Question - I want an attached sunroom, but my budget won't allow a fancy do-it-yourself kit. How can I design and build an inexpensive one myself? I want to use it for living space, growing plants and passive solar heating - T.F.
Answer - You have several sunroom options if you are on a limited budget. There are low-cost do-it-yourself starter sunroom kits available that offer add-on sections as your budget allows. Look for ones with simple lightweight aluminum framing and clear acrylic windows.
The least expensive do-it-yourself sunroom option is to build one from scratch. If you are handy with tools, you should be able to build an attractive and efficient 8-by-12-foot sunroom for less than $500.
For the lowest cost, size the sunroom in multiples of 4 feet to minimize waste. If you plan future improvements or expansion as your budget allows, initially design and size the framing and window/door place-ment accordingly.
The best design depends on how you plan to use your sunroom. For use primarily for living space and a few plants, a vertical front wall design is best. This provides more headroom and simplifies the installation of doors. A partial solid roof provides afternoon shade to minimize overheating.
A slanted front design is simpler to build and reduces material costs, especially the roofing. This design is ideal for a greenhouse that is used primarily for gardening and solar heating. For just starting plants, a simple solar cold frame is an inexpensive option.
True solar south is the best orientation of the sunroom. Check with your local weather service because it varies from compass south. Very few houses face directly south. Within 30 degrees to either side is acceptable. Note nearby trees and try to anticipate the shade patterns before building.
Use 2x4 studs for the basic sunroom framing. Clear acrylic plastic, available at home centers, is inexpensive, lightweight, easy to cut and maintains it clarity. Temporary use of thick translucent plastic film is a very low-cost option for the sides.
Although it is more work, make separate weatherstripped frames for the windows so that they can be replaced by screens in the summer. Screen Tight and Snapscreen make simple screening attachment kits. One strip is nailed to the window frame and a finishing trim strip snaps in trapping the screen.
To maintain an even sunroom temperature and provide winter heating for your house, some type of thermal storage mass is needed. Brick or concrete flooring is effective. Also, using bricks or concrete blocks to support tables or planting trays adds thermal mass.
Write for or instant download (www.dulley.com) Update Bulletin No. 655 - do-it-yourself instructions, diagrams, and materials list for building an inexpensive sunroom and a cold frame and a list of low-cost sunroom kits. Please include $2 and a business-size SASE. James Dulley, Deseret News, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244
Question - I am planning to install an efficient range hood as you recommended last year, but I am having difficulty sizing it properly. I do not understand why the instructions limit the number of duct bends to two. - T.G.
Answer - The proper size range hood (measured in cubic feet per minute of air flow - cfm) is based on the size, shape and height above your range. The range hood salesman can help you determine the cfm required.
As bends and length are added to the duct, there is more air flow resistance, which reduces the actual cfm of the range hood. If you need more than the two bend limit, you will have to buy a higher-cfm rated range hood.