April 7, 2025 •Brian Hogan
For most of us in the greater Chicago area, the early signs of spring are a reminder of just how much we've been stuck inside during the winter. At the same time, we know that a blistering summer is just a few months away.
Unfortunately, our crazy weather can make it hard to enjoy time outdoors. One practical solution is a four-season sunroom, a type of home addition that lets you soak up natural light without being exposed to the elements. And when it's nice out, you can make the most of it by throwing open the doors and windows.
In this post, I'll explain what a four-season sunroom is, how it offers year-round benefits, and what goes into its design.
What Is a Four-Season Room?
A four-season room, also called a year-round sunroom, is an addition to your house that gets plenty of natural light, provides an indoor-outdoor connection, and is climate-controlled so that it's comfortable at any time of year.
This type of room is distinct from a basic patio enclosure or screened-in porch. A four-season room is built on a dedicated foundation. It's integrated with your home's structure but has extensive glass windows and doors, making it brighter and more open than interior rooms. That's why these are often referred to as sunrooms.
Another major feature of a four-season room is that it's linked to your home's HVAC system. That allows you to enjoy this extra living space regardless of the weather.
What Is the Difference Between 3 Season Rooms and a 4 Season Sunroom?
When planning a home addition, it's important to distinguish between a 3-season room and a 4-season sunroom. A 3-season room is suitable for spring, summer, and fall but lacks the insulation for winter, making it unsuitable for year-round use. Conversely, a 4-season sunroom is designed for year-round comfort, fully insulated, and connected to your home's HVAC system.
It features extensive glass for abundant natural light and is built with durable materials to withstand harsh weather. This makes it a versatile and valuable investment for those looking to enhance their living space and enjoy the beauty of every season from the comfort of home.
Benefits of a Four-Season Sunroom
A four-season sunroom can enhance your home in a host of ways.
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Protection from the elements: Even if you love being outdoors, there are times when the elements can be exhausting. As the seasons unfold, a four-season sunroom offers protection from excess heat, cold, sun, wind, rain, and snow. It gives you shade when you need it, but you can also open things up when you want to let in some sun. As a bonus, it gives you protection from insects, dust, and allergies.
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Expanded living space: A four-season sunroom is like an indoor-outdoor living room. It offers extra space that you and your family can take advantage of year-round.
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Natural light exposure: Natural light can brighten your mood and make your home feel more inviting and comfortable. Unfortunately, for months at a time, bad weather makes it challenging to get outside. A four-seasons sunroom lets you take in daylight throughout the year, even on the coolest and warmest days.
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Diverse uses: One of the best characteristics of a four-season room is that you get to decide how to use it. For many families, it's like an auxiliary living room, but others may treat it as a playroom, reading space, yoga or exercise room, or even a home office.
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Increased property value: A fully built-out sunroom not only expands your home's square footage but also provides an attractive space that can make your home stand out. As a result, all-season rooms offer a meaningful boost to your house's resale value.
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Customizable: Four-season rooms are built to match your home’s architecture and are customizable to match your style and taste. In this way, you can create the ideal sunroom to suit your family's needs and preferences.
Another way to think about the benefits of a four-season sunroom is to consider how it can enhance everyday life during each part of the year. I'll give a few ideas about how you can use this space, but the beauty of this type of room is that you have the flexibility to use it however you see fit, regardless of the weather outside.
Winter
It's always a pleasant surprise to have a sunny day during the winter, but days without cloud clover can be some of the coldest of the year. With a four-season sunroom, you don't have to bundle up to soak up some sun. You can enjoy a leisurely morning coffee, curl up with a book, or get some exercise, all while basking in daylight in the comfort of your home.
Spring
As the days start to get longer, your sunroom lets you enjoy the feeling of being outdoors without having to worry about bringing an umbrella or putting on boots to deal with the mud. On warm spring days, you can open up the doors and windows and truly enjoy that "spring is in the air."
Summer
On beautiful summer days, you can open the sunroom wide and use it as a patio. It's a fantastic option to be the hub of a barbecue with family and friends. And if the weather gets too hot or if a summer thunderstorm blows in, you can close things up and be comfortably protected.
Fall
With a four-season sunroom, you can observe the beauty of the leaves changing colors and never suffer through humidity or blustery winds outdoors. Some people even put a TV in their sunroom, allowing them to enjoy football season without feeling cooped up inside.
Key Design Considerations for a 4-Season Sunroom
When planning a home addition with a four-season room, we always take several important factors into account.
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Location: For most homeowners, a new sunroom fits best near the back of the house where it connects to the backyard. However, for some homes, it may make more sense on the side or even the front of the house. The ideal setup will depend on your property and the layout of your existing home.
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Intended use: Having an idea about how you expect to use the sunroom can affect the size and layout as well as interior design choices like furniture.
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Frame design: Aluminum, fiberglass, and vinyl are the most common window frame materials, and most people choose a frame that's either black or white. However, you're not limited to these choices, and each frame design comes with certain benefits and drawbacks.
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Roof style: A slanted roof offers simplicity, but many homeowners opt for the look of a gable roof for their four-season sunroom. You can also consider whether you want to add skylights to let in even more natural light.
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Insulation and climate control: In the Chicago area, we typically opt for high-level insulation for the doors and windows. Given the potential for extreme conditions, this helps reduce the energy needed to heat and cool your sunroom.
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Budget: As with any home renovation, you'll want to consider the cost of adding a sunroom and what you're willing and able to spend. During the design process, you'll be able to choose from different options that can affect the total cost of the project.
For some homeowners, adding a four-season sunroom is an opportunity to consider related projects, such as new landscaping or other upgrades to their deck, patio, or yard. Some people also choose to do a complete remodel of the first-floor interior space that connects to the sunroom as part of the same project.
Designing and Building Your New Sunroom
Although they may look simple from the outside, four-season sunrooms require careful design and construction to ensure that they provide all of their potential benefits.
Our firm, Hogan Design & Construction, has been offering high-end remodeling services in the greater Chicago and southern Wisconsin region for more than 25 years. We know just how tough the seasons here can be, and we build all-season rooms to withstand even the harshest conditions.
With our unified design-build process, we handle all the details of the sunroom's design and construction. This process enables us to offer our clients convenience, collaboration, and high-quality results.
If you're thinking about adding a year-round sunroom to your home, we invite you to contact us to schedule a call or an in-person appointment. You can also learn more about who we are and see examples of our project portfolio on our website.