Guide To Home Improvement - Home remodeling projects, kitchen remodeling, window replacement, cabinet refacing, vinyl siding, and more

Tired of watching your patio from inside the house during the cold winter months? Turn that patio into a sunroom or a screened-in porch and enjoy the space year round.

Patio Transformation Options
Ready to upgrade your patio? You have options. Check out the most popular porch and patio enclosures for homeowners ready to improve their existing space:

Screened-in porch: During the summer, avoid mosquitoes and other seasonal pests while enjoying the breeze and outdoor air. When winter rolls around, use wood or vinyl sheeting to keep cold air out.
Sunroom: Typically made completely of glass, sunrooms do their best to combat dark winter days. Enjoy the winter sun's warmth with a cup of coffee and the morning paper, or drink your hot chocolate and watch the snow fall during long evenings.

The upgrade you choose should depend on your budget, the long-term maintenance of your project, and your neighborhood's regulations. A neighborhood committee that doesn't allow porches or sunrooms will put a quick end to your home improvement project.

Sunrooms Offer Year-Round Comfort
If you're considering a sunroom, look into materials that offer year-round benefits. Insulated glass retains heat in the winter and keeps your energy bill from skyrocketing. On sunny days, the room is naturally heated by the warmth of the sun. Look for special coated glass that retains heat during the winter and repels it during the summer.

Screened-In Porch Heating & Cooling
While summer breezes can easily cool a shady, screened-in porch, those screens can work against you in the winter months without proper preparation. After adding windows or wood or vinyl sheeting to the screens you may still need a way to heat the space. Opening the door to the house can mean losing a lot of the home's heat to poor insulation. A small portable heater can warm things up, but you'll need to be careful while operating such devices. Heated flooring or installed windows make your porch a true luxury upgrade.

If you're looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors without suffering from winter weather, you have options. With a little backyard space, you can turn a three-month summer porch into a year-round gathering place.

About the Author
Amelia Gray is a freelance writer in Austin, TX. Amelia earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Arizona State University and an MFA from Texas State University.