Have you been considering an addition to your home? Maybe you're looking to add a new area to relax and get away from the cooped up indoors. Maybe you're just thinking of enjoying mother nature and the cool night breeze. Or, possibly, you are debating more space for your loved ones and yourself to spend quality time together and connect. Whatever the reason, a new home addition is the perfect solution. Now, taking into consideration the the warmer nature of the southern states, a debate has grown surrounding screen rooms versus sun rooms in our area. Its a wise decision to look at the pros and cons of each before you actually purchase one for construction or construct it yourself. While both have benefits and draw backs, I'm going to lend favor to the screen option. No surprise, as this is, of course, what I do for a living. However, I will admit that 3 season, and 4 season rooms (sun rooms) have a certain quality. My main goal is to highlight the value, money savings, and benefits, so that you can make an educated choice for yourself. If you are tired of the pests, mosquitoes, flies, "love bugs", hornets, wasps, yellow jackets and many other flying insects that are populous in the southern states, then a screened in patio or porch is the perfect solution for your needs. We use only high quality nylon and fiberglass screen. It is very durable, to the point of being almost unbelievable. Pet paws, children's fingers, throwing a football in the yard, all these are safe and no hassle for a properly built and screened patio or porch. With all this strength, a breeze can still flow freely. While bugs can fly around all over the place outside, when inside your screened porch or patio you can enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature without the bother of swatting them all away. Considering the mostly temperate climate that exists in the south, a screen porch or screened in patio is another ideal option for enjoying the outdoors. You don't lose that intimate connection with nature that, unfortunately, a sun room or glass room simply cannot provide. I know many of you will brush that off and say "Well, I can always open the windows and enjoy myself that way". Honestly, if you do that, it is no different than a screen room. Only now you have to worry about glass panes that can break, get filthy, become smudged with fingerprints, and cause all sorts of headache. On that same note, with a screened in patio or screen porch, you have no need for additional HVAC, heating or air conditioning. Screen does not break, it does not smudge, and it almost never gets dirty. With a sun room, those are almost always a primary concern. Glass, by its very design, is meant to be a barrier; to hold in heat and cold air. With a screen enclosure, nature, and maybe a fan or two take care of that for you. As I said before, the southern states tend to stay warm and temperate, and the colder weather never lasts very long at all, unlike the northern and mid-western United States. Taking that into further consideration, a sun room has added future costs that must be weighed when deciding what you want to have built. At the same time, one must remember that that very cooling and heating cost will be amplified at certain times of the year, and will be a continuous addition to already high utility bills. Screened enclosures add absolutely NO extra utility cost, with the exception of the optional overhead fan or light. Lastly, let me tell you about the maintenance of a screened enclosure, or lack thereof. An all aluminum screened patio or screened in porch needs next to no upkeep. Aluminum, by its nature, is a very durable metal. The current advancements in aluminum production and processing create products that are very strong, long lasting, and extremely weather resistant. An aluminum screen room, patio, carport or cover will have built in longevity. Aluminum does not rust, warp, rot, or burn. It is completely resistant to termites, carpenter bees cannot burrow into it, and animals cannot chew it to pieces. The average sun room is built using wood, which can rot, warp, and most certainly burn. Aluminum is very lightweight, as compared to wood, which varies in weight depending on the size of the board. However, wood is always heavier than aluminum. A wood room is more expensive, requires a constant eye on upkeep and maintenance, and depending on your preference, needs yearly painting to help with weather protection. All these add further cost, which quickly adds up and makes the allure of a sun room or wood built enclosure much more daunting and exhausting. If you are anything like me, when you are considering building a new addition, or adding anything for that matter to your home, you look for the best available contractor within your price range. You look for someone with a proven track record of quality work, who isn't afraid to show their prior work, and who offers value and quality, without breaking the bank. A sun room can be a beautiful option, if you are willing and able to spend the money, and keep on spending the money for the life of the room. On the other hand, a screened enclosure is a "one and done" choice. They provide immediate aesthetic appeal, comfort, and satisfaction without any hidden costs tacked on down road. Practically zero upkeep, with noticeable quality make screened patios and porches the best available option for a wonderful addition to any home. If you are considering a screened in porch, or patio, a carports, a deck, or vinyl siding, or even replacement shutters or windows, give us a call for a free estimate. At Jack Ray Siding we specialize in making your house into a home, and adding value with quality, and competitive prices. Our phone always near us and available, and we are more than happy to help you brighten your home and increase your future equity and your happiness. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this article further, don't hesitate to leave a comment or send us an email directly, or head over to the contact section.
8 Comments
|
Archives
August 2024
Categories |