This project restored the historic core of an 18th century farmhouse, and reorganized the remaining spaces for effortless flow into a new addition featuring updated kitchen, living room, and family room spaces—bringing light, life, and a fresh sense of harmony to the whole.

Glass Enclosed Conservatory opening to patio with fireplace
Large minimalist gray floor sunroom photo in Minneapolis with a glass ceiling

Our empty nester clients bought this 1989 house on the Pacific Coast with the goal of remodeling it once they found the right architect. The shed roof house was built with plain finishes, basic front steps, and a raised panel front door with leaded glass sidelights and an arched window over it, but the location was to die for. Our goal was to make the house more consistently modern, more open, and take greater advantage of the views. At the exterior, we replaced the basic wood siding and clunky trim with a palette of more refined siding, sleek minimalist trim, stucco, and stacked stone. We replaced the old windows with better-proportioned black aluminum windows. We replaced the basic front door with a cool contemporary flush door, replaced the garage door with a compatible new one, replaced the dated exterior lighting, and added new downlights in the eaves. We redesigned the exterior wood stairs with an expansive, flowing design made of concrete and stone. We replaced the solid rails at the exterior with glass rails and completely redesigned the entry with sleek tile, new contemporary wood stairs, and frameless glass rails. We designed a new open kitchen and bathrooms using transitional-style cabinets, cutting-edge appliances, and modern fixtures. The most complicated part of the project was replacing a dated curved glass solarium. We replaced it with a better-insulated sunroom with an actual roof and skylights instead of the original kit solarium. It not only better suits the architecture but it is now one of the owners’ favorite rooms.

Jeffrey Lendrum / Lendrum Photography LLC
Country screened-in porch idea in Other with decking

Sunroom - mid-sized traditional ceramic tile sunroom idea in Atlanta with a wood stove and a skylight

Example of a sunroom design in Other

Example of a sunroom design in Other

TEAM Architect: LDa Architecture & Interiors Builder: 41 Degrees North Construction, Inc. Landscape Architect: Wild Violets (Landscape and Garden Design on Martha's Vineyard) Photographer: Sean Litchfield Photography

Inspiration for a sunroom remodel in Other

Inspiration for a sunroom remodel in Other

Sunroom - sunroom idea in Other

Example of a sunroom design in Other

Sunroom photo in Other

Sunroom - sunroom idea in Other

Example of a sunroom design in Other

Jonathan Reece
Mid-sized mountain style medium tone wood floor and brown floor sunroom photo in Portland Maine with a standard ceiling

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

This contemporary conservatory is located just off of historic Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The stately home featured many classic exterior details and was located in the heart of the famous district, so Sunspace worked closely with the owners and their architect to design a space that would blend with the existing home and ultimately be approved for construction by the Cambridge Historical Commission. The project began with the removal of an old greenhouse structure which had outlived its usefulness. The removal of the greenhouse gave the owners the perfect opportunity substantially upgrade the space. Sunspace opened the wall between the conservatory and the existing home to allow natural light to penetrate the building. We used Marvin windows and doors to help create the look we needed for the exterior, thereby creating a seamless blend between the existing and new construction. The clients requested a space that would be comfortable year-round, so the use of energy efficient doors and windows as well as high performance roof glass was critically important. We chose a PPG Solar Ban 70 XL treatment and added Argon glass. The efficiency of the roof glass and the Marvin windows allowed us to provide an economical approach to the client’s heating and air conditioning needs. The final result saw the transformation of an outdated space and into a historically appropriate custom glass space which allows for beautiful, natural light to enter the home. The clients now use this space every day.

Photo by John Hession
Mid-sized elegant dark wood floor and brown floor sunroom photo in Boston with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a standard ceiling