Summer’s a breeze

from Winnipeg – Home Decor and Renovations – August-September 2021

Timeless design

The room measures 16 ft. wide along the house and projects 14 ft. into the backyard. The ceiling peak stands at 11 ft. and just under 8’ tall at the side walls. The vaulted roof adds volume and is a stylistic reference to the interior’s vaulted ceiling.

GLASTAR SUNROOMS — THE IDEAL STAY-SAFE RETREAT

by MARGARET ANNE FEHR • photography by DUALITY PHOTOGRAPHIC

It was late summer in 2019 when Corrie and Jeff arrived at a decision they’d been mulling over for a few years - whether to a move from their Royalwood home where they had raised their family since 2002 or to launch a search for another home with a bigger yard. The couple had made some upgrades to their existing home but their ‘seen-better-days,’ weathered deck needed immediate attention so they made the bold decision to stay put and move ahead with a Glastar Sunroom to make the most of their backyard space.

Now two years later, the couple realized that their decision to install their sunroom was the right one, almost uncanny in fact, offering benefits they could hardly imagine especially as the world entered the COVID shutdown.

“The sunroom was finished by September but once we had it carpeted and fitted with blinds, a rainy autumn meant that we didn’t use it that much,” says Corrie, “but when spring came and COVID hit, you couldn’t get us out of there. It was the best place we ever could have had!”

The family uses the space as an outdoor living room where they watch TV and movies. “My daughter does all

The west and north walls have two sliding panels on each which gives Corrie and Jeff 50 percent screen, not including the gable, and the south side with the exit door has a sliding screen door giving them 30 percent screen when they want it. Having these openings on each wall allows them to control where and how much airflow they will have at any given time.

her online classes in there; it’s really our everything place.”

A side benefit is rediscovering nature adds Corrie. “Hearing the birds sing and identifying them, watching squirrels running down the fence; it’s sort of a cottage feel. We have no desire to acquire a cottage now.”

Corrie and Jeff met with Steve Sarens, Glastar Sunrooms owner and client consultant, and decided to make the room as big as possible considering their lot size. The room measures 16 ft. wide along the house and projects 14 ft. into the backyard. The ceiling peak stands at 11 ft. and just under 8’ tall at the side walls. The vaulted roof adds volume and is a stylistic reference to the interior’s vaulted ceiling.

“There were no real challenges for us in the construction of the project,” says Steve, “other than getting a variance from the City to accommodate the size of the sunroom relative to the lot size. We obtained a permit allowing for a slightly smaller distance than normal from the sunroom to the back lot line.”

“The west and north walls have two sliding panels on each which gives Corrie and Jeff 50 percent screen, not including the gable, and the south side with the exit door has a sliding screen door giving them 30 percent screen when they want it. Having these openings on each wall allows them to control where and how much airflow they will have at any given time.”

Although it is considered a threeseason room, Glastar Sunrooms incorporate insulation in the ceiling and floor to help prevent condensation and for extra comfort underfoot. “We tell people that with proper design, they can take advantage of the solar gain

The couple had made some upgrades to their existing home but their `seen-better-days,’ weathered deck needed immediate attention so they made the bold decision to stay put and move ahead with a Glastar Sunroom to make the most of their backyard space.

Before

The family uses the space as an outdoor living room where they watch TV and movies. “My daughter does all her online classes in there; it’s really our everything place.”

“Corrie and Jeff were impressed with how quickly their sunroom went up and that all the features they wanted were incorporated

”into the cost from the get-go.

and utilize this room up to minus 10 degrees to minus 15 degrees Celsius with no extra heat during spring, winter, and fall seasons.”

Steve adds that customer thinking about sunroom installation has evolved during the lockdown. “When you consider how much a threeseason sunroom will shorten our winter season, a sunroom especially makes sense for snowbirds who might not have endured a full winter season in many years. People are also changing their idea of entertainment and are opting to spend more time at home with family and friends; so again, a sunroom enhances the cocooning lifestyle.”

Corrie and Jeff were impressed with how quickly their sunroom went up and that all the features they wanted were incorporated into the cost from the get-go. Corrie sums up, “We recommend Glastar Sunrooms and Steve and his crew to everybody any chance we get.”

Visit Glastar Sunrooms online at www.sunshadeltd.com or call them at 204.940.3030.