Why You Need a Sunroom in Your Home
Living in Middle Tennessee, we know that temperatures can swing wildly, sometimes day to day. This type of climate really cuts back on outdoor-space use, and if you’re a sunbather or love the outdoors, missing out for a large chunk of the year can be a major downer. There is one feature of a home, though, that is sure to bring more consistent happiness regardless of weather, and that is a sunroom. Adding a sunroom to your home does increase property value, but, only recouping about half of what you invest, there are other larger reasons why so many choose this feature as an added highlight to their home, most obvious and important being improved quality of life.
The most important function of your home- to actually live in it and enjoy it- should be the biggest driving force in making a renovation decision. A sunroom, whether it is a three-season, four-season, or solarium, is designed solely to improve your life. Homeowners choose which type of sunroom they want based on climate and lifestyle, but all three have something in common- the sun.
Not only does this additional living space add value, square footage, and more room to stretch out, but it also aids in delivering life-sustaining and mood-improving sunshine. SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, is a real health concern involving Major Depressive Disorder with a seasonal pattern. American Psychiatric Society says that about 5 percent of adults in the U.S. experience SAD, and it comes on usually in the autumn and winter months, “when there is less sunlight,” and at its worst in January and February. One of the most common and healthiest treatments for this disorder is light therapy. A sunroom would help prevent and treat this disorder that is much more serious than just the “winter blues.”
Vitamin D deficiency, although related to SAD, is a much more pervasive concern. Vitamin D production happens when your skin is exposed to direct sunlight, and that is not happening often enough in our modern, mostly indoor world. It is estimated that about 40% of US adults are vitamin D deficient, and this varies depending mostly on geographic location, race, education level, and diet. Symptoms include muscle weakness, pain, fatigue, and depression, but there is a long list of health issues, such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, that correlate with this missing vitamin. We desperately need to get more sunshine in our daily lives.
It only takes about 10-15 minutes a day for three days a week to get your sufficient dose of sunshine, and a sunroom, of any type, can help with that. It may not just be for the mere enjoyment of curling up with a good book in the warmth of your solarium, but also for the health of your family and yourself, improving the quality, and maybe even the quantity, of your days. Ask a renovation company you trust for a quote on a three- or four-season sunroom or solarium addition. Your health and happiness is priceless.