sunroom construction

[b13171]

We are thinking of selling our current home and purchasing another. Our home now has a sunroom (enclosed with glass windows). We love this room and use it often except in very hot Atlanta summer days and cold winter days. Most of the homes we have looked at don't include this feature and we are considering buying one without and having a sunroom added. I have called some area construction firms who advertise sunporch projects as well as PatioEnclosures, etc. They will not even give a ballpark figure as to the cost of this type of room unless they first see the home. I can understand their point, but does anyone know of an approx figure per sq foot we could use just to see is this idea would be feasible?We are speaking of something in the area of 15 x 15 with windows on 3 sides and of course a nice door from one of the existing rooms of the home. Thanks Liz

[Tom G]

"They will not even give a ballpark figure as to the cost of this type of room unless they first see the home." I suspect that what they mean to say (but don't want to) is that they aren't going to give you a figure over the phone that may scare you off or they don't want to give you a figure without a salesman right there to pressure you into signing on the dotted line. That being said, I had two bids for a

12 by 20...one ready made type unit and one stick built addition..they both came in at $34,000. But that was in Northern Illinois and the stick built unit contractor insisted on a "frost wall" foundation on three sides and wouldn't use the existing cement slab. Called a contractor who had put in such additions for two relatives (liked the work and recomendation was good) and he's doing the job for $17,800 using the existing slab but letting it float with the walls supported by cement pilings down below frost level. Five 6' wide casement windows and one sliding patio door. Since slab is actually 10 x 30, this unit will be longer but narrower and I already had a patio door leading from the house onto the patio.

Tom G.

[b13171]

Thanks That helps Liz

Tom G wrote:

[nicksanspam]

I built a 32'x12' deep x 16' tall sunroom with $500 in materials ($1.30/ft^2), standard commercial film greenhouse curved steel pipe bows on 4' centers with the straight ends slid into larger pipes pounded into the ground and curved ends tucked under a 2-story house eave, with plastic film on the ground and shredded wood playground mulch over that.

A single layer of clear polycarbonate glazing might raise the cost by $1K. You might make a 16'x16' sunspace with 2 8'x6'-tall $269 sliding glass doors for the south wall, with $300 clear polycarb sides and a $300 flattish roof.

Nick