Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Jul 06, 2009 4:30 pm We have decided to have a sunroom built off the alfresco which will be fully enclosed with glass sliding doors and windows. It faces west so we will have a solid roof with some light panels and tinted windows. We may even add some window shades too if needed. The area inside will be arranged in 3 sections. To the left we will have our spa which will be enclosed by a pool fence to keep the kids out the middle section (which ajoins the alfresco) will have the outdoor table and a seating area which will have something like cane chairs for relaxing and chatting there will be a TV mounted up on the wall here too. To the right side will be the BBQ and kitchen area. It will be a flat roof with a gable in the middle and DH wants the downpipes to go into a water tank which will feed the spa. We will use outdoor tiles on the floor area so I can mop it to keep it clean. We are getting some quotes this week but I was wondering if anyone has built one and what did it cost? Also, would it be considered an extension to the size of the house do you think? or is it still classed as an outdoor area like a pergola? Here is a photo of what we are looking at... http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/Hels-b/House/Sunroom.jpg Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 3Jul 06, 2009 5:10 pm Brickie Hels would it be considered an extension to the size of the house do you think? or is it still classed as an outdoor area like a pergola? Youd need a permit as its a roofed area attached to the house.. Yeah I know and the companies that build them take care of all that. Do you know if we need a permit for a 3m x 3m garden shed? Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 4Jul 06, 2009 5:22 pm From here. http://www.whittleseabuilding.com.au/ow ... permit.asp SHEDS Erection of a shed less than 10m2 in area, no more than 3m high, not constructed of masonary and located no further forward on the allotment then the associated building No Erection of a shed more than 10m² in area Yes All councils should have the same rules.. Re: Building a sunroom 5Jul 06, 2009 5:26 pm Brickie From here. http://www.whittleseabuilding.com.au/ow ... permit.asp SHEDS Erection of a shed less than 10m2 in area, no more than 3m high, not constructed of masonary and located no further forward on the allotment then the associated building No Erection of a shed more than 10m² in area Yes All councils should have the same rules.. Thanks Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 6Jul 09, 2009 9:37 pm Update... I spoke to someone from Sunrooms Plus today and his estimate for the sunroom in the current design was $70k I nearly died!! He said that having the spa included means they have to build it under certain regulations such as fully insulated, re-inforced glass and doors/windows that meet the pool/spa requirements. We decided that the better option would be to have the spa outside of the sunroom (but still under the roof) and enclose it with cafe-style blinds. This would change the whole scenario. We are going into their showroom on saturday to have a look at their products and to drop of the plans. As much as we'd like to go all out and have the $70k sunroom (even if we could afford it, which we can't ) we do think it would be over-capitalising and if we were to sell the house later we wouldn't get our money back. Tomorrow morning I have an appt with someone from Spanline, so it will be interesting to hear what they have to say. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 8Jul 10, 2009 2:33 pm Good point, we had thought about that as we don't want it to get too hot and be unable to go in there in summer. We will use tall plants for shading, tinted windows and window shades. We can also get an insulated roof which would be desirable but could be quite $$$. We also have a portable air conditioner with a hose that fits into a window. Update... I had an appt with Spanline this morning, their product is very good and we had a Spanline roof at our last house and we were very happy with it. The sales guy was lovely, very honest and not pushy. Tomorrow we are going to take a drive over to the west to visit their showroom for more ideas. I'm waiting for Pergolas R Us to come back to me for a quote, it will be a timber structure. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 9Jul 16, 2009 9:32 pm Update... We have got our first lot of quotes from Spanline. The roof on it's own will be 16m long x 4.2m wide and consist of a metal flat roof with light panels and a gable over the alfresco (approx 4.7m wide). This would be $20,950 which includes full installation, connection to stormwater and all plans and permits. To add all the glass windows and doors is an extra $22,650 taking the total to $43,600 I had no idea that the windows would cost so much. Even though it is do-able, I feel that it is too excessive so we will most likely go with the roof only and enclose it with cafe-style PVC blinds for now. Still waiting for the timber place to get back to me with a quote before we decide on anything. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 10Jul 26, 2009 7:52 pm Had another quote which was for a Stratco Outback and it came in at $20,000. This mob don't do the windows and we didn't like the guy very much. All he wanted to do was ask us who else has quoted (so we said Spanline) and he spent the next 20 mins bagging Spanline We actually had a Spanline patio roof at our last house in Qld and we were more than happy with it, so this dude didn't really know what he was talking about. Needless to say, we won't be using them! Still waiting for a few more quotes this week. There are 2 companies that I have had to chase up twice because I haven't heard from them! Sheesh, you would think they would want the business, it's not like it is a small job At the weekend I took a photo of the sideway where the roof/sunroom will go and I also have a rough sketch of the plans. http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/Hels-b/House/25July8.jpg http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/Hels-b/House/sunroom1.jpg Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 11Jul 27, 2009 8:51 pm I had another quote today and this