Sunrooms bring more natural light into your home, and the endless windows help you enjoy the world around you, whether you’re surrounded by mountains, trees or lakes. An upstairs sunroom is a unique home addition that gives you a better view of your environment and a new space to relax and unwind.
A second-story sunroom addition increases the desirability of your home and makes your property seem more prominent and spacious. These unique home additions effectively add an entirely new room to your home, and they can increase your home’s value should you ever sell. Building a second-floor sunroom is one of the best investments you can make for your property!
Why Choose a Second-Story Sunroom?
You may build a sunroom on your second floor when your space won’t accommodate a ground-level sunroom, perhaps because it’s too small. You may also choose a second-story sunroom because you want to enjoy your surroundings from above. With a sunroom on the second floor, you can gaze at the mountains, trees, lake or beach. Sunrises and sunsets also become more beautiful when viewed from a higher level.
Another reason for choosing a second-story sunroom involves privacy. Ground-level sunrooms are stunning additions, but they sometimes give passersby a peek into your home. When your sunroom is elevated, you can enjoy more privacy without needing to install curtains or drapes.
Both a ground-floor sunroom and a second-floor screened porch or sunroom are fantastic investments, and various factors will influence your decision. Below, we’ll look at some of the advantages of second-story sunrooms.
Advantages of Second-Story Sunrooms
There are many benefits of adding a second-floor screened porch to your home:
- Allows natural light and saves energy costs: When you add a sunroom, you invite natural light into your home, lessening your dependence on lightbulbs. Your sunroom can also influence your heating and cooling costs, depending on its orientation.
- Improves your health: Healthy exposure to the sun improves your circadian rhythm, lowers your blood pressure, improves mood, supports bone health and gives you more vitamin D. When you hang out in your sunroom while the sun streams through the windows, you might be surprised by how good you feel!
- Boosts your home’s value: Your home’s real estate value will increase with this addition. Sunrooms add to your home’s square footage and are extremely versatile. Prospective buyers can transform the sunroom into a living space, bedroom, workout studio, home office or playroom.
- Protects from pests: Whether you choose a second-floor screened-in porch or a glass sunroom, you can enjoy nature and sunlight while keeping the bugs away.
- Keeps pets safe: If you have adventurous pets who love the outdoors, you can allow them to bask in the sun without getting muddy.
- Gives you extra space: One of the most significant advantages of having a sunroom is the extra space that it brings. You can use it as an additional office, a homework room for the children, a yoga studio or a family room.
Year-Round Enjoyment
You can enjoy your second-story sunroom throughout the year — not just in summer. Four-season sunrooms allow for year-round enjoyment, while three-season sunrooms are ideal for every season except winter.
Here are some ways to enjoy your three- or four-season sunroom throughout the year:
- Cooling your sunroom: To keep your sunroom cool during the warm summer months, you can install blinds to a three-season room. Four seasons sunrooms by PAsunrooms have insulated glass and are designed to be lived in year round with proper HVAC installed by your local HVAC contractor.
- Warming your sunroom: A space heater is an excellent option for heating your sunroom during the winter. If you have a three-season sunroom and are looking for a more comprehensive option, you might consider installing a ductless mini-split heating system. Four seasons sunrooms are designed for temperature control and are built using insulated glass that allows sunlight in without letting heat out. With one of these rooms, you may only need simple fixes to stay warm, like adding a thick carpet to insulate the floors.
Sun-Sational Style: Decorating Your Sunroom
Sunrooms receive a lot of natural light, especially during summertime. So, aside from being functional and aesthetically pleasing, remember that the furniture and materials you choose must withstand glare from the sun’s rays. These tips can get you started:
- Choose strong furniture: Some options include wicker and wrought-iron furniture, which are resistant to sunlight. When you upholster your furniture, add durable coverings that are fade-resistant.
- Opt for robust flooring: Consider strong materials like stone, ceramic tiles or concrete when choosing flooring for your sunroom. These fade-resistant options are also a great choice if you want to add radiant heating to your room.
- Go for natural window shades: You can control how much sunlight your upstairs sunroom receives by adding shades made from raw materials. Whether you choose blinds, curtains or roller shades, remember that these will be in direct contact with the sun’s rays.
- Create balance with walls: White, cream, grey and beige are classic paint options, but if you want to add some more color to your sunroom, you might try shades of blue and green. These colors evoke a sense of calm and peace, perfect if your sunroom will serve as a yoga studio or relaxing living space.
- Bring in natural elements: Consider bringing the outside in with lovely plants that can thrive in a sunroom, such as citrus plants, hibiscus plants, peace lilies or orchids. You can also incorporate wood elements, like dining tables or bookshelves, to make a room feel warm and cozy.
- Be open to different ideas: The floor is yours, and you can choose what you want your sunroom to be. Whether a game room, dining area, library, family room or guest room, be open to different ideas, and let your sunroom’s function guide you when it’s time to decorate.
Build a Beautiful Second-Floor Sunroom With PAsunrooms
An upstairs sunroom is endlessly versatile, providing extra space, adding value to your property and maintaining your privacy. At PAsunrooms, we can install the second-floor sunroom of your dreams. Our home additions are customized to fit your ideas and vision, and we’ll provide you with all the information you need to make the right choice.
PAsunrooms has decades of experience designing and remodeling sunrooms in Central PA. When you want to add a sunroom on the second floor, schedule an appointment with us, and one of our team members will be happy to walk you through the process.
