Three-Season or Four-Season: Which Type of Sunroom Is Best For You?

March 30th, 2016 by

Maggie Clendenin

A new sunroom can be a great addition to any home, and just like any other home addition, choosing the right kind of sunroom makes all the difference. In order to get the most out of your sunroom, it’s important to decide whether you’ll be building a fully insulated extra room that just so happens to let in more light—commonly known as a four-season-sunroom—or whether you’d like to build a three-season sunroom to use as an enclosed outdoor seating area.

	Three-Season Room	Four-Season Room
Glass	Built with less energy-efficient glass	Built with highly energy-efficient glass
Insulation	Has minimal to no insulation	Same insulation requirements as a normal room addition
HVAC System	Usually absent of HVAC system due to little or no insulation	More efficiently heated and cooled by HVAC system due to higher-quality insulation
Entry Door	Door between the house and sunroom is typically sturdier, like an entry door, to keep out cold air	Does not require a door, but homeowners can add a French door or other patio door
Budget	Essentially a covered outdoor space and does not require the same quality of insulation and glass that a four-season room needs	Added onto the house and needs the same quality of insulation and glass that the rest of the house has

Whether you’d rather enjoy a cool sunrise from inside a cozy, insulated four-season sunroom or make the most of a cool, shady three-season sunroom during the warmer months, understanding the potential benefits of different types of sunrooms will go a long way toward helping you plan the best and most cost-effective addition for your home.