Not at all. In fact, many of our most dramatic results in terms of customer satisfaction have come from north facing applications. With south facing homes, the rooms at the back of the house and facing north (usually the kitchen, dining room, and family room) are among the darkest in the house. Yet this is where we spend most of our time. Adding a north facing glass roof addition off the back of the home will turn this area into a bright and cheerful living space. Occupants and visitors will be attracted to the back of the home as a place for relaxation and other home activities. It becomes the focal point of the home. A homeowner should never discount the importance of capturing diffused light!

In our view, it is the best! We all love to spend quality time outdoors. But in Ottawa and Gatineau, with our long winters, and short and often hot summers, realizing quality outdoor time can be a challenge, especially as we age. In winter we have to spend most of our working and leisure hours indoors. In summer we often don't fare much better, especially when we are overrun with mosquitos and black flies, or hot humid weather. Glass roof sunrooms allow us to feel we are outdoors while indoors. They allow us to enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of our homes. They are perfect for eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

In most cases they will not only survive, they will thrive. Indoor plants tend to prefer a fairly constant room temperature. MC glass from Four Seasons Sunrooms, with its enhanced R value, and impressive ability to protect against excessive solar heat gain, will help provide that constant climate environment that plants love. In both summer and winter, MC glass will protect against wide daily temperature swings associated with insulated thermal or low-e glass.

In most cases the answer, unfortunately, is no. If the sunroom is to be built on a deck sitting on Sonotubes (piers) or metal posts, the eastern Ontario building codes generally require that the Sonotubes be on a footing measuring 24 x 24 inches wide x 8 inches deep and usually placed at least 6 feet below grade. Generally, decks are placed on Sonotubes that are seldom deeper than 4 ft. below grade and are rarely placed on a footing. A further point. Decks are often built using 2 x 6's on 24 inch centres. At Four Seasons Sunrooms (Ottawa), we prefer to build on 2 x 10's or 12 1/2's on 16 inch centres, or on engineered floor systems, allowing us to achieve at least R 31 or R 40 insulation in the floor.

Not really. There are simply too many variables including: a) size (smaller costs less, bigger costs more), b) model (we offer over twenty different models to choose from), c) type of foundation (full basement, foundation wall with crawl space, slab on grade, Sonotubes, or metal posts), d) number of operating windows and doors, e) type of floor cover (tile, hardwood, etc), f) extent of heating and electrical work, choice of siding, and g) the extent of structural work required to create an opening from the house to the sunroom. Essentially, each sunroom must be priced individually once all options have been decided.

Absolutely. Most sunrooms are built on metal posts, or on a foundation wall with a heated crawl space. The advantage of metal posts is that they are significantly less costly and their installation far less disruptive to the landscaping. Floors built on metal posts with 2×10's, or engineered floor systems, are well insulated with R31 or R 40 and as a result are comfortable in winter, especially with added electric in-flooor radiant heating. Heat always rises. Obviously, floors built on foundation walls with a crawl space will be warmer in the cold winter months. However, supplemental in-floor heating systems, such as elective radiant in-floor heating can be incorporated into a project built on metal posts. For both wall foundations and post foundations, the concern is not with the weight of the structure, but the need to ensure that the footings are placed below the frost line in order to prevent shifting due to freezing. About 80 to 90% of our installations in the Ottawa area are on posts.

Many factors have to be considered including the condition of the home before the renovation and the value and condition of homes in the immediate neighbourhood. Renovation magazines consistently rate well-built and well-designed sunrooms as having a high rate of return, often on a par with kitchen and bathroom renovations. One point seems certain; with all things being equal, homes with a sunroom sell first. Buyers like a bright cheery environment.

Basically there are no limits. Ceramic tile, laminate, and hardwood seem to be the flooring of choice. With tile, it is essential to use two layers of T&G plywood to provide support and prevent any cracking of the tiles. It is our recommendation that where tile is to be used in conjunction with a post foundation, supplementary in floor heating should be considered.

The first step is usually to visit our showroom and/or request a free site visit from one of our design consultants. Together we can explore different design options and provide you with a free estimate, usually within one week. Based on this estimate you may wish to enlarge or scale down the project. Once a final design has been agreed upon, our staff will proceed to draft a contract, secure the necessary engineering approvals, proceed to order a set of drawings, and to obtain a building permit. Glass roof sunrooms are generally ordered from the Four Seasons factory once the permit has been secured.

With approved credit, absolutely.