Screen Room Vs. Sunroom

Review the Budget

• Consider construction costs. It's less expensive to build a screen room, because this type of structure requires basic framing and nylon or metal screening. Any glass room is costlier; however, you can find a way to build a sunroom by recycling windows or old sliding glass doors, for example. Don't let cost alone deter you, if you really want a sunroom.

Assess Your Needs

• Go over your family's needs. Young children can romp and play inside a screen room more easily than a sunroom. The informality of such a space can be perfect during light rain. If your children are teenagers, however, they may enjoy a sun room for doing homework or inviting friends over to watch television. Think of a sunroom as a place to entertain more formally or just relax.

Install Sound Framing

• You can build framework to accommodate screening or glass. If you want to build a sunroom in the future, it's possible to design a room's framing to hold glass later. For example, you can secure screening inside a well-built room that you will later remove. This plan requires using high-quality wood framework to hold windows or premade energy-efficient glass panes made especially for a sunroom.

Determine Value Added

• Figure out how much value a sunroom or screen room will add to your home. Spending $20,000 for a commercially installed sunroom can raise your home's value by $40,000, for example. The desirability of a sunroom is almost universal. Future buyers will be pleased with a sunroom as an added bonus to your home, if they like its other features. A well-made screen room can also add significant market value in most cases.

Welcome the Outdoors In

• Screen rooms work well for nature lovers. If your family enjoys the sounds of summer nights and the open feel of a screen room, this may work for you. It's possible to furnish a screen room with a table, lamp, television and media cabinet. You'll have to construct a solid roof structure and taken precautions concerning rain. It's possible to use a screen room as a three-season room for your home.