What You Need to Know About How to Build a Sun Porch

how to build a sun porchHere at Structurally Speaking, we build custom outdoor living spaces that look like they were meant to be part of your home. Sun porches are a great option if you want to bring the outdoors in. When you work with our team, you don’t have to learn how to build a sun porch or worry about the design. We walk you through the entire process to make sure you love the end result.

What is a Sun Porch?

If you’re not sure what type of space can best enhance your backyard, don’t worry. We can help! A sun porch is often the best choice if you want to combine the convenience of an outdoor space with the beauty of an indoor space.

Sun porches (also called three-season rooms or three-season porches) are fully enclosed like screened porches, but have wiring for ceiling fans and electrical as well. As the name implies, this allows you to use your sun porch during three seasons: spring, summer, and fall. Here in North Carolina, our winters are often so mild that you can use your sun porch all year long.

Unlike sunrooms, sun porches typically don’t have built-in heating. This means we can build them more quickly and with a smaller budget. Many of our homeowners find that they can easily heat this space using a small outdoor fireplace or space heater when needed. It is much more cost-efficient than heating a sunroom during the winter.

In short, many of our homeowners find that sun porches are a great “Goldilocks” option. As far as outdoor living spaces go, they are one of our favorite choices because they are so versatile. That said, we can also explore screened porch and deck options with you if you are unsure that a sun porch is the best choice.

Sun Porch Benefits

Adding a sun porch or any kind of outdoor space to your home has a number of advantages. Not only will you have a space your family can enjoy, but you’ll also enjoy these benefits:

  • Increase your home value. Even if you don’t intend to sell anytime soon, this can be helpful. For instance, if you need a home equity loan or line of credit, your home will have a higher value.
  • Sell your home faster. Having an outdoor space such as a porch or deck can make your home more attractive to buyers if you ever decide to sell. This article has more tips about making your outdoor space attractive to buyers so you can sell faster and for a higher price.
  • Create extra space for entertaining or your growing family. This added space can come in handy if you are hosting a party or if family members want to relax with different activities. Your teens can play noisy video games in the living room while you read a book on your quiet sun porch, for example.
  • You can better enjoy your backyard. Many homeowners never take advantage of the beautiful views or relaxing atmosphere their backyard has to offer. A sun porch can help you fully enjoy your property.
  • Make your house feel more like your home. When you add on a sun porch, you truly get to put your personal touch on your house. We’ll help you create a space that reflects your personal style and functions well for the whole family.

Our goal is to design the best outdoor space for your home. Check out our design portfolio to see some of our past projects.

How to Build a Sun Porch You Love

The biggest tip we have to help ensure you build a sun porch that you absolutely love is to choose a porch contractor with experience. Here at Structurally Speaking, we’ve been building custom outdoor living spaces for decades. We know how to help homeowners make the best porch and deck decisions.

Here are a few ways we ensure that you’ll love the final product:

  • We offer a wide variety of materials. We have samples and photos to show you so you can choose products and finishes that fit both your style and budget.
  • Often, we can make your ideas even better. If you already know some features or characteristics you want in your new sun porch, we can design variations and walk you through which options might be best for your home and family. We work in collaboration with you to make sure you get the sun porch you really want.
  • Everything is custom-built, which means you don’t have to choose a design you don’t truly love or compromise on style.
  • We work with an in-house team of builders who can bring our design to life. You don’t have to worry about sub-contractors who cut corners or don’t execute the design well. We oversee everything and are on site during construction to answer any questions you may have.

Keep in mind that we’re a small, local business, not a large national corporation who thinks of you as a number. We know all our clients by name and care about your families and your home. After all, you’re our neighbors!

FAQs about Sun Porches

We’d love to meet with you to talk about exactly what you want in a sun porch. Here are a few frequently asked questions we get about the design process and working with sun porch contractors and on how to build a sun porch:

Is my yard big enough for a sun porch?

Yes! Most properties are big enough for a sun porch. These porches don’t have to be large. We handle everything to ensure we aren’t building too close to your property lines. Additionally, we handle getting all the correct permits and permissions from your city/county. You can leave the paperwork to us.

How much will a sun porch cost?

It depends on many factors including not only the size of your new porch, but also the materials and finishes you choose. We’ll talk about budget during your initial consultation to make sure you feel comfortable with the price of your new porch. Click here to set up your free consultation today.