How would you do this roof?

[2ndhalf]

I feel the need for a little more space and this sunroom is not cutting it. It sits on a slab of cold concrete and it is more like a 2-season room.

I want to tear it off and turn it into a greenhouse and build a real 4 season room that is easy to heat. The pic of the white sunroom that comes straight off the roof is what I have and want gone. It also obstucts the view of my entire back yard because it sits about 2.5 feet lower than my dining room and kitchen windows.

The new room would be even with the main floor living area so I could see out my back windows again.

I don't know how to handle the roof line with the garage roof. I'm thinking of getting estimates just to have them do the roof and rough framing and I do the rest.

I have attached what I would like to do but not sure how easy or costly that will be and should I look at another method.

The existing sunroom is about 9 x 20. Long and narrow. I'm thinking the new room would be more like 12 x16 going out from the house more but not as long. I am not sure how I would connect the garage to the new room though.

 

[Einthewoods]

I like the looks of what you want to do. Do you plan to wall it off from your main house and have something like French doors leading to it? Just thinking it would be nice to close it off while not in use during the winter months.

Being I only heat with wood, I always think of winter first and if it will be warm or not.

Vaulted ceiling? Ceiling fan(s)?

With your house roof having two tiers, it will be interesting to see how the new roof will connect. If it is like the picture of what you want it to look like, I suspect you will have to have it further to the right of your existing one to keep runoff ans snow from hitting the taller teir of your house roof. I think a updated flat roof coming off of your main house would be good along with a couple skylights. Maybe start the new roof further up your existing roof with less of an angle so that you can raise the overall elevation of the sun room?

 

[bcp]

I would probably extend the raised portion to meet the side of the new roof.



Bruce

 

[2ndhalf]

I like the looks of what you want to do. Do you plan to wall it off from your main house and have something like French doors leading to it? Just thinking it would be nice to close it off while not in use during the winter months.

Being I only heat with wood, I always think of winter first and if it will be warm or not.

Vaulted ceiling? Ceiling fan(s)?

With your house roof having two tiers, it will be interesting to see how the new roof will connect. If it is like the picture of what you want it to look like, I suspect you will have to have it further to the right of your existing one to keep runoff ans snow from hitting the taller teir of your house roof. I think a updated flat roof coming off of your main house would be good along with a couple skylights. Maybe start the new roof further up your existing roof with less of an angle so that you can raise the overall elevation of the sun room?

Yes, that is exactly the plan to have it closed off and turn the existing kitchen window into french doors. vaulted ceiling with ceiling fan.

I also thought about coming straight off at a higher elevation too. I am not even sure what just tying into the garage roof and bringing it straight across would do and would that cause my roof to leak in the valley.

I guess I need to get a contractor or two out to my house. I don't do roofs but I can do most everything else.

 

[2ndhalf]

I would probably extend the raised portion to meet the side of the new roof.

View attachment 537598

Bruce

That just might work.

 

[BoylermanCT]

Love the look of the gray addition pic. Windows get very expensive very quickly, so a sun room is not a cheap project. But you can save a chunk of change if you design the room to use standard windows instead of custom sizes. When I replaced the windows in my log home, replacing with the exact same size window was like $500 a piece. But if I could go 2 inches taller, I could get them for $300. I went with the larger stock windows. I had to get new interior and exterior trim, but I didn't like the old trim, so that was no issue.

 

[2ndhalf]

Love the look of the gray addition pic. Windows get very expensive very quickly, so a sun room is not a cheap project. But you can save a chunk of change if you design the room to use standard windows instead of custom sizes. When I replaced the windows in my log home, replacing with the exact same size window was like $500 a piece. But if I could go 2 inches taller, I could get them for $300. I went with the larger stock windows. I had to get new interior and exterior trim, but I didn't like the old trim, so that was no issue.

Yes, I'm sure it won't be cheap and I will keep that in mind on the windows.

I was way off on my ball park of the size of my existing sunroom. It is actually 28 x 9'6". I think the roof may dictate my dimensions of the new room.

It would be nice to have at least the same sq. ft. but maybe 16 x 16.

 

[GLyford]

I built a 12x16 3-season 2 years ago and love it. Since my house is 2-story, I did not have issues with rooflines, so this is more about the porch itself.

I am going to 2nd the comment of just going with regular windows, but not for reasons of cost. It would be too hot a space to use much of the year if we had the upper windows.

I took out an existing double window and replaced it with a french door, they're closed when the heat or AC are on but open for a good breeze the rest of the time. The end faces west and has 4 regular windows, no upper triangular windows, and there is a 6' slider facing south (along the house). There is one window facing north to open to catch the prevailing NW wind.

With 4 west windows and one south door, even though nothing faces the sun until midday the porch can still get up to 60 or 70 degrees on bright sunny winter days. It can get painfully bright in the summer, and we are thinking of adding a shade to the south or west sides to kill some of the high angle summer sun. There is a ceiling fan, too.

There is 6" of fiberglass in the roof and floor (resting on 1" of foam) and 4" in the walls. A portable space heater or opening the french doors is enough to take off a light chill in the room. The floor is framed like a deck. The only problem this has caused is the dry sand under would blow all over. I finally put down stall mats (keeps the dog from digging too) which has helped a lot.

 

[turnkey4099]

Yes, that is exactly the plan to have it closed off and turn the existing kitchen window into french doors. vaulted ceiling with ceiling fan.

I also thought about coming straight off at a higher elevation too. I am not even sure what just tying into the garage roof and bringing it straight across would do and would that cause my roof to leak in the valley.

I guess I need to get a contractor or two out to my house. I don't do roofs but I can do most everything else.

I would plan for a 'reroof' of that entire side of the house roof, trying to patch one into existing shingles almost begs for a leak.

 

[2ndhalf]

Glyford I really like the look of that. I am now deciding to put this project out about 3 years. Instead for now I am doing a garage extention for the extra space. I am still going to do the 4 seasons room though; just not this year.

I have a guy coming tomorrow night to estimate tacking on a 16' addition to the end of my garage which is 24' deep. That will be finished off for living space.

I see this as a fast inexpensive way to get the space for now. I will have him do everything minus the electric, insulation and drywall. After my son and grandson move out again it will be a third garage or man cave.

I don't want to give up my garage or would just convert that.

Thanks for the ideas, I will still remember them for when I do the 4 season room.