How to Build a Sun Room
A sun room is a room with glass window and doors that allows sunlight to warm it naturally. These rooms are built in areas where the temperature falls noticeably in winter. The glass room retains the heat received from the sun. Even the best of heaters may not give you the natural warmth of a sun room based on the principal of preserving natural temperature.
Required Materials
- glazed glass panes
- pressure-treated wood
- aluminum foil
Required Tools
- hammer
- nails
- glue
- levels
- measuring tape
- pencils and felt-tipped pens
- hand saw
Instructions
- Design – Firstly, design your sun room. Everyone has a different reason for creating the room, so you will need to design accordingly. The slanted-front type of room is the easiest to build. If this is a DIY job, opt for a similarly simple design.
- Facing the Sun - The main windows of your sun room are supposed to face the solar south. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the south that your compass will show. If, due to the orientation of your house, you cannot do this, orient the sun room towards the sun at an angle of no more than 15 degrees.
- Energy Efficiency - When you build your own sun room, it is not always energy efficient; not all of us know the construction and design principles involved. Add brick and concrete to the floor of this room to make it heat absorbent; the quality of brick also makes a difference.
- Adding Plants - Adding plants to your sun room will help make your sun room more energy efficient. However, if you are adding plants, you need to maintain them well.
- Window Panes - Use window panes made of glass to allow solar rays to enter. Most of the energy will be retained within the sun room and will allow the room to heat up quickly. Paint it with a warm color to give it a friendly look.
Tips and Warnings
- Your sun room should face the sun for the greater part of the day.
- Keeping water and plants in the room will make the structure energy efficient.