunrooms are a wonderful way to add value to your home. It’s an affordable space that easily converts into whatever your family needs…maybe it could be used as an exercise room, a space for kids to play, the indoor family lounge, or mom’s room to relax and read! Regardless, its adaptability makes it a quite attractive feature when it comes time for resale.
- Construction Costs: The square footage costs for sunrooms are about 50% lower than typical room additions. These built-ons offer more window space than wall space to bring in as much light as possible to one part of your home. Overall, this makes building a sunroom over a regular room addition more of a fiscally attractive project. You may also choose to renovate an existing area of your home into a sunroom.
- Provides Extra Space: Sunrooms are designed to expand your family’s home by creating a space that brings natural light into your house for reading, playing, mental wellness, yoga, eating, or lounging. This is an important real estate distinction because supplemental space is viewed differently from essential living space, which is what a true room addition brings to the home.
Natural lighting is the key focus when creating your new sunroom. However, there are so many different takes on what that room will look like or its purpose based on your individual preferences. We’re sharing a few design ideas as you envision your project…
Inspiring Uses for Your New Sunroom:
- Home Office or Art Studio: Sunrooms are often designed as one room with flexibility. In this case, the natural lighting add benefits if one is using the room as a home office, art studio or extra living space. People are 18% more productive working from home when they are relaxed and actually feel the sun shining upon them. Artists love working in natural light as well to see their colors better. Having this kind of flexible space gives great purpose for your family’s health and wellness as your lifestyle needs change.
- Family Room: We spend most of our time in the family room, typically surrounded by walls and a TV. Using the sunroom as your dedicated family room is a wonderful way to enjoy the room for all seasons and focus on spending time connecting with each other rather than staring at the screen. If you have aging parents living with you or young children, imagine having a front row seat to enjoy the birds chirping in the spring, feeling the heat of summer, changing of leaves in autumn, or viewing the first snow fall together.
- Relaxing Escape or Indoor Spa: As we enter a new decade, its all about creating our best lives possible, knowing how to slow down and be present. Consider adding a massage chair and a bluetooth speaker so you can relax to your favorite playlist. Some people like the idea of a hot tub to use all year round. Add plants to your little piece of indoor heaven. Sunrooms that are dedicated for relaxation, meditation, and yoga will decease your stress and give you a wonderful escape from the outside world!
- Pops of Color: Maybe your current sunroom needs a renovation? We can help you turn an outdated and dreary space into an exciting entertaining area for family & friends. Choosing bright colors elevates everyone’s mood and makes it one of the most sought out areas in the house!
The main benefits of adding a sunrooms to your home is that it is cost-effective, improves your wellbeing, and adds another space to enjoy in your home. The design options are as limitless as their applications. Whatever your vision may be, Michael Gould will be sure to bring that natural light into your home just the way you’d like.