company is $3000 cheaper and they have a really nice product. They are going to get me a quote on the windows and they can also fit the windows if we supply them. I am finally starting to think that this may be achievable within our budget, but oh boy it has taken a lot of phone calls and running around to different showrooms so far. It definitely pays to shop around though. (Does anyone even read or follow this thread??? it doesn't really matter, because I want to document the journey of it from start to finish anyway and maybe it will help someone else in the future who wants to build something similar ) Anyhoo... below is a photo of the type of roof this company can profide (it's very similar to a stratco roof) and also a rough image of how it will look on our house http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/Hels-b/House/Fielders_centenary_Pic_Month.jpg http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i60/Hels-b/House/Patiophoto.jpg Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 12Jul 27, 2009 9:21 pm Sounds promising. who gave the quote and if you don't mind I'd be keen to get an idea of price. this is exactly what I'd love to put along one side of our home. And at about the same length as well. I'd be curious as to cost. Re: Building a sunroom 13Jul 27, 2009 9:36 pm kexkez Sounds promising. who gave the quote and if you don't mind I'd be keen to get an idea of price. this is exactly what I'd love to put along one side of our home. And at about the same length as well. I'd be curious as to cost. I'll PM you Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 14Jul 29, 2009 5:57 pm Arrrgh... this is all getting so confusing Some are saying get a slab like a house slab, get it pinned to the house. Or no, a 100mm slab will be fine We need to change the gutters on the house or it will leak, or no it won't because it will slope away and have it's own gutters and downpipes Have an insulated roof or don't have an insulated roof Prices range from $40,000 to $70,000 A couple more quotes are to come in and then we make a decision. I am still thinking of just having a metal roof with either glass doors and windows or PVC blinds but we will have the zip track ones which glide down a track as they don't blow around as much and give a better seal. They are more exxy, but hell it's only money isn't it? I am starting to learn the difference between a proper sunroom and an enclosed patio. With a sunroom, it is basically like adding a living area to the house and can be used for a pool table, living area with TV etc, dining area etc. It can even have tiles, boards or carpet on the floor. The enclosed patio is basically a steel roofed structure that is enclosed to keep out the weather. It will still get dusty and cold/hot according to the climate. It is used as an area for BBq's, an outdoor table and a spa etc. After assessing what our needs are, we really only want an enclosed patio and not a full on sunroom. So now that we have worked that out, it makes it easier to compare apples for apples Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 15Aug 02, 2009 7:04 pm I think that will look fantastic. If you don't have actual walls, you could use screens for the heat of the day maybe? www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: Building a sunroom 16Aug 02, 2009 7:32 pm themax I think that will look fantastic. If you don't have actual walls, you could use screens for the heat of the day maybe? Yes that's right, if we don't go with full glass we will have tinted PVC blinds but they will be the zip track ones: http://www.ziptrak.com.au But which ever way we go (glass or PVC) we will have some shades or block out blinds running the length of the beam on the west facing side. This will give us some privacy too! I've had a few more quotes and the price is looking more reasonable. There are 2 more companies coming this week and that will be it... decision time (I keep playing those lotto tickets but my winning numbers haven't come up yet ) Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 18Aug 02, 2009 8:51 pm We want something that we can see through such as the glass or PVC blinds. We have 3 pallets of bricks left over, so we are having a brick planter built along the fence line which will be a large rectangle shape. It will run the whole length of the patio and be about 4-5 bricks high and filled with tropical style plants So when we sit out there, we want it to feel like we are sitting in a tropical garden. I also want to put one of those big fijian style celing fans and some palms out there. Something like this; Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Building a sunroom 19Aug 03, 2009 7:25 am http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg89/leah6363/alfrescofan.jpg Oh Hels that is so weird I went to post this yesterday and say the same thing! I love it. They are not ourtdoor rated and the guy was a little edgy about saying I could use it in the Al Fresco but I think it would be ok. Very RAFFLES I think. www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: Building a sunroom 20Aug 03, 2009 5:56 pm Lol yes they are very Raffles like aren't they? I think I like yours better, where is it from? I got my pic from Beacon's website. I am not too worried about it not being outdoor rated as we will have an enclosure (of some sort) and the fan will actually go in the existing alfresco part. I think a big one would service the whole area too. We have also got 2 of those portable air con units that have a hose which goes in a window. So we can use those on a really hot day if we need to. Unfortunately my oldest DS was born at the end of January so his birthday parties are normally on 40'c days Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Depends how much direct sun it gets. Is there any shading (eaves or trees)? If the sun hits a window directly it doesn't matter too much if it's double or single… 1 12815 Well you won't get cooked by the afternoon sun when sitting out on the balcony on a summers afternoon but you won't have much to look at besides the neighbours… 4 3815 i think option 2 is much better with easy access to the garden without having to walk through the new sunroom which makes it a better room for guests and TV .a simple… 2 8427 |