With most homeowners spending more time at home the last several months due to the coronavirus and social distancing, we’re seeing increased demands for a range of outdoor projects. Folks are slowing down, focusing more on their families and finding new opportunities to improve their homes.
(We looked at some of those trends last month.)
Exploring Outdoor Living Options – Part 1
We’re blessed to have great weather here in the Atlanta area for most of the year – perfect for enjoying a deck, patio or other outdoor space. But we also know those summer days can get a little hot and humid, so an enclosed space like one of our “GA Rooms” makes a lot of sense for many homeowners.
Even though we planned and completed this project before COVID-19 was a factor, it is a great example of the types of projects homeowners ask for these days. These homeowners, in fact, tell us they’ve gotten so much more enjoyment out of their addition than they expected because of the virus’ Stay at Home restrictions. Their GA Room has now become their favorite room in the house.
The homeowners originally contacted us to repair their broken, aging patio. Through our discussions, we quickly discovered the patio area outside the kitchen door was wasted space. The family rarely used it since 2004, when they first owned the 1980 home. Even a hot tub and later a gazebo on the patio didn’t entice the family to actively enjoy the area.
Atlanta Design & Build President, Dale Contant, recognized that the money spent simply repairing the patio could be better spent creating a fully functional and enjoyable space. He suggested a sunroom or “GA Room” with an enlarged patio to help bring the outdoors in. The ability of Dale and the Atlanta Design & Build team to walk the homeowners through the design process was key to its success.
“He helped us visualize it,” says homeowner Larry A. “His being able to explain it … made it easier for us to make the decision to take it from the original concept to how it ended up.”
The new all-season, 18 ft. by 18 ft. room ties into three walls of adjacent rooms. To forego any concern of the addition reducing the light into these rooms, the design includes a 17-foot tall vaulted ceiling, which, from the outside, matches the other rooflines of the home. To feed the space with light, we installed custom gable glass and full-view Pella sliding and French doors that open directly to the new stone patio. The homeowner with our designer selected complementary colors for flooring, ceiling, and paint, which all reflect the light and give the space a harmonious feel.
To make sure the sunroom addition wouldn’t darken the adjacent den, a 10-foot section of den wall was removed to place a custom retractable door which infuses the space with light but can also close off the den for television viewing. The homeowners’ stained glass displays beautifully from the side panels of this door.
Larry and Beth have dubbed it the “Bird Room,” as they have taken to sitting in the space to watch and catalogue the many native birds in their yard.
“It’s so comfortable, it’s a great place to be,” says Larry. “It puts us right out in nature, where we previously had just been able to look at it.”
The remodel was such a pleasant process for the client they have already asked us to work on their next remodeling project, a redo of their master bath.
Ready to plan your next project? Contact us today! Atlanta Design & Build is here to help you Transform Your Home and Enrich Your Life!